Describe Your Daily Routine in Brazilian Portuguese: Reflexive Verbs
Connect everyday actions with time expressions to describe what you normally do from morning to night.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 15, 2026
The short answer
A reflexive verb describes an action connected to the subject. In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, speakers often say acordo (I wake up), levanto (I get up), preparo o café (I make coffee), and me deito (I go to bed). Some verbs commonly keep the reflexive pronoun; others may appear with or without it depending on meaning and style.
Use common routine verbs in first person
For a beginner routine, learn the whole first-person phrase. Add a time or order word such as de manhã (in the morning), depois (afterward), and à noite (at night) to connect actions.
Acordo às sete e tomo café em casa.
I wake up at seven and have coffee at home.
Depois do trabalho, me exercito no parque.
After work, I exercise in the park.
Normalmente me deito por volta das onze.
I usually go to bed around eleven.
Say what is usual and what changes
Present tense can describe a repeated routine: trabalho de casa às sextas (I work from home on Fridays). Frequency words such as geralmente (usually), às vezes (sometimes), and quase nunca (almost never) help you avoid claiming that every day is identical.
To ask another person, say Como é um dia normal para você? (What is a normal day like for you?) or O que você costuma fazer depois do trabalho? (What do you usually do after work?). These questions invite a specific answer and give you a natural follow-up.
Geralmente almoço perto do escritório, mas às vezes levo comida.
I usually have lunch near the office, but sometimes I bring food.
O que você costuma fazer no começo do dia?
What do you usually do at the start of the day?
Nos fins de semana, minha rotina muda bastante.
On weekends, my routine changes quite a bit.
Put it into practice
Build a routine description with a few everyday verbs, time connectors, and a frequency word. Use costuma + infinitive to ask what someone usually does.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I wake up at seven and have coffee at home”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.