Past Simple Verbs for Everyday Routines

Past Simple Verbs for Everyday Routines is an ESL lesson to learn English idioms, phrases, past simple, vocabulary, and phrases for having conversations about everyday routines.

Watch the ESL video about past simple verbs for everyday routines ESL conversation and practice using new vocabulary and phrases. Get the ESL printable worksheets on Everyday Routines, ESL printable and digital flashcards, ESL listening and reading exercises, and gamify lessons with badges and stamps.

ESL Video on Everyday Routines

This lesson is based on the YouTube video:

Warm Up Questions

1. What time did you wake up today?
2. Did you hit the snooze button on your alarm?
3. Do you have any pets? Did you feed them and take them for a walk?
4. How did you get to school/work today?
5. What did you have for breakfast this morning?

Part A – Past Simple Verbs for Everyday Routines

Gap Fill

Complete the following sentences with the words in the vocabulary box. Watch the video to check your answers.

Frank: Yesterday I ______________¹ at 5am. I ______________² the snooze button once. I ______________³ at about 5:10. I ______________ ⁴ my teeth.

Mandy: It ______________⁵ my day off, and I was planning on sleeping in, but I got up about 5 minutes after Frank.

Frank: When I ______________⁶ brushing my teeth, I ______________⁷ to the kitchen and I ______________⁸ my cat “Fafa” and my dog “Pooch”.
Then I let Fafa outside.

Mandy: And I ______________⁹ Pooch for a walk around the block. He was really playful, so I ______________¹⁰ fetch with him in the park.

Frank: I ______________¹¹ my morning coffee and checked out the news on the internet.

Mandy: When I ______________¹² from the park, I ______________ ¹³ my morning tea and I ______________¹⁴ my book.I
______________¹⁵ a healthy breakfast. I ______________¹⁶ yogurt and some fresh fruit.

Part B

Frank: I had bacon and eggs for breakfast. I usually eat boiled eggs and toast, but since it was Mandy’s day off, she ______________¹⁷ for me.
I ______________¹⁸ on all of the sports news and drank some apple juice. My favorite baseball team ______________¹⁹ yesterday. What a bummer!

Mandy: After we ______________²⁰ breakfast, I ______________²¹ the dishes …

Frank: and I ______________²²the dishes.
Then I ______________²³ a quick shower. I ______________²⁴ and I dried my hair.
I ______________²⁵ the house at 6:30. I ______________²⁶ the train to work, so I ______________²⁷ to the station. The train station is about a 20-minute walk from our house. It took about one hour and ten minutes to get to work from my house. The train was really packed. There were a lot of people and it was really hot. I can’t stand taking the train to work. 

Listening Questions

1. What time did Frank wake up yesterday?
2. What time did Frank get up yesterday?
3. Did Mandy get up at the same time as Frank? What time did she get up?
4. Why was Mandy planning on sleeping in yesterday?
5. What did Frank do after he finished brushing his teeth?
6. Where did Mandy go with Pooch?
7. What did Frank do while having his morning coffee?
8. What did Mandy do when she came back from the park?
9. Did Mandy have bacon and eggs for breakfast? What did Mandy have for breakfast?
10. What did Frank have for breakfast?
11. What does Frank usually eat for breakfast?
12. Why did Frank have bacon and eggs for breakfast?
13. What did Frank do while drinking apple juice?
14. How did his team do yesterday?
15. What did Frank and Mandy do after they finished breakfast?
16. What did Frank do after he dried the dishes?
17. Did Frank leave the house at 6:00? What time did Frank leave the house?
18. How far of a walk is the train station from his house?
19. How long did it take Frank to get to work from his house?
20. Does Frank like to take the train to work? Why?

Discussion Questions

1. How long did it take you to get to work/school today/yesterday?
2. What mode of transportation do you use to get to work/school?
3. How often do you sleep in?
4. When was the last time that you slept in?
5. What’s your favorite sport? Who is your favorite player/team?
6. What chores do you do around the house?
7. Do you prefer coffee or tea? What did you have this morning?
8. Did you read the news on the internet this morning?
9. Did you check social media this morning? 
10. Do you like to take the train? Why or why not?
11. How do you get around? (car, bicycle, train, subway, etc.)
12. Do you always eat breakfast? Why or why not?

