If you are a beginner learning Spanish, talking about your daily routine is a great way to practice the language. Not only will it help you improve your speaking skills, but it will also allow you to learn new vocabulary related to daily activities. In this article, I will show you how to talk about your daily routine in Spanish.
When describing your daily routine in Spanish, it is important to use the right vocabulary and grammar. You will need to use reflexive verbs to describe actions that you do to yourself, such as “levantarse” (to get up) or “cepillarse los dientes” (to brush your teeth). You will also need to use time expressions such as “por la mañana” (in the morning) or “por la tarde” (in the afternoon) to describe when you do certain activities.
Basic Spanish Vocabulary for Daily Routines
In this section, you’ll learn some basic vocabulary that you can use to talk about your daily routine in Spanish.
Common Verbs and Phrases
Here are some common verbs and phrases that you can use to talk about your daily routine:
Spanish | English |
---|---|
tomar café | to drink coffee |
salir de casa | to leave home |
ir a la escuela/trabajo | to go to school / work |
estudiar | to study |
desayunar | to have breakfast |
trabajar | to work |
almorzar | to have lunch |
cenar | to have dinner |
hacer ejercicio | to work out |
descansar | to rest |
regresar a casa | to get back home |
cocinar | to cook |
mirar televisión | to wwatch tv |
madrugar | to get up at dawn |
limpiar la casa | to clean the house |
hacer la cama | to make the bed |
These verbs are all regular, so they follow the same conjugation patterns as other regular verbs in Spanish. For example, to say “I get up at 6 am,” you would say “Me levanto a las seis de la mañana.”
What questions to ask about daily routine in Spanish?
When you want to talk about your daily routine in Spanish, there are a few questions that you can ask to get the conversation started. Here are some common questions that you can use:
- ¿Cómo es tu rutina diaria? (What is your daily routine?)
- ¿A qué hora te despiertas? (What time do you wake up?)
- ¿Cuándo desayunas? (When do you have breakfast?)
- ¿Qué haces después del trabajo? (What do you do after work?)
- ¿Qué día vas al gimnasio? (What day do you go to the gym?)
Asking these questions will give you a good idea of how someone spends their day and what their daily routine looks like. It’s important to remember that these questions are just a starting point, and you can always ask follow-up questions to get more details.
To reply to questions about your daily routine you can say the following:
- Mi rutina diaria es muy simple. (My daily routine is very simple.)
- Me despierto a la madrugada. (I wake up in the early morning.)
- Desayuno a las 7.30 de la mañana. (I have breakfast at 7:30 in the morning.)
- Después del trabajo voy al gimnasio. (After work I go to the gym.)
- Voy al gimnasio los lunes y jueves. (I go to the gym on Mondays and Thursdays.)
I think asking questions about someone’s daily routine is a great way to get to know them better and practice your Spanish at the same time. As a teacher, this is one of the ways we use to practise verbs, verb conjugation, asking questions, giving information, and having real conversations in Spanish!
Daily routine in Spanish using reflexive verbs
In Spanish, reflexive verbs are often used to describe actions that you do to yourself. For example, “I wash myself” would be “Me lavo” in Spanish. Here are some reflexive verbs that you can use to talk about your daily routine:
Spanish | English |
---|---|
despertarse | to wake up |
levantarse | to get up |
bañarse | to bathe |
ducharse | to have a shower |
cepillarse los dientes | to brush your teeth |
lavarse el pelo | to wash your hair |
maquillarse | to put on makeup |
afeitarse | to shave |
vestirse | to get dressed |
acostarse | to go to bed |
prepararse | to get ready |
When using reflexive verbs, you need to use the appropriate reflexive pronoun before the verb. For example, “I wake up at 6 am” would be “Me despierto a las seis de la mañana.”
- You can learn more about Reflexive Verbs in Spanish in this article: view guide.
When talking about your daily routine in Spanish, it is important to know how to use reflexive verbs. Reflexive verbs are verbs that indicate that the subject is performing the action on themselves. For example, instead of saying “I wash the car,” you would say “I wash myself the car.” Here are some common reflexive verbs used when describing your daily routine:
To use these verbs, you need to use the appropriate reflexive pronoun before the verb. The reflexive pronouns are:
Pronoun | English |
---|---|
me | myself |
te | yourself |
se | himself/herself/itself |
nos | ourselves |
os | yourselves |
se | themselves |
Here are some example sentences using reflexive verbs:
- Me levanto a las seis de la mañana. (I get up at six in the morning.)
- Te despiertas temprano todos los días. (You wake up early every day.)
