🇺🇸🇨🇦 **American/Canadian English speakers, let's talk about the word *oftentimes*!**

How often do you actually use it in everyday conversation? Would you naturally say:

- *Oftentimes, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*
- *Quite often, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*
- *Generally, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*
- *Frequently, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*

Do these sound equally natural to you, or do some feel more formal, old-fashioned, or awkward? Which would you personally use, and in what context?

I'm curious about your actual usage rather than which expressions you simply recognize![Image]

Question

🇺🇸🇨🇦 **American/Canadian English speakers, let's talk about the word *oftentimes*!**

How often do you actually use it in everyday conversation? Would you naturally say:

- *Oftentimes, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*
- *Quite often, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*
- *Generally, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*
- *Frequently, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*

Do these sound equally natural to you, or do some feel more formal, old-fashioned, or awkward? Which would you personally use, and in what context?

I'm curious about your actual usage rather than which expressions you simply recognize![Image]

Answer

'Oftentimes' isn't something I hear or use in everyday speech. It is a little formal and I think I mostly hear it instructional environments. Another word that can be used is "usually."

If I was formally discussing something, or in an instructor role, I'd use the sentence structure of the first two: "Quite often, people underestimate..." or "Oftentimes, people will underestimate...".

But if I'm casually talking I'd be more likely to say, "People often/usually underestimate...".

*Not a teacher/professor, just providing my experience. Hope this helps.

Answer

I've never used or heard someone use oftentimes in a conversation in the United States. The other 3 are fine but have subtle differences. There are other ways to express the same concept. "People usually underestimate how difficult the task is". That's probably the way I would say it and the word order seems more natural but the others sound fine to me. FYI, I'm not a teacher.

- *Oftentimes, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*
- *Quite often, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*
- *Generally, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*
- *Frequently, people underestimate how difficult the task is.*

Answer

Personally, I use: Quite often, people underestimate how difficult the task is. 
It just feels more natural to me. I'm from the US.

Answers · 6

Still haven’t found your answers?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!