B1 Vocabulary — More daily routines
Useful verbs and expressions to describe what you usually do every day — from getting up in the morning to going to bed at night.
B1 Intermediate
Daily life
Routines
1. Morning — waking up
These verbs talk about the first things we do in the morning.
- set an alarm = choose a time for your alarm to ring. I always set an alarm for 7 a.m. on weekdays.
- hit the snooze (button) = press the snooze button to sleep a bit longer. He hit the snooze button three times this morning.
- have a shave = remove facial hair with a razor. I usually have a shave before breakfast.
- check your phone / messages = look at notifications, texts or emails. She checked her phone as soon as she woke up.
- skip breakfast = not eat anything in the morning. He skipped breakfast because he was late for school.
2. Morning — food & pets
- make your own breakfast / lunch / dinner = prepare the meal yourself instead of buying it. I usually make my own lunch and take it to work.
- feed the dog / cat = give food to your pet. She feeds the cat every morning before school.
- walk the dog = take the dog outside for a walk, usually on a lead. I walk the dog in the park every morning.
💡 We often use the present simple for routines: I walk, she feeds, we make, etc.
3. During the day — work & study
- commute to work / school = travel from home to your job or school. She commutes to work by train every day.
- revise for a test = study material again to prepare for an exam. I usually revise for tests in the evening.
- have a lunch break = stop working or studying for a short time to eat lunch. They always have a lunch break at one o’clock.
- grab a coffee / snack = quickly get something small to eat or drink. We grabbed a coffee before the meeting.
- stay late at work = work extra hours and leave later than usual. He often stays late at work to finish projects.
4. During the day — errands
- run errands = go out to do small practical tasks (shopping, posting a letter, picking something up, etc.). I need to run some errands before dinner.
We often use this in the plural: run errands, not run an errand in everyday speech.
5. Evening — relaxing
- chill on the sofa / couch = relax and do something easy (watch TV, scroll on your phone, listen to music, etc.). In the evening, I like to chill on the sofa and listen to music.
- have / take a nap = sleep for a short time during the day. She usually takes a nap after lunch.
- have an early night = go to bed earlier than usual. I’m really tired, so I’ll have an early night.
6. Night — sleeping habits
- stay up late = go to bed much later than normal. We stayed up late watching a movie.
- sleep in = stay in bed later than usual in the morning. I love to sleep in at the weekend.
- get to sleep / fall asleep = start sleeping. It was hard to get to sleep because of the noise outside.
Notice the difference: stay up late (go to bed late) vs. sleep in (get up late).
7. Talking about routines
- Use the present simple for habits: I set an alarm every weekday.
- Add time expressions to sound more natural: in the morning, after lunch, in the evening, at weekends.
- To show frequency, use always, often, sometimes, hardly ever, etc.
Exercises:
More daily routines
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
Before I go to bed, I
for 6:30 a.m. so I wake up on time.
Correct:
At night you set an alarm for the next morning.
2
In the morning my alarm rings and I
and try to sleep five more minutes.
Correct:
When you want a few more minutes in bed, you hit the snooze (button).
3
He has a beard, but every morning he
before work.
Correct:
Men have a shave to remove facial hair.
4
As soon as I wake up, I
to see the time and if I have any missed calls.
Correct:
You check your phone to look at the time and notifications.
5
On the bus I
to see if anyone wrote to me.
Correct:
When you look at new texts or chats, you check your messages.
6
I was late, so I had to
and go straight to work.
Correct:
If you don’t eat in the morning, you skip breakfast.
7
At weekends I
with eggs and toast instead of eating at a café.
Correct:
When you cook the morning meal yourself, you make your own breakfast.
8
I
in the evening and take it to work in a box.
Correct:
If you prepare the midday meal to take with you, you make your own lunch.
9
In the evening we
instead of ordering food or going to a restaurant.
Correct:
When you cook the evening meal at home, you make your own dinner.
10
Every morning I
before we go for a walk in the park.
Correct:
You give food to your pet when you feed the dog.
11
Before bed I
and then she sleeps on the sofa.
Correct:
You give food to your pet when you feed the cat.
12
After dinner I
in the park for half an hour.
Correct:
When you take your pet outside on a lead, you walk the dog.
13
I
by metro; it takes about 30 minutes each morning.
Correct:
Adults usually commute to work by car, bus or train.
14
The children
by bus every day.
Correct:
Students commute to school by bus or train.
15
In the evening I
for an hour before the exam tomorrow.
Correct:
When you study old material again, you revise for a test.
16
We
at one o’clock and go back to work at two.
Correct:
At work you often have a lunch break in the middle of the day.
17
Let’s
before the meeting; I need some caffeine.
Correct:
When you quickly go and buy a drink, you grab a coffee.
18
I didn’t have time for lunch, so I’ll
from the vending machine.
Correct:
A small quick thing to eat is a snack, so you grab a snack.
19
Sometimes we
to finish an important project and leave the office at 9 p.m.
Correct:
When you stay in the office after normal time, you stay late at work.
20
On Saturday morning I
like going to the bank and the post office.
Correct:
When you go out to do small jobs, you run errands.
21
After a long day I just
and watch a series.
Correct:
To relax and do nothing special on your sofa, you chill on the sofa / chill on the couch.
22
I’m very tired after lunch, so I sometimes
for twenty minutes.
Correct:
A short sleep in the day is to have a nap / take a nap.
23
You look tired; you should
and go to bed at nine o’clock.
Correct:
When you go to bed much earlier than usual, you have an early night.
24
On Fridays I
playing video games until two in the morning.
Correct:
If you go to bed very late, you stay up late.
25
It’s Sunday, so I can
and stay in bed until ten o’clock.
Correct:
When you stay in bed much later than usual in the morning, you sleep in.
26
I was worried and it was hard to
; I woke up many times in the night.
Correct:
When you finally start sleeping at night, you get to sleep / fall asleep.
More daily routines
Match the sentences with the phrases
⏱ 0:00
• Moves: 0
• Matched: 0/0
• Pack: 1/3