ESL Printable and Digital Flashcards to Talk about the Past

Use the following flashcards to talk about what you did this morning and yesterday

Grammar Part A

Conjugate the following verbs into the past simple.

brush my teeth		get up		play
catch up		go		read
come		have		shave
cook		hit		take
drink		is		wake up
dry		leave		walk
feed		lose		wash
finish		make

Part B – Past Simple Verbs for Everyday Routines

Gap Fill

Complete the following sentences with the words in the vocabulary box. Watch the video to check your answers.

Actually, I usually drive to work. I ______________¹ the train to work because my car ______________². I ______________³ the mechanic but he’s really busy this week. He can’t fix my car until the weekend, so I have to take the train to work for the next few days.

I ______________⁴ to work at around 7:40.

I ______________⁵ some phone calls. I ______________⁶ my email and ______________⁷ to some messages.
I ______________⁸ a meeting with my boss. He was in a good mood yesterday, so everyone was happy.
I ______________⁹ a presentation to my colleagues. Everyone loved it. They ______________¹⁰ and ______________¹¹.
I ______________¹² a report, and I ______________¹³ some important contracts.

Part B

Mandy: Today was my day off. I’m a nurse so I have an irregular schedule. I work at a big hospital.
Today I ______________¹⁴ to take it easy. I ______________¹⁵ as soon as Frank ______________¹⁶ the house.
I ______________¹⁷ and I ______________¹⁸ my nails. I ______________¹⁹ my face, and then I ______________²⁰ my makeup.
I ______________²¹ some perfume.
I ______________²² to the supermarket and ______________²³ some food for dinner. I ______________²⁴ salmon, vegetables and some fresh fruit.

I ______________²⁵ the bakery on the way home. I ______________²⁶ a cheesecake for dessert. It’s Frank’s favorite!
I ______________²⁷ from shopping and I ______________²⁸ for forty-five minutes. I really ______________²⁹. It was a great workout.
I ______________³⁰ the living room. I ________ some ______________³¹. I ______________³² the flowers. Then I ______________³³ for about 30 minutes while watching TV.
I ______________³⁴ for lunch. I ______________³⁵ fast food because I was in a hurry – since I __________³⁶ little snooze. I ______________³⁷ a burger – hold the onions, some fries and a drink. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t so good either. Next time I’ll eat something healthier.

Part B Listening Questions

1. Why did Frank drive to work?
2. When can the mechanic fix his car?
3. Why can’t the mechanic fix his car now?
4. How will he get to work for the next few days?
5. What time did he arrive to work?
6. What kinds of tasks did he do at work?
7. Why were all of his co-workers happy?
8. What did his colleagues think of his presentation?
9. What did Mandy do as soon as Frank left the house?
10. Where did Mandy go after she got up from her nap?
11. How did she get to the supermarket?
12. What did she but at the supermarket?
13. Where did she go on her way home from the supermarket?
14. What did she get at the bakery?
15. How long did she do yoga for?
16. What kind of housework did she do?
17. What did she do after doing some housework?
18. Where did she go after her nap?
19. Why did she choose fast food?
20. What did she order?

ESL Printable and Digital Flashcards to Talk about the Past

Use the following flashcards to talk about what you did this morning and yesterday.

 

Discussion Questions

1. What was the last meal that you cooked? How did it taste?
2. What did you buy at the supermarket the last time you went shopping?
3. Do you often buy things from the bakery? What did you buy the last time you went?
4. What did you drink for breakfast? Lunch? Dinner?
5. What kind of exercise do you like to do?

Grammar Part B

Conjugate the following verbs into the past simple.

arrive		doze off		reply
buy		drive		sign
break down		get back		stand up
call		give		stop by
clap		order		take a nap
check		paint		try
choose		pick up		water
clean		prepare		work up a sweat
do		put on

Part C – Past Simple Verbs for Everyday Routines

Gap Fill

Complete the following sentences with the words in the vocabulary box. Watch the video to check your answers.

Frank: I ______________¹ lunch with my co-workers. We often go to a small family restaurant together, but yesterday we ______________²to a nice Italian restaurant.

