Basic Vocabulary for Daily Activities
To start, familiarize yourself with basic French vocabulary related to daily routines. Here’s a table with English terms and their French counterparts to get you started:
English |
French |
Wake up |
Se réveiller |
Get up |
Se lever |
Brush teeth |
Se brosser les dents |
Take a shower |
Prendre une douche |
Eat breakfast |
Prendre le petit déjeuner |
Go to work/school |
Aller au travail/à l'école |
Have lunch |
Déjeuner |
Go home |
Rentrer à la maison |
Do homework |
Faire les devoirs |
Have dinner |
Dîner |
Go to bed |
Se coucher |
Structuring Sentences
To describe your routine, you'll need to know how to structure sentences. In French, the basic sentence structure is subject + verb + complement. Here’s a simple example:
- English: I wake up at 7 AM.
- French: Je me réveille à 7 heures.
Notice the reflexive verb “se réveiller” in French, which is common in daily routine descriptions. Reflexive verbs indicate that the subject is performing the action on themselves.
Time Expressions
Discussing your daily routine often involves mentioning when activities happen. Here are key time expressions:
English |
French |
In the morning |
Le matin |
In the afternoon |
L'après-midi |
In the evening |
Le soir |
At night |
La nuit |
Early |
Tôt |
Late |
Tard |
Example:
- English: I eat breakfast in the morning.
- French: Je prends le petit déjeuner le matin.
Connecting Phrases
To make your description flow better, you can use connecting words:
English |
French |
Then |
Ensuite |
After that |
Après cela |
Later |
Plus tard |
Finally |
Finalement |
Example:
- English: I wake up, then I take a shower.
- French: Je me réveille, ensuite je prends une douche.
Putting It All Together
Now, let’s put everything together with a short paragraph describing a daily routine:
"Je me réveille à 7 heures le matin. Ensuite, je me lève et je prends une douche. Après cela, je prends le petit déjeuner. Je vais au travail à 8 heures. Je déjeune à midi. Je rentre à la maison à 18 heures. Le soir, je dîne avec ma famille. Finalement, je me couche à 22 heures."
Translation: "I wake up at 7 AM. Then, I get up and take a shower. After that, I eat breakfast. I go to work at 8 AM. I have lunch at noon. I go home at 6 PM. In the evening, I have dinner with my family. Finally, I go to bed at 10 PM."
30 Phrases to Describe Your Daily Routine in French
Learning to describe your daily routine in French can significantly boost your language skills. This tutorial is designed for beginners, focusing on simple phrases to help you talk about your day. Here, you'll find phrases covering morning to night activities, structured to ensure clarity and ease of understanding.
Morning Routine
Your morning routine is how you start your day. Here are phrases to describe the early part of your day:
English |
French |
I wake up at 6 AM. |
Je me réveille à 6 heures. |
I get out of bed at 6:15 AM. |
Je sors du lit à 6 heures et quart. |
I brush my teeth. |
Je me brosse les dents. |
I take a shower. |
Je prends une douche. |
I get dressed. |
Je m'habille. |
I have breakfast. |
Je prends le petit déjeuner. |
I make coffee. |
Je fais du café. |
I read the news. |
Je lis les nouvelles. |
I leave the house at 7 AM. |
Je quitte la maison à 7 heures. |
Work or School Routine
This part covers the activities you do related to work or school:
English |
French |
I go to work/school by bus. |
Je vais au travail/à l'école en bus. |
I start work at 8 AM. |
Je commence le travail à 8 heures. |
I have a meeting at 9 AM. |
J'ai une réunion à 9 heures. |
I have lunch at noon. |
Je déjeune à midi. |
I finish work at 5 PM. |
Je finis le travail à 17 heures. |
Evening Routine
Evening routines help you wind down the day. Here are phrases for the latter part of your day:
English |
French |
I go home. |
Je rentre à la maison. |
I go to the gym. |
Je vais à la salle de sport. |
I make dinner. |
Je prépare le dîner. |
I eat dinner with my family. |
Je dîne avec ma famille. |
I watch TV. |
Je regarde la télé. |
I read a book. |
Je lis un livre. |
Nighttime Routine
Your nighttime routine prepares you for bed. Here are phrases for describing this time:
English |
French |
I take a bath. |
Je prends un bain. |
I brush my teeth. |
Je me brosse les dents. |
I go to bed at 10 PM. |
Je vais au lit à 22 heures. |
I fall asleep quickly. |
Je m'endors rapidement. |
French Daily Routine Vocabulary
Describing your daily routine in French involves using various verbs and phrases related to daily activities. Here's a comprehensive list of vocabulary and examples to help you talk about your day in French.
Daily Routine Vocabulary
English |
French |
Daily routine |
Le quotidien |
Answer messages |
Répondre aux messages |
Brush teeth |
Se brosser les dents |
Change |
Se changer |
Chat |
Bavarder |
Dance |
Danser |
Discuss |
Discuter |
Do homework |
Faire les devoirs |
Dream |
Rêver |
Dress |
S’habiller |
Drive |
Conduire |
Eat breakfast |
Prendre le petit déjeuner |
Eat dinner |
Dîner |
Eat lunch |
Déjeuner |
Fall asleep |
S’endormir |
Get up |
Se lever |
Go home |
Rentrer à la maison |
Go to an evening party |
Aller à une soirée |
Go to bed |
Se coucher |
Go to school |
Aller à l’école |
Go to the disco/nightclub |
Aller en boîte |
Go to the gym |
Aller au gymnase |
Go to work |
Aller au travail |
Groom oneself |
Faire sa toilette |
Have a coffee/soda |
Boire un café/soda |
Have a snack |
Prendre un goûter |
Have fun |
S’amuser |
Hurry |
Se dépêcher |
Listen to music |
Écouter de la musique |
Make phone calls |
Téléphoner/passer des coups de fil |
Meet friends |
Rencontrer/retrouver des amis |
Prepare dinner |
Préparer le dîner |
Read the paper |
Lire le journal |
Rest |
Se reposer |
Shave |
Se raser |
Sleep |
Dormir |
Study |
Étudier |
Take a shower |
Prendre une douche |
Take the bus/subway |
Prendre le bus/le métro |
Wake up |
Se réveiller |
Walk the dog |
Promener/sortir le chien |
Walk (going on foot) |
Marcher/aller à pied |
Walk/stretch one’s legs |
Faire une balade/faire une promenade |
Wash |
Se laver |
Watch TV |
Regarder la télé |
Example Daily Routine
Now, let's see an example of how these phrases can be used in a daily routine:
- Je me lève - I wake up
- Je prends ma douche - I take my shower
- Je me brosse les dents - I brush my teeth
- Je me lave le visage - I wash my face
- Je prends le petit déjeuner - I eat breakfast
- Je prends un café - I have coffee
- J’attends le bus - I wait for the bus
- Je vais au travail - I go to work
- Je prends le déjeuner - I have lunch
- Je rentre chez moi - I go home
- Je rencontre des amis - I meet some friends
- Je vais a la salle de musculation - I go to the gym
- Je prends le dîner - I have dinner
- Je regarde la télé - I watch TV
- Je lis un livre - I read a book
- Je me couche - I go to bed