A2 (Elementary)Lesson 3: Reflexive Pronouns & Daily Routines
Describing your daily routine is where everything from this lesson comes together: reflexive verbs, plus the words that frame WHEN and HOW OFTEN you do things. Anchor your day with parts of the day (de manhã, à tarde, à noite), sprinkle in frequency (sempre, às vezes), and put it in order (primeiro, depois).
Frame the day: de manhã, à tarde, à noite (+ de madrugada, ao meio-dia)
How often: sempre, geralmente, às vezes, de vez em quando, nunca — usually before the verb
Put it in order: primeiro, depois, em seguida, por fim
Time spans: das… às…, de segunda a sexta, durante a semana, por + time
"How long": levo uma hora para… (levar + time + para)
Handy: estou atrasado, estou com pressa, dá tempo de…
The clock: 24h is common in schedules (18h); 12h is common in everyday speech (seis da tarde). Both systems can be spoken or written.
part of the day / frequency adverb + (reflexive) routine verb + complement — e.g. "De manhã, sempre me arrumo rápido."
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Swapping notes about your routine is social glue in Brazil — griping about traffic, comparing weekend plans, figuring out when to meet. You need this to schedule things ("Podemos marcar para depois do almoço?" — Can we meet after lunch?) and to explain yourself ("Cheguei atrasado, peguei um trânsito horrível!" — I arrived late, I hit awful traffic!). Get comfortable with these words and you'll follow not just what Brazilians do, but when and how often — which is most of a real conversation.
| Period | Roughly | Typical activities |
|---|---|---|
| de madrugada | the small hours (0–5h) | dormir |
| de manhã (cedo) | (early) morning | acordar, tomar café |
| ao meio-dia | midday | almoçar |
| à tarde | afternoon | trabalhar, estudar |
| à noite | evening / night | jantar, relaxar |
Anchor your actions to them: "De manhã tomo café; à tarde trabalho; à noite relaxo." (In the morning I have coffee; in the afternoon I work; at night I relax.)
"De segunda a sexta, acordo às 6:30. Primeiro tomo banho, depois tomo café. Saio de casa às 7:30 e sempre pego trânsito. Chego ao trabalho por volta das 8:30. Trabalho até meio-dia, faço uma hora de almoço, e volto às 13h. Às 18h saio do escritório e geralmente chego em casa às 19:30. Janto, assisto um pouco de TV e vou dormir às 23h." (Monday to Friday, I wake up at 6:30. First I shower, then I have coffee. I leave home at 7:30 and I always hit traffic. I get to work around 8:30. I work until noon, take an hour for lunch, and come back at 1pm. At 6pm I leave the office and usually get home at 7:30. I have dinner, watch a bit of TV, and go to bed at 11pm.)
"Aos sábados acordo tarde, umas 10h. Tomo café com calma, leio as notícias. De vez em quando vou ao mercado de manhã. À tarde geralmente encontro amigos ou fico em casa relaxando. À noite quase sempre saio — vou a um restaurante ou bar. Domingo é dia de descansar e preparar a semana." (On Saturdays I wake up late, around 10. I have coffee slowly and read the news. Once in a while I go to the market in the morning. In the afternoon I usually meet friends or stay home relaxing. At night I almost always go out — to a restaurant or bar. Sunday is for resting and getting ready for the week.)
"Hoje está corrido! Acordei atrasada e não deu tempo de tomar café. Peguei um trânsito horrível e cheguei atrasada na reunião. Mal tive tempo de almoçar — comi um lanche rápido. Ainda tenho três reuniões à tarde. Só vou conseguir sair depois das 20h." (Today is crazy busy! I woke up late and didn't have time for coffee. I hit awful traffic and got to the meeting late. I barely had time for lunch — I grabbed a quick snack. I still have three meetings this afternoon. I'll only manage to leave after 8pm.)
"Trabalho em casa, então minha rotina é flexível. Normalmente começo às 9h, mas às vezes acordo mais cedo e aproveito
Portuguese uses tomar where English uses "have/take":
tomar café (da manhã) = have breakfast · tomar banho = take a shower (not ter)
Tomar café da manhã means have breakfast. Tomar café alone can mean drink coffee or, depending on context, have breakfast.
For this first-person pattern, use levar + time + para. Tomar can also refer to consuming time in other constructions; it is not a substitute for levo here.
✅ Levo uma hora para chegar. (It takes me an hour to get there.)
Durations can appear with por (por duas horas) or without it. In the model below, o dia todo expresses the duration directly. If por is followed by the article o, the contraction is pelo, not por o.
Bathing is a frequent part of Brazilian routines. In a 2016 report on changes during the water crisis, Kantar Worldpanel recorded an average of 13.8 baths/showers a week in Brazil — about 14, or nearly two a day — compared with 12.5 in São Paulo. These are historical survey figures, not a current worldwide ranking or a rule for every person.
Source: Kantar — Como a crise hídrica mudou o comportamento dos brasileiros
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