raras veces
/raɾas beθes/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'rarely' is translated into Spanish as raras veces.
Raras veces is used to describe something that happens to a rare degree. Depending on the context, you can also use other phrases such as casi nunca (almost never), no muy a menudo (not very often), muy pocas veces (very few times) or en contadas ocasiones (on rare occasions).
Meaning: to a rare degree (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective raras (rare) and the noun veces (times).
Which one should you use?
While raras veces is the plural form, the singular form rara vez is a common alternative that carries the same meaning.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form rara vez is also commonly used to mean 'rarely'.
How do you pronounce it?
/raɾas beθes/
Did you know?
- While raras veces means 'rarely', the word raro on its own is more commonly used to mean 'weird' or 'strange' than 'rare'.
- Depending on the region, especially in parts of Latin America, people may prefer poco frecuente over raras veces to avoid the connotation of 'weirdness'.
- In very formal Spanish, the word infrecuentemente exists as a single-word adverb, but it is almost never used in spoken conversation compared to raras veces.
Examples in context
- Los niños raras veces salen.The children rarely go outside.This sentence is useful for showing how to use raras veces with a subject.Tatoeba #13849822 by mervert1, translation #2776285 by Hybrid
- Ella raras veces sale los domingos.She rarely goes out on Sundays.This sentence shows how to use raras veces to describe a recurring weekly action.Tatoeba #967618 by hundo, translation #316090 by CK
- Raras veces salgo de noche.I rarely go out at night.
- Escasamente voy al cine.I rarely go to the movies.
- Pocas veces veo televisión.I rarely watch television.
- Casi nunca voy al gimnasio.I rarely go to the gym.
- No se ve muy a menudo un cielo tan estrellado.You don't see such a starry sky very often.
- Nosotros raras veces comemos en este restaurante.We rarely eat at this restaurant.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their dining habits.
- Alejandro¿Vienes mucho por este barrio?Do you come to this neighborhood often?
- MaríaNo, raras veces estoy por aquí.No, I am rarely around here.
- AlejandroEntiendo, es una zona muy tranquila.I understand, it is a very quiet area.
- MaríaSí, Alejandro, es un lugar muy relajante.Yes, Alejandro, it is a very relaxing place.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