- Se viste rápidamente para ir al trabajo. (He/she gets dressed quickly to go to work.)
- Nos preparamos para salir a cenar. (We get ready to go out to dinner.)
Remember that reflexive verbs are used when the subject is performing the action on themselves. So, when talking about your daily routine, make sure to use reflexive verbs appropriately.
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How to describe Work and Study Routines
When talking about your daily routine in Spanish, it’s important to be able to describe your work and study habits. Here are some common workplace and school tasks that you can use to describe your routine:
Workplace Activities
At work, you might have a variety of tasks that you perform on a daily basis. Here are some examples of how to describe your work routine in Spanish:
- Trabajar en la oficina – To work in the office
- Hablar por teléfono – To talk on the phone
- Tomar un café – To have coffee
- Ir al baño – To go to the bathroom
- Tomar un descanso – To take a break
- Tener una reunión – To have a meeting
For example, you might say “Por la mañana, trabajo en la oficina y hablo por teléfono con los clientes. A veces tomo un café y voy al baño antes de tomar un descanso a media mañana.” (In the morning, I work in the office and talk on the phone with clients. Sometimes I have coffee and go to the bathroom before taking a mid-morning break.)
School and Study Tasks
If you’re a student, you might have a different set of tasks that you perform on a daily basis. Here are some examples of how to describe your study routine in Spanish:
- Estudiar – To study
- Hacer la tarea – To do homework
- Preparar una presentación – To prepare a presentation
- Tomar un recreo – To take a break
- Tener una clase – To have a class
For example, you might say “Por la tarde, estudio en la biblioteca y hago la tarea. Después, tomo un descanso.” (In the afternoon, I study in the library and do homework. After that, I take a break.)
Daily Routine in Spanish Practise
Order the words to make sentences:
Daily routine in Spanish past tense
Talking about your daily routine in the past tense is an important skill to have when learning Spanish. By using the past tense, you can describe what you did yesterday, last week, or even last year. In this section, we’ll go over some key vocabulary and grammar rules to help you talk about your daily routine in the past tense.
Past tense in Spanish
In Spanish, there are two past tenses: the preterite and the imperfect. The preterite is used to describe completed actions that happened at a specific point in time. The imperfect is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
For example, if you want to talk about your routines in the past you can say “I used to play soccer every weekend,” you would use the imperfect tense: “Solía jugar / Jugaba al fútbol todos los fines de semana.”
Examples and sentences
Here are some examples of how to talk about your daily routine in the past tense:
- Antes me despertaba a las seis de la mañana. (I used to wake up at six in the morning.)
- Desayunaba huevos y tocino en casa. (I used to have eggs and bacon for breakfast at home.)
- Iba al trabajo en autobús. (I used to go to work by bus.)
- Todos los viernes almorzaba con mis colegas en un restaurante cercano. (Every Friday I used to have lunch with my coworkers at a nearby restaurant.)
- Después del trabajo, iba al gimnasio y hacías ejercicio durante una hora. (After work, I used to go to the gym and exercise for an hour.)
- Solía llegar a casa a las ocho de la noche y coccinaba la cena. (I used to get home at eight in the evening and cook dinner.)
- Después de cenar, veía una película en la televisión. (After dinner, I used to watch a movie on TV.)
- Me acostaba temprano porque estaba cansado. (I used to go to bed early because I was tired.)
What are household chores in Spanish?
When it comes to talking about your daily routine in Spanish, it is important to know the vocabulary related to household chores. In Spanish, household chores are commonly referred to as “los quehaceres del hogar” or simply “los quehaceres.”
Cleaning and Maintenance
English | Spanish |
---|---|
Clean the house | Limpiar la casa |
Do the dishes | Lavar los platos |
Take out the trash | Sacar la basura |
Clean the kitchen | Limpiar la cocina |
Food Preparation and Meals
English | Spanish |
---|---|
Set the table | Poner la mesa |
Wash the dishes | Lavar los platos |
Make dinner/supper | Hacer la cena |
Knowing these basic household chores in Spanish will help you communicate your daily routine more effectively. Whether you are talking about your own routine or asking for help around the house, having the right vocabulary is essential.
Practive Verbs in Spanish with this exercise
Learn more verbs in Spanish with this PDF!
Conversational Phrases for Discussing Routines
Starting Conversations
Starting a conversation about daily routines can be a great way to get to know someone better. Here are some conversational phrases to help you get started:
- ¿Qué haces durante el día? (What do you do during the day?)
- ¿Cuál es tu rutina diaria? (What is your daily routine?)
