German - Habits

Lesson 34 of 158

A friendly learner thinking about daily habits in German — lesson focuses on routines and frequency.

Goal: Talk about routines and how often you do things

Free German lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Ready to talk about your daily routines? This short lesson helps you say what you usually do and ask friends how often they do things. Have fun and try saying the phrases out loud!

Level A2: In Lesson 34 you'll practice common phrases for habits and frequency — how to say what you do in the morning, on weekends, and how often you do things. This CEFR-aligned lesson focuses on ready-to-use frames like "Ich ___ jeden Tag." and questions like "Wie oft ___ du?" so you can ask and answer about routines.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Use simple German frames to describe daily habits (A2 level).
  • Ask and answer how often someone does an activity: "Wie oft ___ du?"
  • Practice saying and repeating 13 handy habit phrases aloud.
Two friends asking each other about routines and how often they do things — practicing habit phrases in German.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

Ich ___ morgens meistens.

I usually ___ in the morning.

Meaning: I usually ___ in the morning.

When to use: Use this frame to tell what you normally do early in the day (e.g., eat, run, drink coffee). Fill the blank with a verb that matches ich.

Tip: Forgetting to conjugate the verb for ich (e.g., not *ich jogge*).

Ich jogge morgens meistens.
I usually jog in the morning.
Ich trinke morgens meistens Kaffee.
I usually drink coffee in the morning.

Ich ___ jeden Tag.

I ___ every day.

Meaning: I ___ every day.

When to use: Use this to state an activity you do daily — fill the blank with a conjugated verb or short verb phrase.

Ich koche jeden Tag.
I cook every day.
Ich lerne jeden Tag Deutsch.
I study German every day.

Wie oft ___ du?

How often do you ___?

Meaning: How often do you ___?

When to use: Ask about how frequently someone does an activity. Put the conjugated verb in the blank.

Wie oft gehst du ins Kino?
How often do you go to the cinema?
Wie oft telefonierst du mit deiner Familie?
How often do you call your family?

___ du manchmal?

Do you ever ___?

Meaning: Do you ever ___?

When to use: Use this to ask if someone sometimes does an activity. The blank usually needs the conjugated verb.

Spielst du manchmal Tennis?
Do you ever play tennis?
Gehst du manchmal schwimmen?
Do you ever go swimming?

Normalerweise ___ ich nicht.

I don't usually ___.

Meaning: I don't usually ___.

When to use: Use this to say that something is not part of your normal routine. Put the conjugated verb in the blank.

Normalerweise koche ich nicht.
I don't usually cook.
Normalerweise esse ich nicht spät.
I usually don't eat late.

Manchmal ___ ich.

Sometimes I ___.

Meaning: Sometimes I ___.

When to use: Use this to describe an activity you do occasionally. Put the conjugated verb in the blank.

Manchmal jogge ich.
Sometimes I jog.
Manchmal gehe ich ins Café.
Sometimes I go to the café.

Am Wochenende ___ ich meistens.

On weekends, I usually ___.

Meaning: On weekends, I usually ___.

When to use: Use this to describe what you normally do on weekends. Start with "Am Wochenende" and add the conjugated verb.

Am Wochenende schlafe ich meistens länger.
On weekends I usually sleep longer.
Am Wochenende treffe ich meistens Freunde.
On weekends I usually meet friends.

Ich ___ immer, bevor ich ___.

I always ___ before I ___.

Meaning: I always ___ before I ___.

When to use: Describe the order of two actions in your routine. The second clause after "bevor ich" often ends with the verb.

Tip: Remember that the verb often goes to the end after "bevor ich".

Ich esse immer, bevor ich zur Arbeit gehe.
I always eat before I go to work.
Ich dusche immer, bevor ich ins Büro fahre.
I always shower before I drive to the office.

Ich versuche, mehr zu ___.

I'm trying to ___ more.

Meaning: I'm trying to ___ more.

When to use: Describe a new habit you are working on. Use an infinitive after "zu" (e.g., zu lesen, zu laufen).

