"La Rutina": Daily Routines in Spanish

• "La rutina" in Spanish refers to daily routines or habits
• It encompasses the activities and tasks a person regularly does each day
• Understanding how to talk about daily routines is fundamental in Spanish

Vocabulary Related to Daily Routines

• despertarse: to wake up
• levantarse: to get up
• ducharse: to take a shower
• bañarse: to take a bath
• vestirse: to get dressed
• cepillarse los dientes: to brush one's teeth
• peinarse: to comb one's hair
• maquillarse: to put on makeup
• afeitarse: to shave
• desayunar: to have breakfast
• almorzar: to have lunch
• cenar: to have dinner
• ir a la escuela/el trabajo: to go to school/work
• estudiar: to study
• trabajar: to work
• hacer ejercicio: to exercise
• volver a casa: to return home
• relajarse: to relax
• acostarse: to go to bed
• dormirse: to fall asleep

Reflexive Verbs

• Many routine activities use reflexive verbs
• Reflexive verbs indicate that the subject is performing the action on themselves
• A reflexive pronoun is used with reflexive verbs
  • me (for yo): I do something to myself
  • te (for tú): You do something to yourself
  • se (for él/ella/usted): He/She/You (formal) do something to themselves
  • nos (for nosotros/nosotras): We do something to ourselves
  • os (for vosotros/vosotras): You (plural, informal) do something to yourselves
  • se (for ellos/ellas/ustedes): They/You (plural, formal) do something to themselves
• "Yo me levanto temprano" translates to "I get myself up early."
• "Ella se ducha por la mañana" translates to "She showers in the morning."

Conjugating Reflexive Verbs

• To conjugate a reflexive verb, place the reflexive pronoun before the conjugated verb
• For example, to conjugate "despertarse" (to wake up):
  • yo me despierto
  • tú te despiertas
  • él/ella/usted se despierta
  • nosotros/nosotras nos despertamos
  • vosotros/vosotras os despertáis
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes se despiertan

Expressing Time

• To specify when activities occur use "por la mañana" (in the morning), "por la tarde" (in the afternoon), or "por la noche" (at night)
• To state the time, use "a las" followed by the hour (except for one o'clock, which is "a la una")
• "Me levanto a las siete de la mañana" translates to "I get up at seven in the morning."
• "Ceno a las ocho de la noche" translates to "I have dinner at eight in the evening."

Sequencing Words

• Sequencing words help describe the order of activities
  • primero: first
  • luego: then
  • después: after, afterwards
  • más tarde: later
  • finalmente: finally
• "Primero, me despierto. Luego, me levanto" translates to "First, I wake up. Then, I get up."

Example Sentences

• Cada mañana, me despierto a las seis translates to Every morning, I wake up at six.
• Después de ducharme, me visto y desayuno translates to After showering, I get dressed and have breakfast.
• Voy al trabajo a las ocho de la mañana translates to I go to work at eight in the morning.
• Almuerzo al mediodía con mis compañeros translates to I have lunch at noon with my colleagues.
• Por la tarde, estudio español durante dos horas translates to In the afternoon, I study Spanish for two hours.
• Ceno con mi familia a las siete de la noche translates to I have dinner with my family at seven in the evening.
• Antes de acostarme, leo un libro translates to Before going to bed, I read a book.
• Me duermo a las diez de la noche translates to I fall asleep at ten at night.

Describing Someone Else's Routine

• Use the appropriate reflexive pronoun and verb conjugation to describe someone else's routine
• To describe his routine: "Él se levanta temprano" translates to "He gets up early."
• To describe her routine: "Ella se cepilla el pelo" translates to "She brushes her hair."
• To describe their routine: "Ellos se acuestan tarde" translates to "They go to bed late."

Asking About Someone's Routine

• "¿A qué hora te despiertas?" translates to "What time do you wake up?"
• "¿Qué haces por la mañana?" translates to "What do you do in the morning?"
• "¿Cuál es tu rutina diaria?" translates to "What is your daily routine?"
• "¿Te acuestas temprano o tarde?" translates to "Do you go to bed early or late?"

Common Expressions

• "Tengo una rutina muy ocupada" translates to "I have a very busy routine."
• "Mi rutina es bastante aburrida" translates to "My routine is quite boring."
• "Me gusta mi rutina" translates to "I like my routine."
• "Necesito cambiar mi rutina" translates to "I need to change my routine."

Tips for Describing Your Routine

• Be specific about times and activities
• Use sequencing words to make the description clear
• Use adverbs of frequency, such as "siempre" (always), "a veces" (sometimes), "nunca" (never), and "generalmente" (usually), to add detail
• Add personal information to make it more interesting

Practice

• Write a paragraph describing your daily routine
• Ask a classmate about their daily routine and write it down
• Compare and contrast your routine with that of a family member or friend