- ¿Cómo comienzas tu día? (How do you start your day?)
- ¿Cuál es tu actividad favorita del día? (What is your favorite activity of the day?)
These phrases can be used in various settings such as at work, school, or with friends. They can be used to initiate conversation, learn more about someone, or simply make small talk.
Describing Your Routine
When describing your daily routine in Spanish, it is important to have a good grasp of the vocabulary for daily activities. To describe your routine, you can use the present tense of these verbs.
For example:
- Me levanto a las seis de la mañana. (I wake up at six in the morning.)
- Después de ducharme, me visto. (After I shower, I get dressed.)
- Tomo un café y desayuno antes de salir a trabajar. (I have a coffee and breakfast before leaving for work.)
When talking on the phone or in person, it can be helpful to use transition phrases to move from one topic to another.
For example:
- Bueno, ahora que te he contado mi rutina diaria, ¿qué hay de ti? (Well, now that I’ve told you about my daily routine, what about you?)
- ¿Y tú qué haces después de salir del trabajo? (And what do you do after leaving work?)
- Ahora que he descrito mi rutina diaria, ¿quieres que te cuente algo más? (Now that I’ve described my daily routine, do you want me to tell you something else?)
If you want to share your routine with friends and family, you can post some pictures on Facebook or other social media platforms. This can be a great way to stay connected and share your experiences.
FAQs
What phrases should I use to describe waking up and getting ready in Spanish?
To talk about waking up and getting ready in Spanish, you can use verbs such as “levantarse” (to get up), “ducharse” (to take a shower), “vestirse” (to get dressed), “peinarse” (to comb your hair), and “maquillarse” (to put on makeup).
You can also phrases like: los lunes (on Mondays), de lunes a viernes (from Mondy to Friday), or time phrases like: siempre (always) and todos los días (everyday).
- To learn more time phrases in Spanish, you can read this guide I made here!
How can I explain my meal times and what I eat during the day in Spanish?
To talk about your meal times and what you eat during the day in Spanish, you can use phrases such as “desayuno” (breakfast), “almuerzo” (lunch), “merienda” (snack), and “cena” (dinner).
For example, you can say “Desayuno pan tostado y café todas las mañanas” (I have toast and coffee every morning for breakfast), “Almuerzo en el trabajo a las doce del mediodía” (I have lunch at work at noon), or “Ceno ensalada y pollo a la parrilla todas las noches” (I have salad and grilled chicken every night for dinner).
- To answer this questions you also learn vocabulary about food in this guide I made here! It includes examples and practise!
Which reflexive verbs are commonly used to talk about personal care and hygiene in Spanish?
Reflexive verbs are commonly used to talk about personal care and hygiene in Spanish. Some examples include “lavarse” (to wash oneself), “cepillarse” (to brush oneself), “afeitarse” (to shave oneself), and “bañarse” (to wash oneself).
For example, you can say “Me lavo los dientes después de cada comida” (I brush my teeth after every meal), “Me afeito la barba todas las mañanas” (I shave my beard every morning), or “Me corto el pelo cada dos meses” (I cut my hair every two months).
How can I describe leisure activities or hobbies I do in the evening in Spanish?
To describe leisure activities or hobbies you do in the evening in Spanish, you can use phrases such as “ver televisión” (to watch TV), “leer un libro” (to read a book), “escuchar música” (to listen to music), and “salir con amigos” (to go out with friends).
For example, you can say “Veo películas en Netflix todas las noches” (I watch movies on Netflix every night), “Leo un libro antes de dormir” (I read a book before sleeping), or “Salgo con amigos los fines de semana” (I go out with friends on weekends).
What are some examples of sentences to talk about going to bed and ending my day in Spanish?
To talk about going to bed and ending your day in Spanish, you can use phrases such as “acostarse” (to go to bed), “dormirse” (to fall asleep), “apagar la luz” (to turn off the light), and “cerrar los ojos” (to close your eyes).
For example, you can say “Me acuesto a las once de la noche” (I go to bed at eleven at night), “Me duermo rápidamente” (I fall asleep quickly), or “Apago la luz y cierro los ojos para dormir” (I turn off the light and close my eyes to sleep).
You can learn all about daily routines and much more in the Spanish with Flor Online Course for Beginners
Hi there! I’m Flor, and I’m thrilled to be able to help you with your Spanish! I’m a Spanish online teacher and course creator from the vibrant city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Whether you’re just starting your language learning journey or looking to further enhance your skills, I’m here to guide you every step of the way. Let’s embark on this exciting learning adventure together!