español · A1 · vocabulary · 4 minutes

Daily routine

Move from waking up to bedtime with connected actions.

Understand the choice

Describe a normal day from waking up to going to bed. Learn verbs in the infinitive, then notice which actions return to the subject and require me, te, or se.

Core rule: A daily routine often mixes reflexive verbs with ordinary verbs; keep the reflexive pronoun before a conjugated verb.

Notice it in context

Me levanto, desayuno y salgo de casa a las ocho.

I get up, have breakfast, and leave home at eight.

Me levanto is reflexive; desayuno and salgo are not.

Se ducha antes de trabajar.

She showers before working.

Se stays before the conjugated reflexive verb.

Cenamos y nos acostamos tarde.

We have dinner and go to bed late.

Nos matches the nosotros reflexive form.

What to remember

  • Salir has an irregular yo form: salgo.
  • After antes de, use an infinitive: antes de trabajar.

Common trap: Do not add a reflexive pronoun to every routine verb; desayunar and trabajar are normally non-reflexive.

Practice this lesson with recall