It was kind of far from our office. It ______________³ expensive, but the food was amazing. I had a cheese and pepperoni pizza. It ______________⁴ with salad, soup and all you can eat bread.
It was quite a lot of food and I was stuffed. The staff was very friendly. I’ll take Mandy there next weekend.

I usually finish work at 6:00, but yesterday I ______________⁵ to work overtime. I ______________⁶ until about 7:30. I was super tired.

I ______________⁷ to the gym on my way home from work. I ______________⁸ some pushups, and some sit ups. I ______________⁹ some heavy weights … well … not really … I lied … I was too tired from working overtime, so I didn’t have any energy. I only ______________¹⁰ for about 30 minutes.

Part B

Mandy: I ______________¹¹ a salad, ______________¹² some salmon and ______________¹³ some vegetables. Frank ______________¹⁴ so I knew he would be really happy that I got him cheesecake.

Frank: I ______________¹⁵ home at about 9:15.

Mandy ______________¹⁶ a huge dinner. I didn’t think I would be hungry, since it was kind of late and I had a big lunch, but she’s such a great cook. I ______________¹⁷ everything!
We ______________¹⁸ to some jazz music while eating dinner. It was a wonderful meal.

Mandy: We ______________¹⁹ some red wine with dinner, and then of course I ______________²⁰ Frank with the cheesecake!

Frank: Mandy got me my favorite cheesecake for dessert. What a great surprise it was after such a long day at work.
After dinner, I ______________²¹. I ______________²² the TV, but there was nothing good to watch, so I ______________ it ________²³.
Then I ______________²⁴ for about twenty minutes on the sofa. Actually, I ______________²⁵ while reading. Mandy ___________ me __________²⁶.

Mandy: I ______________²⁷ a hot bath. I ______________²⁸ a cup of tea.

Frank: I jumped in the shower and then put on my comfy pajamas. Mandy gave them to me for my birthday.
And then we ______________²⁹ to bed around midnight.
I ______________³⁰ well because I was so exhausted from work.

Mandy: I didn’t sleep so well because Frank was snoring loudly all night. I’m really tired today. It’s going to be a long day at work.

Part C Listening Questions

1. Who did Frank have lunch with?
2. Where do they often go for lunch together?
3. Where did they go for lunch together yesterday?
4. What did Frank have?
5. Was Frank satisfied with the restaurant?
6. What time does Frank usually finish work?
7. Why did he work until 7:30 yesterday?
8. How did Frank feel after work yesterday?
9. Where did Frank go on his way home from work?
10. What did Frank do at the gym?
11. How long did he work out for?
12. What did Mandy prepare for dinner?
13. What time did Frank arrive home?
14. Why didn’t Frank think he’d be hungry?
15. What did Mandy surprise Frank with?
16. What did Frank do after dinner?
17. How long did Frank read for?
18. What happened while Frank was reading?
19. Where and when did Frank get his comfy pajamas?
20. Why did Frank sleep so well?
21. What time did they go to bed?
22. Why is Mandy so tired today?

Discussion Questions

1. What did you have for lunch?
2. Do you usually go out to eat or make your own lunch?
3. What’s your favorite place to go for lunch?
4. What was the last restaurant that you went for lunch?
5. How was it? How was the service? Was it expensive?
6. Do you go to the gym? When was the last time you went to the gym?
7. Do you have a sweet tooth? What’s your favorite dessert?
8. Did you make your own dinner last night? Who made dinner last night?
9. Do you like to read? What was the last book that you read?
10. What time do you usually go to bed? What time did you go to bed last night?

ESL Printable and Digital Flashcards to Talk about the Past

Use the following flashcards to talk about what you did this morning and yesterday.

Grammar Part C

Conjugate the following verbs into the past simple.

clean up		surprise
eat		turn off
fall asleep		turn on
grill		work
lift		work out
listen		work overtime
sauté		sleep

Listening Transcripts

Part A

Frank: Yesterday I woke up at 5am. I hit the snooze button once. I got up at about 5:10. I brushed my teeth.

Mandy: It was my day off, and I was planning on sleeping in, but I got up about 5 minutes after Frank.

Frank: When I finished brushing my teeth, I went to the kitchen and I fed my cat “Fafa” and my dog “Pooch”.
Then I let Fafa outside.

Mandy: And I took Pooch for a walk around the block. He was really playful, so I played fetch with him in the park.

