jau5 si4有時有时

Jyutpingjau5 si4

Yaleyáuh sìh

副詞Very common

Definition

Sometimes; occasionally.

colloquialtime

How it's used

Use this to soften a statement when you want to avoid sounding overly absolute or dogmatic. It frequently appears in a parallel structure, such as 有時...有時..., to contrast two alternating states or behaviors. Unlike formal written Chinese, it feels very natural in casual conversation to describe habits that are inconsistent.

Examples

keoi5佢jau5有si4時wui2會zi6自gei2己jat1一go3個heoi3去haang4行saan1山。

Sometimes he goes hiking by himself.

nei5你hai6係mai1咪jau5有si4時wui2會gok3覺dak1得hou2好mun6悶aa1呀？

Do you sometimes feel bored?

Common phrases

jau5有si4時wui2會

sometimes will

jau5有si4時hai6係

sometimes is

Common mistake

Avoid using it to mean 'at some time' in the sense of a specific future moment, as that is better expressed by 有一日 or 遲啲. It is strictly for describing frequency or recurring patterns.