How do you answer when someone asks, “What do you do in a day?” This person is asking for your daily routine. Do you know how to tell someone about your daily routine and activities? If the answer is no, don’t worry. This article will help you learn how to describe your daily routine and activities.
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 |
Describing Your Day in English
When describing your daily activities and routine, you should go in chronological order. Start with the first thing you do in the morning and progress until the last thing you do at night. A typical day starts with waking up, brushing your teeth, taking a shower, regular activities everyone does to get ready for the day. After that, describe how you commute to work or school from home. You might use your car or take public transportation. Maybe your parents or partner drops you off at your destination. After that, talk about how you spend your day at school or work. You might be studying, attending classes, doing tasks related to your work etc. Mention having lunch, do you prepare it at home or buy some food from a restaurant? Maybe you eat with your friends/coworkers, or you usually have lunch alone. Include some of these details to make things more interesting for your audience. After that, talk about your commute home. What do you do when you come back home? Do you start preparing dinner, tidy up the house, do some chores? Or do you take your time relaxing first, maybe engage in some hobbies? Take the time to mention your hobbies. You might like painting, drawing, reading books or listening to music. Or you might like spending time in the kitchen, cooking different meals or baking. After that, talk about your daily exercise routine if you have one. Do you do yoga, go for runs, or are you not fond of exercising? Make sure you give some details as to not bore whomever is listening. It’s a lot more fun to hear about how you exercise rather than just knowing you do it. Lastly, talk about how you prepare for bed. Do you do some calming activities like meditation or put on some chill music to relax before bed? At what time do you sleep? As mentioned above, details make a huge difference when talking about your daily routine.
To recap the most important parts of describing your day, giving details is the most important thing. It adds depth to your routine and makes it more interesting. Mentioning the time is also important. If you do a specific activity at a specific time, you should include that information. If a part of your routine varies day to day, mention that also.
Daily Routine Examples
Let’s look at some examples of daily routines.
I wake up at 7 a.m. I usually take a shower in the morning, so I do that and brush my teeth. After that, I go into the kitchen and prepare breakfast for my family. I like having eggs but my brother prefers cereal. After we eat, my brother and I feed and walk our dog. Then, our mom takes us to school at 9 a.m. I attend classes until 12 p.m. After that it’s lunchtime. I meet my friends at a coffee shop near our school and we have lunch there. I usually bring lunch from home, but sometimes I eat a hamburger from the coffee shop. After lunch, we go back to school and attend more classes. School ends at 4 p.m, so I meet my brother and we take the bus home. When we arrive home, I walk our dog again and I go for a run. I run for about an hour everyday. Most days my brother joins me, but sometimes he goes out to play with his friends. After my run, I help my dad prepare dinner. We usually have dinner at around 7 p.m, after my mom comes home from work. After dinner, I do homework and study if I have an upcoming exam. If I don’t have to study, I watch a movie. When it’s time to get ready for bed, I brush my teeth, wear my pajamas and read a book for half an hour. I get really sleepy after that, so I fall asleep almost immediately after I close my book. I usually fall asleep at 10 p.m. That is my daily routine.
I wake up around 8 a.m. I’m always hungry when I wake up so I have a quick breakfast. I usually prepare my breakfast from the night before. After that, I brush my teeth, change out of my pajamas and leave for work. Work starts at 10 a.m, but I like to arrive early at 9:30 a.m to make coffee. While drinking my coffee, I read the newspaper to stay up to date on world events. At 10 a.m, I start my work by checking my emails. Then I do my daily tasks until 1 p.m. I take a lunch break at that time. I usually eat with my coworkers at a restaurant near our office, but sometimes I meet my friends for lunch. I return to the office around 2.30 p.m and work until 6 p.m. I drive to the gym immediately after work and exercise for an hour. When I come back home from the gym I’m always hungry, so I prepare and have dinner. I usually stay home during weekdays, but I meet up with my friends on weekends. I like watching my favorite TV show during dinner. After that, I take a shower, wear my pajamas and listen to some music while doing house chores. The chores take me about half an hour, so I usually have time to bake before I go to sleep. Baking is my favorite hobby. I usually eat what I bake at night for breakfast the next day. After baking, I brush my teeth and go to bed at around 10:30 p.m. This is what I do each day.
Frequently Asked Questions About Daily Routines and Activities
How do I talk about my daily routine?
Mention the activities that you do daily, including details like time. For a more detailed explanation and examples, check out our article above.
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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