Cada dos por tres

all the time; **all the time**; **constantly**; **every five minutes**; **over and over again**; **non-stop**

Cada dos por tres means all the time, constantly, very often or every five minutes.

It describes actions or events that occur much more frequently than expected.

Depending on the context, it may express irritation or simply emphasise frequency.

• someone keeps interrupting
• a device breaks down repeatedly
• somebody phones constantly
• people argue frequently
• something happens over and over again

It grew naturally out of everyday colloquial speech.

The sequence dos... tres is not mathematical.

Like many popular numerical expressions, it simply creates a rhythmic pattern that suggests repetition.

Over time, cada dos por tres became a fixed idiom meaning that something happens very frequently.

The expression often carries a slight tone of annoyance.

For example:

Se estropea cada dos por tres.

usually implies frustration because the object fails too often.

However, it can also be completely neutral when simply describing frequent events.

Spanish has several common expressions describing frequency:

• Cada dos por tres → all the time.
• De vez en cuando → from time to time.
• De Pascuas a Ramos → once in a blue moon.
• A diario → every day.

Among them, cada dos por tres is the most colloquial and expressive, especially when the speaker wants to emphasise that something happens far too often.

Do not translate the numbers literally.

English speakers would never say:

Every two by three.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• all the time
• constantly
• every five minutes
• over and over again
• non-stop

Choose the translation according to the level of emphasis.