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They both mean “always”, but what is the difference between the usuage for the two?
As I understand, いつも has the implied meaning of “all the time” while 必ず is “in every occurrence” sort of thing. As in “John is always a winner” would use いつも, while “John always wins his races” (as in, every time he competes) would use 必ず.
I could be misunderstanding, though…
Yep it is right Joel, at least to my knowledge as well ^^
必ず can be translated to always, but means “without exception”, as Joel explained
いつも can also be translated to always, but is more like “usually”At least that is how I distinguish them. Without exception, and usually.
I think there are some situations where you could use either, and there are some situations where only one is right. The below examples are taken from the Core 6000 set.
When telling someone to do something, or promising someone you are going to do something, I think 必ず is the right thing to use.
この薬を必ず飲んでください。 — Be sure to take this medicine.
この借りは必ず返します。 — I will definitely pay it back.
On the other hand, when saying “more than usual” you use いつも.
彼女はいつもより早く眠りに着いたよ。 — She fell asleep quicker than usual.
If the meaning is just “always”, there are examples where both are used:
朝ご飯にはいつもパンを食べる。 — I always eat bread for breakfast
うちでは、朝食には必ず梅干しが出ます。 — In my family, pickled plums are always served for breakfast.
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