A1 — Daily Routines: Theory
Level A1
Daily life
Habits
Goal
Talk about your typical day: when you get up, go to work or school, eat, relax, and go to bed. Ask and answer simple questions about routines.
Routine verbs: your day
- wake up = open your eyes in bed.
- get up = leave the bed and stand up.
- get dressed = put on your clothes.
- take a shower, brush my teeth.
- have breakfast / lunch / dinner = eat in the morning / middle of the day / evening.
- go to work, go to school, go home.
Talking about time (basic)
- Use at for clock times: at 7 o’clock, at 6:30.
- Use in the morning / afternoon / evening, at night.
- Example: I get up at 7 in the morning.
Asking about daily routine
- What time do you get up?
- What time do you start work?
- When do you have lunch?
- What do you do in the evening?
- Answer with I…: I get up at 7. / I have lunch at 1.
Frequency: how often?
- always, usually, sometimes, never.
- Place before the main verb: I usually get up at 7.
- With be: I am usually tired at night.
- Use simple phrases: every day, on weekdays, at the weekend.
Vocabulary — 30 daily routine words & phrases
1. wake up
I wake up at 7.
2. get up
I get up at 7:15.
3. get dressed
I get dressed quickly.
4. take a shower
I take a shower in the morning.
5. brush my teeth
I brush my teeth twice a day.
6. have breakfast
I have breakfast at home.
7. go to work
I go to work at 9.
8. go to school
I go to school by bus.
9. start work
I start work at 9 o’clock.
10. finish work
I finish work at 6.
11. have lunch
I have lunch at 1.
12. have dinner
We have dinner at 8.
13. go home
I go home at 6.
14. relax
I relax on the sofa.
15. watch TV
I watch TV in the evening.
16. read a book
I read a book before bed.
17. cook dinner
I cook dinner every day.
18. clean the house
I clean the house on Saturday.
19. do the dishes
I do the dishes after dinner.
20. go shopping
I go shopping on Sunday.
21. walk the dog
I walk the dog in the park.
22. check email
I check email in the morning.
23. have a break
I have a break at 11.
24. go to the gym
I go to the gym after work.
25. listen to music
I listen to music on the bus.
26. meet friends
I meet friends at the weekend.
27. go to bed
I go to bed at 11.
28. go to sleep
I go to sleep at midnight.
29. every day
I cook every day.
30. at the weekend
I relax at the weekend.
Tip: connect verbs with time phrases: I get up at 7, I have lunch at 1, I go to bed at 11.
Booster — 20 extra time & habit expressions
1. in the morning
I read the news in the morning.
2. in the afternoon
I work in the afternoon.
3. in the evening
We watch TV in the evening.
4. at night
He works at night.
5. on Monday
I go to the gym on Monday.
6. on weekdays
I get up early on weekdays.
7. usually
I usually have coffee at 8.
8. always
She always walks to work.
9. sometimes
We sometimes eat out.
10. never
I never drink coffee at night.
11. early
I get up early.
12. late
I go to bed late.
13. by bus
I go to work by bus.
14. by car
We go to school by car.
15. on foot
I go to work on foot.
16. have a coffee
I have a coffee in the morning.
17. take a break
I take a break at 3 p.m.
18. finish school
I finish school at 3.
19. start class
Our class starts at 9.
20. free time
I read in my free time.
Use these expressions to make your routine more clear: on weekdays, in the evening, in my free time.
Mini-dialogues
- A: What time do you get up? — B: I get up at 7.
- A: What do you do in the evening? — B: I watch TV and read a book.
- A: Do you go to the gym? — B: Yes, I go to the gym on Monday and Wednesday.
Conversation pattern
- A: What time do you usually get up?
- B: I usually get up at 7. I have breakfast at 7:30 and go to work at 8.
- A: What do you do after work? — B: I go home, have dinner and relax.
Keep the order clear: morning → day → evening → night. Use time words and frequency words together: I usually get up early on weekdays.