Sometimes in different situations

Question

It's probably not right to compare two different adverbs. Often at the beginning of a sentence and before "don't" means there are occasions when I don't do something. (As in Often, I don't see her/I don't often see her here). But if I am talking about habits sentences #3 and #4 does the word order in them express that "there are occasions when I don't drink coffee? And can I use this word order if I am not talking about habits sentences 1 and 2 and if I am talking about something that often happens 5and 6?

1. I sometimes don't see them here.

2. Sometimes I don't see them here.

3. I sometimes don't drink coffee.

4. Sometimes I don't drink coffee.

5. Sometimes I don't know what date it is.

6. I sometimes don't know what date it is.

Or does this word order with sometimes work in specific contexts?

Answer 1

1. I sometimes don't see them here.

2. Sometimes I don't see them here.

3. I sometimes don't drink coffee.

4. Sometimes I don't drink coffee.

5. Sometimes I don't know what date it is.

6. I sometimes don't know what date it is.

All of these (1 thru 6) are grammatically acceptable. Each implies that the action usually does occur. It makes no difference whether the action is "habitual" or merely common, but it should at least be more common than not to use this form.

The paired sentences 1&2, 3&4, 5&6 are essentially identical in meaning. The changed word order will not be reliably understood as making a particular change in meaning.

Using this form of a negated adverb of frequency ("sometimes don't" or "don't sometimes") is a bit unusual, and calls attention to the writing, and to the exception. In some contexts it would be quite natural, in others a bit odd.

Answer 2

As was explained in my answer to this question, negated adverbs of frequency depend on what is usual, or what is expected. For example, it doesn't make sense to say we "sometimes don't do" something that we don't normally do anyway - it would make more sense to say that we occasionally do it.

If you say "sometimes I don't drink coffee", the inference is that you normally do drink it, but you're telling us about the exception to those times. So what is that exception? What do you drink when you don't drink it? If you're not going to tell us in the wider context what you occasionally drink as an alternative or the reason why you just don't drink anything, then the whole statement seems redundant. We would probably instead say "I usually drink coffee", which makes a positive statement about your habits, allows for an exception, but doesn't demand that you tell us about it because the exception is not the subject of the statement.