Daily Routine Vocabulary

Learning to talk about your daily routine is one of the first things you'll do when studying English. Here are some common verbs and phrases you'll need:

Verb Example Sentence
Wake up I wake up at 7:00 every morning.
Get up She gets up at 6:30 on weekdays.
Brush (teeth) He brushes his teeth after breakfast.
Take a shower They take a shower in the evening.
Get dressed We get dressed before breakfast.
Have breakfast You should have breakfast every day.
Go to work/school She goes to work by bus.
Have lunch We usually have lunch at 1:00.
Go home He goes home at 5:30.
Have dinner They have dinner with their family.
Go to bed I go to bed at 10:00 on school nights.
Phrase Meaning
In the morning From sunrise until noon
In the afternoon From noon until evening
In the evening From about 6pm until bedtime
At night When it's dark, usually bedtime
Every day All days, without exception
On weekdays Monday through Friday
On weekends Saturday and Sunday
Time Expression Example
At + specific time at 7:00, at 8:30
In + part of day in the morning, in the afternoon
From...to... from 9:00 to 5:00
Around/about around 7:30, about 8:00
Early/late early in the morning, late at night

Vocabulary Tip

When talking about daily routines, we often use the simple present tense because we're describing habitual actions. Remember to add -s or -es to verbs when the subject is he, she, or it:

  • I wake up at 7:00. (first person - no -s)
  • She wakes up at 7:00. (third person singular - add -s)
  • They wake up at 7:00. (plural - no -s)

Some verbs change spelling in the third person singular:

  • go → goes
  • watch → watches (add -es after -ch)
  • study → studies (change y to i and add -es)

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Matching

Match the daily routine verbs with the correct pictures.

Brush teeth
Get dressed
Have breakfast
Go to school

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in parentheses.

  1. I usually at 7:00 in the morning. (wake up)
  2. She her teeth after breakfast. (brush)
  3. We lunch at school. (have)
  4. My father to work by car. (go)
  5. They TV in the evening. (watch)

Exercise 3: Daily Routine Order

Put these daily activities in the correct order (1-8) by dragging them:

Have breakfast
Go to school
Wake up
Brush teeth
Get dressed
Have dinner
Do homework
Go to bed

Exercise 4: Time Expressions

Choose the correct time expression for each sentence:

  1. I have breakfast .
  2. We go to school .
  3. She watches TV .
  4. They sleep .
  5. I play soccer .

Exercise 5: Writing Practice

Write about your daily routine. Use the simple present tense and time expressions.

Exercise 6: Listening Practice

Listen to the audio and fill in the blanks with what you hear.

  1. I usually at 6:30.
  2. First, I and take a shower.
  3. Then I with my family.
  4. I by bus at 7:45.
  5. School at 8:00 and finishes at 2:00.

Exercise 7: Reading Comprehension

Read the paragraph and answer the questions below.

Maria's Daily Routine

Maria is a student. She wakes up at 6:30 every morning. First, she brushes her teeth and takes a shower. Then she gets dressed and has breakfast with her family. She goes to school by bus at 7:45. School starts at 8:00 and finishes at 2:00. After school, she has lunch at home and does her homework. In the evening, she watches TV or plays with her friends. She has dinner with her family at 8:00 and goes to bed at 9:30.

  1. What time does Maria wake up?
  2. How does she go to school?
  3. What does she do after school?
  4. What time does she have dinner?
  5. What does she do in the evening?

Exercise 8: Correct the Mistakes

Each sentence has one mistake. Find it and correct it.

  1. She wake up at 7:00.
    Correction:
  2. I brushes my teeth every morning.
    Correction:
  3. They goes to school by bus.
    Correction:
  4. We has dinner at 7:00.
    Correction:
  5. He watch TV in the evening.
    Correction:

Exercise 9: Word Search

Find 10 daily routine words in the puzzle below.

W A K E U P B R U S H
G E T D R E S S E D H
S H O W E R B R E A K
B R E A K F A S T G O
H O M E W O R K T V
D I N N E R S L E E P

Words to find: wake up, brush, get dressed, shower, breakfast, go, homework, dinner, sleep, bed

Exercise 10: Speaking Practice

Record yourself describing your daily routine. Try to use at least 10 different verbs and include time expressions.

Common Mistakes with Daily Routines

Mistake 1: Forgetting the -s in third person singular

Incorrect: She wake up at 7:00.
Correct: She wakes up at 7:00.

Mistake 2: Using wrong time expressions

Incorrect: I go to bed in the morning.
Correct: I go to bed at night.

Mistake 3: Word order with time expressions

Incorrect: I at 7:00 wake up.
Correct: I wake up at 7:00.

Mistake 4: Using present continuous instead of simple present

Incorrect: I am waking up at 7:00 every day.
Correct: I wake up at 7:00 every day.

Remember: Use simple present for routines and habits, not present continuous.