Daily Routine Verbs in English
Do more with this exercise
Learn the verbs and phrases you need to talk about your day, from the morning to the evening. Read each phrase and its example, then do the exercises. Remember: with he, she and it, the verb ends in -s (he gets up, she goes to work).
In the morning
wake upstop sleeping
I wake up at 6:30 every morning.
get upleave your bed in the morning
My father gets up at 6 o'clock.
have a shower
She has a shower before breakfast.
brush your teethclean your teeth
I brush my teeth after breakfast.
get dressedput on your clothes
She gets dressed quickly in the morning.
have breakfasteat in the morning
We have breakfast at 7:30.
leave homego out of your house
He leaves home at 8 o'clock.
go to workgo to the place where you work
My mother goes to work by bus.
During the day
go to schoolgo to the place where you study
The children go to school at 8:30.
take the bus
I take the bus to work.
start workbegin your job for the day
Anna starts work at nine o'clock.
workdo your job
My brother works in a bank.
studylearn at school or at home
She studies English in the evening.
have luncheat in the middle of the day
Tom has lunch at one o'clock.
finish workstop your job for the day
My father finishes work at 5 p.m.
do homeworkdo work for school at home
The children do their homework after school.
come homearrive at your house
I come home at 6 p.m.
In the evening
cook dinnermake food in the kitchen for the evening meal
My mother cooks dinner in the kitchen.
have dinnereat in the evening
We have dinner at 7:30.
wash the dishesclean the plates and glasses after a meal
I wash the dishes after dinner.
watch TV
They watch TV in the evening.
clean the housemake your house clean
My brother cleans the house on Saturdays.
relaxrest and do nothing special
On Sundays, my parents relax at home.
read a book
He reads a book in bed.
go to bedget into your bed at night
I go to bed at 11 o'clock.
go to sleepbegin to sleep
The baby goes to sleep at 8 p.m.
Practice exercises
Match the Phrases
Match each phrase with its picture or meaning.
Choose a word on the left, then its match on the right.
Choose the Correct Word
Choose the correct answer for each sentence.
7.It's 11 p.m. and Tom is tired. He ___.
8.She ___ breakfast at 8 o'clock.
9.My brother ___ to work by bus every day.
10.In the evening, I ___ TV with my family.
11.We ___ the dishes after dinner.
12.Anna ___ her teeth after breakfast.
Fill in the Blank
Type the missing word.
Talking about your day in English
A routine is the list of things you do every day. In English, we use the present simple for a routine: I wake up at 6:30. I have breakfast. I go to work. Add a time with at, and add words like always, usually and never.
Many routine phrases are fixed. We say have breakfast, have lunch and have dinner, not eat or make. We say go to work, go to school and go to bed, with no the. We say brush your teeth and get dressed.
With he, she and it, the verb ends in -s: she wakes up, he gets up. Verbs that end in -sh, -ch or -o add -es: she brushes her teeth, he finishes work, my mother goes to work. Use I, you, we and they with the base verb.
You can also say how you do things with adverbs of manner. She gets dressed quickly. He walks to work slowly. Now try to describe your own day, from the morning to the evening.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between wake up and get up?
You wake up when you stop sleeping. You get up when you leave your bed. Many people wake up at 6:30, stay in bed for ten minutes and get up at 6:40.
Do I say have breakfast or eat breakfast?
Both are correct, but have breakfast is the most natural. We say have breakfast, have lunch and have dinner.
Do I say go to work or go to the work?
Say go to work, go to school and go to bed, with no the. These are fixed phrases. We say the when we talk about one special place: The school in my town is very big.
Why do I say he gets up and not he get up?
In the present simple, verbs with he, she and it end in -s: he gets up, she works. Verbs that end in -sh, -ch or -o add -es: she brushes, he finishes, he goes. With I, you, we and they, use the base verb.
Is it have a shower or take a shower?
Both are correct. People often say have a shower in British English and take a shower in American English.
Answer key
1. have a shower
Answer: 🚿
To have a shower is to wash your body under water.
2. watch TV
Answer: 📺
We watch TV: we look at programmes on the television.
3. take the bus
Answer: 🚌
To take the bus is to travel by bus.
4. read a book
Answer: 📖
We read a book: we look at the words and understand them.
5. wake up
Answer: stop sleeping
You wake up when you stop sleeping. You are still in bed.
6. get up
Answer: leave your bed in the morning
You get up when you leave your bed.
7. It's 11 p.m. and Tom is tired. He ___.
Answer: goes to bed
At 11 p.m., people are tired and go to bed. We get up and have breakfast in the morning.
8. She ___ breakfast at 8 o'clock.
Answer: has
With she, the verb have becomes has. Haves is not a word.
9. My brother ___ to work by bus every day.
Answer: goes
With he, she and it, add -es to go: he goes.
10. In the evening, I ___ TV with my family.
Answer: watch
We say watch TV. We don't say look TV or see TV.
11. We ___ the dishes after dinner.
Answer: wash
We wash the dishes. We don't say make the dishes or have the dishes.
12. Anna ___ her teeth after breakfast.
Answer: brushes
With she, verbs that end in -sh add -es: she brushes. Brushs is a wrong spelling.
13. I ___ up at 6 o'clock, but I stay in bed for ten minutes.
Answer: wake
You wake up when you stop sleeping, and then you stay in bed. You get up when you leave the bed.
14. She ___ a shower every morning.
Answer: has
With she, have becomes has: she has a shower. In American English, people often say she takes a shower.
15. My sister is a student. She ___ to school at 8 o'clock.
Answer: goes
With she, add -es to go: she goes.
16. I'm hungry. It's one o'clock. I have ___.
Answer: lunch
We have lunch in the middle of the day, at about one o'clock.
17. The children ___ their teeth before bed.
Answer: brush
With the children (they), use the base verb: they brush.
18. My father ___ work at 5 p.m.
Answer: finishes
With he, verbs that end in -sh add -es: he finishes.
19. She gets dressed ___. Her bus is in five minutes.
Answer: quickly
To say how she does something, add -ly to the adjective: quick becomes quickly.