undertiden

Undertiden is a Danish adverb meaning sometimes or from time to time. It is used to indicate that an action or event occurs intermittently rather than on a regular schedule. The term can contrast with routines that are predictable and is commonly interchangeable with til tider or nogle gange in everyday speech and writing.

Etymology and form: Undertiden is formed from under and tiden (the time). In older Danish, the components could be written as two words, under tiden, but the modern standard is the single compound undertiden. The word belongs to a family of North Germanic terms with similar meaning found in Norwegian undertiden; in Swedish a cognate exists but is far less common.

Usage notes: Undertiden can begin a sentence or appear within a clause. For example: Undertiden går han en tur før han spiser. In many contexts it conveys a sense of occasional rather than habitual action without specifying frequency. It is most often used in formal or semi-formal prose as well as everyday conversation.

See also: til tider, nogle gange. These related expressions convey closely related nuances of infrequent or intermittent occurrence.