other
ab und zu
now and then
Meaning (English)
„ab und zu“ means “now and then,” “from time to time,” “occasionally.”
It describes something that happens irregularly and not very often.
Example sense:
- Ich gehe ab und zu schwimmen. → “I go swimming from time to time.”
Parts (word components)
- ab = “off/away/down” (in many contexts), here part of a fixed phrase
- und = “and”
- zu = “to/toward/closed” (in many contexts), here part of a fixed phrase
As a whole, „ab und zu“ is an idiomatic fixed expression; the meaning isn’t simply the sum of the individual words.
German synonyms
- manchmal
- gelegentlich
- hin und wieder
- vereinzelt (more formal: “sporadically”)
- von Zeit zu Zeit
German antonyms (opposites)
- oft
- häufig
- regelmäßig
- ständig
- immer
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Examples
Ab und zu habe ich beim Lernen eine kurze Pause gemacht, damit ich mich besser konzentrieren konnte.other
Now and then I took a short break while studying so that I could concentrate better.
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