Frank: I had my morning coffee and checked out the news on the internet.

Mandy: When I came back from the park, I drank my morning tea and I read my book.

What did Mandy drink? What did Frank drink?

I made a healthy breakfast. I had yogurt and some fresh fruit.

Frank: I had bacon and eggs for breakfast. I usually eat boiled eggs and toast, but since it was Mandy’s day off, she cooked for me.

I caught up on all of the sports news and drank some apple juice. My favorite baseball team lost yesterday. What a bummer!

Mandy: After we finished breakfast, I washed the dishes …

Frank: and I dried the dishes.

Then I took a quick shower. I shaved and I dried my hair.

I left the house at 6:30. I took the train to work, so I walked to the station. The train station is about a 20-minute walk from our house. It took about one hour and ten minutes to get to work from my house. The train was really packed. There were a lot of people and it was really hot. I can’t stand taking the train to work. 

Part B

Actually, I usually drive to work. I took the train to work because my car broke down. I called the mechanic but he’s really busy this week. He can’t fix my car until the weekend, so I have to take the train to work for the next few days.

I arrived to work at around 7:40.

I made some phone calls. I checked my email and replied to some messages.
I had a meeting with my boss. He was in a good mood yesterday, so everyone was happy.
I gave a presentation to my colleagues. Everyone loved it. They stood up and clapped.
I prepared a report, and I signed some important contracts.

Who did he have a meeting with?

Mandy: Today was my day off. I’m a nurse so I have an irregular schedule. I work at a big hospital.
Today I tried to take it easy. I took a nap as soon as Frank left the house.
I got up and I painted my nails. I washed my face, and then I put on my makeup.
I put on some perfume.
I drove to the supermarket and got some food for dinner. I bought salmon, vegetables and some fresh fruit.
I stopped by the bakery on the way home. I picked up a cheesecake for dessert. It’s Frank’s favorite!
I got back from shopping and I did yoga for forty-five minutes. I really worked up a sweat. It was a great workout.
I cleaned the living room. I did some laundry. I watered the flowers. Then I dozed off for about 30 minutes while watching TV.
I went for lunch. I chose fast food because I was in a hurry – since I took a little snooze. I ordered a burger – hold the onions, some fries and a drink. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t so good either. Next time I’ll eat something healthier.

Part C

Frank: I had lunch with my co-workers. We often go to a small family restaurant together, but yesterday we went to a nice Italian restaurant.

It was kind of far from our office. It was expensive, but the food was amazing. I had a cheese and pepperoni pizza. It came with salad, soup and all you can eat bread. It was quite a lot of food and I was stuffed. The staff was very friendly. I’ll take Mandy there next weekend.

I usually finish work at 6:00, but yesterday I had to work overtime. I worked until about 7:30. I was super tired.

I went to the gym on my way home from work. I did some pushups, and some sit ups. I lifted some heavy weights … well … not really … I lied … I was too tired from working overtime, so I didn’t have any energy. I only worked out for about 30 minutes.

Mandy: I prepared a salad, grilled some salmon and sautéed some vegetables. Frank worked overtime so I knew he would be really happy that I got him cheesecake.

Part B

Frank: I arrived home at about 9:15.
Mandy made a huge dinner. I didn’t think I would be hungry, since it was kind of late and I had a big lunch, but she’s such a great cook. I ate everything!
We listened to some jazz music while eating dinner. It was a wonderful meal.

What did they listen to?

Mandy: We drank some red wine with dinner, and then of course I surprised Frank with the cheesecake!

Frank: Mandy got me my favorite cheesecake for dessert. What a great surprise it was after such a long day at work.
After dinner, I cleaned up. I turned on the TV, but there was nothing good to watch, so I turned it off.
Then I read for about twenty minutes on the sofa. Actually, I fell asleep while reading. Mandy woke me up.

Mandy: I took a hot bath. I drank a cup of tea.

Frank: I jumped in the shower and then put on my comfy pajamas. Mandy gave them to me for my birthday.
And then we went to bed around midnight.

I slept well because I was so exhausted from work.

Mandy: I didn’t sleep so well because Frank was snoring loudly all night. I’m really tired today. It’s going to be a long day at work.

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Reference: BE23