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Case 1

When for example we say "At weekends I play football" what do we mean?

1). I always play football at weekends.

2). Some weekends I play football.

How "strong" is always in the first case? If we interpret it as "always" in the strict sense then it must be true in every time, that is from the day the speaker was born until the day he will die.

Case 2 What about sentences like this:

"I like playing football". Does the speaker imply that there is no case that he doesn't like playing football?

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  • No. Pragmatics, interpreting how people actually use language rather than what a hyperprescriptivist would demand (here, pragmatics involving a less than strictly accurate interpretation) is almost always involved in cases like this. 'I always ...' after all can't see into the future. And of course, some people's 'always' is more accurate than others'.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Jun 13, 2020 at 19:06

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"At weekends I play football" implies a habitual activity that takes place on the weekend; it's a regular event but there may be times when he skips.

"I always play football at weekends." is exactly what is says: every weekend, no exceptions.

"Some weekends I play football" implies an event that happens sometimes but not considered habitual or regular.

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  • ...but of course always doesn't mean I always have done and always will, it means that at the present stage of my life it is my usual habit.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Jun 13, 2020 at 20:35

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