How common it is
老是 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say lǎo shì slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
老是表示总是、一直。
lǎo shì biǎo shì zǒng shì 、 yì zhí。
Always means always or all the time.
Context note
老是常出现在重复行为或习惯里。
lǎo shì cháng chū xiàn zài chóng fù xíng wéi huò xí guàn lǐ。
Always often appears with repeated actions or habits.
5 examples
他老是迟到。
tā lǎo shì chí dào。
He is always late.
我老是忘记。
wǒ lǎo shì wàng jì。
I always forget.
不要老是玩。
bú yào lǎo shì wán。
Do not always play.
她老是笑。
tā lǎo shì xiào。
She always laughs.
老是这样不行。
lǎo shì zhè yàng bù xíng。
It is not okay to always be like this.
5 mini stories
弟弟老是把玩具放乱。
dì di lǎo shì bǎ wán jù fàng luàn。
My younger brother always leaves toys messy.
老师说老是这样做会有问题。
lǎo shī shuō lǎo shì zhè yàng zuò huì yǒu wèn tí。
The teacher said always doing this will cause problems.
我老是忘记带铅笔，所以现在把铅笔放在书包里。
wǒ lǎo shì wàng jì dài qiān bǐ， suǒ yǐ xiàn zài bǎ qiān bǐ fàng zài shū bāo lǐ。
I always forget to bring a pencil, so now I keep one in my school bag.
她老是笑，大家都觉得她很开心。
tā lǎo shì xiào， dà jiā dōu jué de tā hěn kāi xīn。
She always laughs, and everyone thinks she is very happy.
不要老是看电视，要去读书。
bú yào lǎo shì kàn diàn shì， yào qù dú shū。
Do not always watch TV; go read.