Lesson 14: Daily Routine

Overview

Daily routine is the perfect topic for practicing sequence and completed actions. In this lesson you learn the vocabulary for common daily activities and two grammar patterns that give your stories a sense of time: 了 to mark completed actions, and sequence words like 先...然后... (first...then...) to connect events in order.

Being able to narrate what you did today, or ask what someone did, is a huge milestone. It takes you from one-word answers to multi-sentence descriptions, which is the goal of HSK 1.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you can:

• Describe your daily routine from morning to night
• Use V + 了 to talk about what you have done
• Connect events in sequence using 先, 然后, and 最后
• Ask someone what they did using 做了什么

Vocabulary

Character	Pinyin	Type	Meaning	Example
起床	qǐchuáng	verb	to get up	我七点起床。
睡觉	shuìjiào	verb	to sleep, to go to sleep	晚上十一点睡觉。
吃饭	chīfàn	verb phrase	to eat a meal	我们一起吃饭吧。
上班	shàngbān	verb	to go to work	我八点上班。
下班	xiàbān	verb	to finish work	我六点下班。
工作	gōngzuò	noun/verb	work, to work	我工作很忙。
休息	xiūxi	verb	to rest	下午我休息一下。
回家	huí jiā	verb phrase	to go home	我五点回家。
洗澡	xǐzǎo	verb	to take a bath/shower	我喜欢早上洗澡。
刷牙	shuā yá	verb phrase	to brush teeth	起床后刷牙。
先	xiān	adverb	first	先吃饭，再说。
然后	ránhòu	conjunction	then, after that	然后我去学校。
最后	zuìhòu	adverb	finally, last	最后我睡觉。
每天	měitiān	adverb	every day	我每天跑步。

Grammar Focus

Pattern 1: V + 了 for completed actions

Structure: Subject + Verb + 了 (+ Object)

了 placed immediately after a verb signals that the action was completed. This is not exactly the past tense (Chinese does not have tenses the way European languages do), but it marks that something happened and is done. You will hear this particle constantly in everyday conversation.

Example	Pinyin	English
我吃了早饭。	Wǒ chīle zǎofàn.	I ate breakfast.
他昨天起床了。	Tā zuótiān qǐchuáng le.	He got up yesterday.
我们看了那部电影。	Wǒmen kànle nà bù diànyǐng.	We watched that movie.

Common mistake: using 了 in every sentence when talking about the past. 了 marks completion, not simply past time. General statements about past habits or states do not use 了: 我小时候喜欢画画 (When I was a child I liked drawing) has no 了 because it describes a state, not a completed action.

Pattern 2: 先...然后...最后 for sequence

Structure: 先 + Action 1, 然后 + Action 2, 最后 + Action 3

These three words create a narrative sequence. 先 means "first," 然后 means "then/after that," and 最后 means "finally" or "last." Together they let you tell a complete story about a series of events in order. This is one of the most useful oral and written structures for describing routines.

Example	Pinyin	English
我先刷牙，然后吃饭，最后去上班。	Wǒ xiān shuā yá, ránhòu chīfàn, zuìhòu qù shàngbān.	First I brush my teeth, then I eat, finally I go to work.
先洗澡，然后睡觉。	Xiān xǐzǎo, ránhòu shuìjiào.	Shower first, then sleep.
他先看书，然后写作业。	Tā xiān kàn shū, ránhòu xiě zuòyè.	He reads first, then does homework.

Common mistake: using 首先 (shǒuxiān) instead of 先 in this spoken routine sequence. 首先 is more formal and written. For everyday conversation, 先 is the right word.

Pattern 3: Asking about completed actions

Structure: Subject + Verb + 了 + 什么？ or Subject + 做了什么？

To ask what someone did, use 做了什么 (did what) or insert the action verb with 了. The question works for asking about a specific action or asking generally about someone's day.

Example	Pinyin	English
你今天做了什么？	Nǐ jīntiān zuòle shénme?	What did you do today?
你吃了什么？	Nǐ chīle shénme?	What did you eat?
昨天你去了哪里？	Zuótiān nǐ qùle nǎlǐ?	Where did you go yesterday?

Common mistake: forgetting that the question word goes at the end of the question, in the same position as the answer would appear. 你做了什么 has 什么 at the end because the answer would be 我做了运动, with the answer at the end.

Dialogue

Two colleagues chatting at the end of the workday.

同事A: 今天下班了！你今天做了什么？ Jīntiān xiàbān le! Nǐ jīntiān zuòle shénme? Work is done for today! What did you do today?

同事B: 早上我先开了一个会，然后写了很多报告。你呢？ Zǎoshang wǒ xiān kāile yī gè huì, ránhòu xiěle hěn duō bàogào. Nǐ ne? This morning I had a meeting first, then wrote lots of reports. What about you?

同事A: 我上午上了三节课，下午休息了一会儿。今晚你有什么安排？ Wǒ shàngwǔ shàngle sān jié kè, xiàwǔ xiūxile yīhuìr. Jīnwǎn nǐ yǒu shénme ānpái? I had three lessons in the morning, and rested a bit in the afternoon. What are your plans tonight?

同事B: 我想先回家，然后做饭，吃完饭最后去跑步。 Wǒ xiǎng xiān huí jiā, ránhòu zuò fàn, chī wán fàn zuìhòu qù pǎobù. I want to go home first, then cook, and after eating go for a run.

同事A: 听起来不错！我今晚要早点睡，明天有考试。 Tīng qǐlai búcuò! Wǒ jīnwǎn yào zǎodiǎn shuì, míngtiān yǒu kǎoshì. Sounds good! I need to sleep early tonight, there is an exam tomorrow.

同事B: 那好好加油！明天见！ Nà hǎohǎo jiāyóu! Míngtiān jiàn! Then good luck! See you tomorrow!

Practice

Exercise 1: Fill in the blank

1. 我今天早上 __ 了饭。(ate)
2. 他先洗澡，__ 睡觉。(then)
3. 你昨天做 __ 什么？(completed action)
4. 我每天 __ 点起床。(seven)
5. 先工作，__ 休息。(finally)

Exercise 2: Translate to Chinese

1. I got up at six o'clock this morning.
2. First I eat breakfast, then I go to school.
3. What did you do yesterday?
4. She went to sleep at eleven last night.
5. He went home, then cooked dinner.

Exercise 3: Answer these questions

1. 你今天早上几点起床？做了什么？
2. 你下班/放学后一般做什么？
3. 你每天几点睡觉？

Cultural Note

The work-life rhythm in China, particularly in large cities, tends toward long working hours. The informal norm of 996 (working 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week) in the technology industry became a topic of national debate. Despite this, meals remain a protected social event. Breakfast might be quick, but lunch is often a proper sit-down affair, and dinner is generally a time for family to come together. The phrase 下班了 (work is done) carries a distinctive sense of relief and transition, much like "clocking off" in English. After work, parks fill with people doing group exercises, playing chess, or dancing in open squares, especially in the evenings. This community use of public space after the workday is a visible and delightful part of Chinese city life.