Talking about your daily routine is one of the most important topics in IB Spanish Ab Initio. It allows you to use present tense verbs, describe everyday activities, and build confidence in basic communication.
In this guide, you will learn essential vocabulary, key verbs, sentence structures, and practice examples to describe your day in Spanish clearly and correctly. You can use it as a review of your teacher notes. But, remember, that if you need extra help, you can check out our lessons and pick your favourite tutor!
1. Key Verbs for Daily Routine
These verbs are essential for describing your routine in the present tense:
- despertarse (to wake up)
- levantarse (to get up)
- ducharse (to shower)
- vestirse (to get dressed)
- desayunar (to have breakfast)
- ir (to go)
- estudiar (to study)
- comer (to eat lunch)
- volver (to return)
- hacer (to do)
- cenar (to have dinner)
- acostarse (to go to bed)
Important grammar note
Many of these verbs are reflexive verbs, which means they require reflexive pronouns:
- me despierto
- te levantas
- se ducha
- nos vestimos
- se acuestan
2. Time Expressions (Expresiones de tiempo)
To structure your day clearly, use time expressions:
- por la mañana (in the morning)
- por la tarde (in the afternoon)
- por la noche (at night)
- a las siete (at seven o’clock)
- después (after)
- antes (before)
- luego (then)
3. Basic Sentence Structure
A simple and correct structure for Ab Initio students is:
Subject + reflexive verb + time expression + activity
Examples:
- Me levanto a las siete de la mañana.
- Desayuno a las ocho.
- Voy al instituto a las nueve.
- Como con mis amigos en la cafetería.
- Estudio por la tarde.
- Me acuesto a las once.
4. Example: Complete Daily Routine
Here is a model text you can use as a guide:
Me levanto a las siete de la mañana. Me ducho y me visto. Después, desayuno con mi familia. Voy al instituto a las ocho y media. Estudio español, matemáticas e inglés. Como en la cafetería con mis amigos. Por la tarde, hago los deberes y estudio. Por la noche, ceno con mi familia y me acuesto a las once.
5. Useful Vocabulary
- la mañana (morning)
- la tarde (afternoon)
- la noche (night)
- el instituto (school)
- la clase (class)
- los deberes (homework)
- la familia (family)
- los amigos (friends)
6. Practice, practice and practice!
Write your own daily routine using:
- at least 8 verbs
- at least 4 time expressions
- at least 2 reflexive verbs
Try to answer:
¿Cómo es tu rutina diaria?
7. Memorise the structures and be aware of the following points
- Forgetting reflexive pronouns (incorrect: levanto, correct: me levanto)
- Mixing verb tenses (use present tense only)
- Not using time expressions
- Writing very short sentences without structure
Being able to describe your daily routine is a fundamental skill in Spanish Ab Initio. With consistent practice, reflexive verbs and time expressions will become natural, allowing you to communicate clearly and confidently about your everyday life.
¡Suerte!