Vocabulary: Daily Life and Routines

Welcome to our lesson on Daily Life and Routines! Being able to describe your typical day is a fundamental skill in any language. It allows you to share personal information, make plans, and understand others better. In Spanish, this topic is closely linked with reflexive verbs, which you've seen before. Let's dive in!

Reflexive Verbs in Routines
A key feature of daily routine vocabulary in Spanish is the use of reflexive verbs. These are actions that a person does to themselves. You can recognize them by the '-se' ending on the infinitive (e.g., lavarse - to wash oneself). When you use them, you need a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) that matches the subject.
For example: Yo me levanto. (I get up).

☀️ La Mañana (The Morning)
This is how a typical day starts for many people.

⏰ Despertarse - to wake up
Yo me despierto a las siete. (I wake up at seven.)

🛌 Levantarse - to get up (from bed)
Después de despertarme, me levanto. (After waking up, I get up.)

🚿 Ducharse / Bañarse - to take a shower / to take a bath
Normalmente me ducho por la mañana. (I normally shower in the morning.)

👕 Vestirse / Ponerse la ropa - to get dressed / to put on clothes
Me visto rápidamente. (I get dressed quickly.)

🦷 Cepillarse los dientes/el pelo - to brush one's teeth/hair
Me cepillo los dientes después de cada comida. (I brush my teeth after every meal.)

🍳 Desayunar - to have breakfast (Note: This one is not reflexive!)
Desayuno café y tostadas. (I have coffee and toast for breakfast.)

🏙️ Durante el Día (During the Day)
After the morning routine, the main part of the day begins.

🚌 Ir al trabajo / a la universidad - to go to work / to university
Voy a la oficina en coche. (I go to the office by car.)

💼 Trabajar / Estudiar - to work / to study
Trabajo de nueve a cinco. (I work from nine to five.)

🍽️ Almorzar / Comer - to have lunch / to eat
Almuerzo a la una de la tarde. (I have lunch at one in the afternoon.)

🌙 La Tarde y la Noche (The Afternoon and Evening)
The day winds down with these activities.

🏠 Volver a casa - to return home
Vuelvo a casa sobre las seis. (I return home around six.)

🛋️ Descansar - to rest
Cuando llego a casa, me gusta descansar un poco. (When I get home, I like to rest a bit.)

🛒 Hacer la compra - to do the grocery shopping
Hago la compra los fines de semana. (I do the grocery shopping on weekends.)

🍳 Preparar la cena / Cenar - to prepare dinner / to have dinner
Mi familia y yo cenamos juntos. (My family and I have dinner together.)

📺 Ver la televisión (la tele) / Leer un libro - to watch TV / to read a book
Por la noche, veo una serie o leo un libro. (At night, I watch a series or read a book.)

😴 Acostarse - to go to bed
Me acuesto a las once de la noche. (I go to bed at eleven at night.)

📊 Adverbs of Frequency
To make your descriptions more precise, use adverbs of frequency. They usually go before the conjugated verb.

Siempre (Always) - Siempre desayuno en casa.
Normalmente / Generalmente (Normally / Generally) - Normalmente voy al gimnasio después del trabajo.
A menudo (Often) - A menudo quedo con mis amigos.
A veces (Sometimes) - A veces pido comida para llevar.
Casi nunca (Almost never) - Casi nunca veo la tele.
Nunca (Never) - Nunca me acuesto después de medianoche.

🔗 Putting It All Together with Sequence Words
Use these words to connect your sentences and describe the order of your actions.

Primero, ... (First, ...)
Luego, ... (Then, ...)
Después, ... (Afterwards, ...)
Más tarde, ... (Later, ...)
Finalmente, / Por último, ... (Finally, / Lastly, ...)

Example of a full routine:
Primero, me despierto a las 7:30. Luego, me ducho y me visto. Después, desayuno y me cepillo los dientes. Voy a la universidad en autobús. Más tarde, almuerzo con mis amigos en la cafetería. Finalmente, por la noche, estudio un poco y me acuesto temprano.