Expresa tu rutina en Inglés

The present simple is a fundamental English verb tense that allows us to talk about our daily routines and habits. Mastering this verb tense will help you communicate effectively in everyday situations, describing both your own and other people's activities. Below, we will explore how to correctly use the present simple tense to talk about daily routines, with special attention to the third person singular.

How to express your daily routine in English?

The present simple is the ideal verb tense to talk about the activities we do on a regular basis. To construct affirmative sentences in the first person, we simply use the subject followed by the verb in its base form. For example:

• I cook breakfast in the morning.
• I take a shower
• I go to work

To form negative sentences, we need the auxiliary don't (contraction of do not) followed by the verb in its base form:

• I don't read in the morning (No leo en la mañana)
• I don't watch TV (I don't watch TV)
• I don't go to the gym

For questions, we start with the auxiliary do followed by the subject and the verb:

• Do you read?
• Do you watch TV?
• Do you go to the gym in the morning?

It is important to organize your routine by time of day so that your description is clear and orderly. You can divide it into morning, noon and night.

What activities do we do at different times of the day?

We can describe our activities according to the time of day:

Morning:

• I cook breakfast
• I take a shower
• I go to work

At noon:

• I buy my lunch
• I watch TV
• I drink coffee

In the evening:

• I call my friends
• I read a book
• I eat dinner

How do we talk about other people's routines?

When we talk about another person's routine, we use the third person singular(he, she, it), which requires adding an "-s" or "-es" at the end of the verb in affirmative sentences. This is a crucial grammatical point in English.

How does the third person verb change?

Let's look at how sentences are transformed when we talk about Jess (third person):

• Jess brushes his teeth.
• He doesn't sleep late (third person)
• He eats breakfast
• He doesn't cook breakfast

To form negative sentences in the third person, we use doesn't (contraction of doesn't not) instead of don't:

Affirmative: He drinks coffeeNegative: He doesn't drink tea

Some additional examples from Jess's routine:

In the morning:

• He brushes his teeth
• He eats breakfast
• He drinks coffee

Midday:

• He sleeps a little
• He walks
• He works

In the evening:

• He exercises
• He plays video games
• He goes to sleep

What mistakes should we avoid?

A common mistake is forgetting to add the "-s" in the third person singular:

• Incorrect: He drinks coffee
• Correct: He drinks coffee

Another mistake is to use don't instead of doesn't for negations:

• Incorrect: He don't watch TV
• Correct: He doesn't watch TV

Practicing these patterns will help you master the present simple and communicate more fluently in English. Remember that constant practice is key to internalizing these grammatical structures.

Now it's your turn to practice describing your daily routine and that of a friend or family member. Don't forget to use the third person singular correctly when talking about other people. Share your examples in the comments and continue practicing this important grammar topic.