Understanding daily routine idioms and phrasal verbs can greatly enhance your English fluency. These expressions are commonly used in everyday conversations, making your speech more natural and engaging. Here are 20 essential phrases related to daily routines, each with a brief meaning and an example sentence.
1. Get up
Meaning: Wake up
Example: I get up at six every morning.
2. Brush up on
Meaning: Improve skills
Example: She brushed up on her Spanish last night.
3. Run errands
Meaning: Do tasks
Example: I need to run errands this afternoon.
4. Catch up with
Meaning: Meet someone
Example: I’ll catch up with you later.
5. Sleep in
Meaning: Wake up late
Example: I love to sleep in on weekends.
6. Work out
Meaning: Exercise
Example: She works out every day after work.
7. Wind down
Meaning: Relax
Example: I wind down with a book before bed.
8. Eat out
Meaning: Dine at a restaurant
Example: We eat out on Fridays.
9. Look after
Meaning: Take care of
Example: She looks after her little brother.
10. Check in
Meaning: Report presence
Example: I need to check in at the office.
11. Go over
Meaning: Review
Example: Let’s go over the report together.
12. Turn in
Meaning: Go to bed
Example: I usually turn in at eleven.
13. Pick up
Meaning: Collect someone/something
Example: Can you pick up the kids today?
14. Take out
Meaning: Remove
Example: I’ll take out the trash tonight.
15. Catch up on
Meaning: Do pending tasks
Example: I need to catch up on my emails.
16. Put off
Meaning: Delay
Example: Don’t put off your homework.
17. Dress up
Meaning: Wear formal clothes
Example: We need to dress up for the party.
18. Drop off
Meaning: Deliver someone/something
Example: I’ll drop off the package at the post office.
19. Cut down on
Meaning: Reduce
Example: He cut down on sugar last month.
20. Call off
Meaning: Cancel
Example: They called off the meeting yesterday.
