There are some key phrases that are useful to learn in English in order to explain your daily routine to another person. In order to introduce these phrases, let me take you through a typical day in my life.
List of Daily Routines in English
(You can hear the pronunciation of each phrase in the video)
- I wake up
- I turn off my alarm
- I get up
- I take a shower / I have a shower
- I get dressed
- I comb my hair
- I make breakfast
- I eat breakfast / I have breakfast
- I brush my teeth
- I go to work
- I start work at 9
- I answer emails
- I eat lunch / I have lunch
- I work on my computer
- I finish work at 5
- I go home
- I arrive home
- I feed the dog
- I cook dinner
- I eat dinner / I have dinner
- I watch TV
- I read a book
- I go to bed
- I fall asleep
Daily Routine Vocabulary
Let’s learn the phrases and words we use when talking about our daily routine.
| morning | the part of the day that starts with the sunrise and lasts until noon |
| night | the part of the day that starts with the sunset and lasts until sunrise |
| waking up | to become awake and stop sleeping |
| brushing your teeth | the act of cleaning your teeth using a toothbrush and toothpaste |
| having breakfast | to eat the first meal of the day, usually in the morning |
| preparing breakfast/lunch/dinner | to prepare food to eat at a specific time of the day |
| leaving for work/school | the act of leaving your house to go to school/work |
| taking the bus/subway | using the bus/subway to go somewhere |
| arriving at work/school | to reach work/school |
| having lunch | to eat the second meal of the day, usually at noon |
| coming back home | arriving home after being outside |
| meeting up with friends | organizing to see your friends |
| drawing | the act of making a picture with pencils |
| painting | the act of making a picture with paint |
| cooking | the act of preparing food |
| baking | the act of preparing pastries |
| staying at home | not leaving your house |
| meditating | to think calm thoughts in order to relax |
| going grocery shopping | buying food and produce, usually from a supermarket |
| listening to music | listening to songs or other pieces of music |
| doing laundry | washing your clothes |
| doing chores | doing a piece of work that needs to be done regularly, usually relating to tasks at home |
| cleaning/tidying up the house | to remove dirt and keeping objects in a particular order to avoid dirt and clutter |
| checking your emails | the act of looking through your inbox to see if there are any new emails |
| having coffee | drinking coffee |
| reading the newspaper | checking the newspaper to find out new information |
| walking the dog | to take the dog out for a walk |
| feeding the pets | giving food to the pets |
| going for a run/exercising | to do a physical activity in order to make your body healthier |
| reading | the activity of getting information from books |
| sleeping | in the state of sleep |
Note :
The tense which is used to discuss daily routines in English is the present simple. Don't forget to add an 's' to the end of a present simple verb if you are speaking about someone in the third person ("My son wakes up at 6:30," or "He goes to bed at 10:30," for example). Let's go!
I wake up at 6 o'clock.
I turn off my alarm.
I get up at/around 6:30 (six-thirty). / I get out of bed at/around 6:30. / I roll out of bed at/around 6:30 (colloquial).
I open/pull back the curtains (to let the sun in). / I open the blinds.
I open/close the window(s).
I make my/the bed.
I stretch. / I do some stretching/stretches.
I meditate. / I do some meditation.
I do some light exercise. / I do some breathing exercises.
I work out. / I go to the gym. / I do my morning workout.
I check my phone/email/messages/texts.
I go to the bathroom.
I wash my face. / I splash some water on my face. / I wash up. (Meaning, "I was my face and hands" in North America.)
I moisturize.
I wash my hands.
I take/have a shower.
I dry myself off. (Meaning I dry my body with a towel.)
I dry my hair.
I put on my makeup.
I brush my teeth.
I floss (my teeth).
I brush my hair. / I comb my hair.
I get dressed. / I put on my clothes.
I get (myself) ready for the day.
I go downstairs. / I go upstairs. / I go to the kitchen.
I put the kettle on (for tea/coffee). / I turn the kettle on.
I make (myself) some tea/coffee. / I pour myself a cup of tea/coffee.
I turn on the radio. / I listen to the radio.
I listen to a podcast. / I listen to some music. / I listen to an audiobook.
I turn on the TV.
I prepare breakfast (for my family).
I have/eat (my) breakfast.
I call my mom/dad/[other significant person].
I prepare my lunch (for the day / for work). / I prepare my kids' lunches. / I pack my lunch.
I pack my stuff/bag/workbag/backpack/briefcase/etc.
I put on my shoes. (Or, "I put my shoes on.")
I put on my jacket.
I put my stuff on (to leave the house).
I go to work/school. (You can "work from home" or "work in an office/a restaurant/a bank/etc.") / I head off to work/school. / I head out to work/school.
I leave the house at/around 7:30 (seven-thirty).
I drop off my kids/son/daughter at school. / I drop off my kids/son/daughter at the bus stop.
I walk/drive to work. / I take/drive my car to work.
I go to work on foot. / I go to work by car/bus/train/subway/etc.
I walk to the bus stop.
I catch the bus/train at/around 7:50 (seven-fifty).
I get to work at/around 8:30 (eight-thirty). / I arrive at work at/around 8:30.
I start work at/around 8:45 (eight-forty-five).
I work from 8:45 until noon.
I take/have my lunch break. / I go for lunch. / I go on my lunch break. / I have lunch.
Questions About Daily Routines and Activities How do I talk about my daily routine?
What are some activities I can talk about in my daily routine? Typical daily activities consist of waking up, taking a shower, brushing your teeth, cooking, reading, watching TV etc. For a more detailed explanation and examples, check out our article above.
What is a basic daily routine example? A daily routine consists of waking up, going to school or work, doing house chores, taking a shower, exercising etc. You can find detailed examples of daily routines in our article above.
What are common daily activities?
Common daily activities are having coffee, preparing breakfast, going to work, checking emails, reading newspapers, exercising, studying, doing laundry, doing house chores, taking a shower etc. You can find more activities to talk about in our article above.
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