Practice
English practice: describing routines and habits
Sign in to saveI usually walk to the station, but on Fridays I take the bus. One sentence can show both a regular habit and a useful exception.
Describe a regular routine with the present simple, a frequency word, and a clear time expression.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
She usually catches the early train. /ʃiː ˈjuːʒuəli ˈkætʃɪz ðiː ˈɜːli treɪn/
The short answer
Use the present simple for a routine or habit. Add words such as usually, often, or never, and add a time phrase when it helps: I usually read before bed. She starts work at nine.
My brother rarely cooks on weekdays.
Why it works: Rarely tells us how often the regular action happens. Cooks has -s because the subject is my brother.
5 more examples
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I check my calendar every morning.
The phrase shows a repeated morning routine.
Not this:I
am checkingmy calendar now. What changes: This describes the action happening at this moment, not the normal routine. -
Mina usually drinks tea at breakfast.
Usually comes before the ordinary verb, and drinks matches the singular subject Mina.
Not this:Mina
is usuallyready by eight. What changes: With be, the frequency adverb comes after the verb. -
We do not eat lunch at our desks.
Use do not with I, you, we, and they to make a present-simple negative.
Not this:Omar
does not eatlunch at his desk. What changes: Use does not with a singular he, she, or it subject. The main verb stays eat. -
Do your neighbours walk their dog after dinner?
A present-simple question begins with do for a plural subject.
Not this:
Does your neighbour walkthe dog after dinner? What changes: Does is used for one neighbour, and walk has no -s after does. -
The library closes at six on Saturdays.
A timetable or regular opening time also uses the present simple.
Not this:The library
is closingearly today. What changes: This signals a temporary change for today.
Read the full guide
A routine is something that repeats. Say I leave home at eight, not I am leaving home at eight, when you mean your normal weekday pattern. The present continuous is useful for an action happening now or for a special arrangement, but the present simple is the usual choice for habits. Look at the subject carefully, especially he, she, and it.
Use the present simple for repeated actions
Use the present simple when an action is part of a normal day, week, or schedule. The action does not need to happen at the exact moment of speaking. It is enough that it repeats or is generally true.
I pack my lunch before I leave home.
This tells us about a normal routine. I am packing my lunch means the action is happening now.
Which tense describes a regular Saturday activity: We visit our grandparents on Saturdays?
It is the present simple because the visit is a repeated Saturday habit.
Add -s with he, she, and it
With I, you, we, and they, use the base form: I work, they work. With he, she, and it, most present-simple verbs take -s: he works, she works, it works. Verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -ss, -x, or -o usually take -es, as in watches and goes.
Leila finishes class at four.
Leila is one person, so finishes has -es. We finish class at four has no ending.
My phone charges beside the bed.
The phone is it, so charges matches a singular subject.
Place frequency words carefully
Frequency adverbs often sit before an ordinary verb: I often listen to podcasts. They sit after be: The bus is always crowded. Put them between an auxiliary and the main verb when there is one: She can usually stay late.
They sometimes play cards after dinner.
Sometimes comes before play because play is the ordinary verb in the sentence.
Where does usually go in My parents are busy on Mondays?
Write: My parents are usually busy on Mondays. The word goes after are.
Use time expressions to make the habit specific
A time expression can show when or how often a routine happens. Common phrases include every day, on Tuesdays, at half past seven, before dinner, and once a week. They often come at the end of the sentence, where they are easy to notice.
Our team meets online once a week.
Once a week describes frequency. It tells the listener more than Our team meets online alone.
I call my aunt on Sunday evenings.
On Sunday evenings gives a regular time for the call.
Make negatives and questions with do or does
Use do not or don't with I, you, we, and they. Use does not or doesn't with he, she, and it. In a question, put do or does before the subject. After does, the main verb has no -s: Does he start early? not Does he starts early?
We do not watch television before school.
The subject we needs do not. Watch remains in its base form.
Does Ana take the underground to work?
Does carries the present-simple ending, so take stays in the base form.
Before you go
Remember this
Use the present simple for what repeats. Check whether the subject needs a verb ending in -s. Put a frequency adverb in the right place, then add a time phrase if it gives the listener a helpful detail.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English practice: describing routines and habits"
When do I use the present simple for a routine?
Use the present simple for actions that repeat as part of a normal day, week, schedule, or habit. For example, I check my email after breakfast describes a regular action. Use the present continuous when you mean an action happening now or a temporary arrangement.
I check my calendar every morning.
Where do frequency adverbs go in an English sentence?
Put words such as usually, often, sometimes, and never before an ordinary verb: They often travel by train. Put them after be: They are often tired after work. With a modal, put the adverb after the modal: They can often leave early.
I am checking my calendar now.
Why does the verb have -s in she works?
In the present simple, ordinary verbs usually take -s with he, she, and it. That is why she works and the shop opens are correct. The base form is used with I, you, we, and they: I work and they open.
Mina usually drinks tea at breakfast.
How do I make a negative sentence about a habit?
Use do not or don't with I, you, we, and they. Use does not or doesn't with he, she, and it. Keep the main verb in the base form: We don't drive to work, and he doesn't drive to work.
Mina is usually ready by eight.
Which time phrases can I use for routines?
Useful routine phrases include every morning, at seven, on Mondays, after lunch, before bed, once a week, and at weekends. Choose the phrase that says when or how often the action repeats. Put it at the end of the sentence when that makes the meaning easy to follow.
We do not eat lunch at our desks.