Ich versuche, mehr zu lesen.
I'm trying to read more.
Ich versuche, mehr zu schlafen.
I'm trying to sleep more.

Das kommt auf den Tag an.

It depends on the day.

Meaning: It depends on the day.

When to use: Use this to explain that your routine changes and isn't the same every day.

Morgen? Das kommt auf den Tag an.
Tomorrow? It depends on the day.
Ob ich jogge? Das kommt auf den Tag an.
Whether I jog? It depends on the day.

Ich ___ oft nach ___.

I often ___ after ___.

Meaning: I often ___ after ___.

When to use: Say that you regularly do one action after another time or activity. The first blank is a conjugated verb; after "nach" add the time or activity.

Tip: Be careful: for full clauses meaning 'after doing something' you may need "nachdem" instead of "nach".

Ich esse oft nach dem Sport.
I often eat after exercising.
Ich lese oft nach dem Abendessen.
I often read after dinner.

Ich ___ zurzeit nur selten.

I rarely ___ these days.

Meaning: I rarely ___ these days.

When to use: Use this to say an action happens only a little now; fill the blank with a conjugated verb or short verb phrase.

Ich spiele zurzeit nur selten Fußball.
I rarely play football these days.
Ich esse zurzeit nur selten Süßes.
I rarely eat sweets these days.

Ich ___ nachts nie.

I never ___ at night.

Meaning: I never ___ at night.

When to use: Use this to say something is not part of your night routine. Put the conjugated verb in the blank after "Ich".

Ich arbeite nachts nie.
I never work at night.
Ich esse nachts nie.
I never eat at night.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna and David compare routines in the morning and on weekends.

Anna and David chat about morning routines, weekends, and how often they do activities using A2 habit phrases.

What are Anna and David talking about?

Portrait of Anna in a German lesson dialogue

Anna

Wie oft gehst du joggen?

How often do you go jogging?

Portrait of David in a German lesson dialogue

David

Ich jogge jeden Tag.

I jog every day.

Portrait of Anna in a German lesson dialogue

Anna

Am Wochenende schlafe ich meistens länger. Und du?

On weekends I usually sleep longer. And you?

Portrait of David in a German lesson dialogue

David

Am Wochenende laufe ich meistens im Park.

On weekends I usually run in the park.

Portrait of Anna in a German lesson dialogue

Anna

Das kommt auf den Tag an. Manchmal treffe ich Freunde.

It depends on the day. Sometimes I meet friends.

Portrait of David in a German lesson dialogue

David

Ich versuche, mehr zu lesen.

I'm trying to read more.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which German sentence means: "How often do you go to the cinema?"

Which sentence is a correct reply: "I rarely play football these days"?

Which sentence asks if someone ever does an activity (Do you ever ...?)

Which German phrase best says: "I always do X before I do Y"?

On weekdays I cook. On weekends, I usually sleep longer.

On weekdays I cook. On weekends, ___.

If someone asks 'Wie oft ___ du?', they want to know how often you do something.

If someone asks "Wie oft ___ du?", they want to know ___.

I used to stay up late; now I say: I never ___ at night.

I used to stay up late; now I say: ___.

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich ___ morgens meistens.

I usually ___ in the morning.

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich ___ jeden Tag.

I ___ every day.

Say this phrase out loud:

Wie oft ___ du?

How often do you ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

___ du manchmal?

Do you ever ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

Normalerweise ___ ich nicht.

I don't usually ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Manchmal ___ ich.

Sometimes I ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Am Wochenende ___ ich meistens.

On weekends, I usually ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich ___ immer, bevor ich ___.

I always ___ before I ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich versuche, mehr zu ___.

I'm trying to ___ more.

Say this phrase out loud:

Das kommt auf den Tag an.

It depends on the day.

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich ___ oft nach ___.

I often ___ after ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich ___ zurzeit nur selten.

I rarely ___ these days.

Say this phrase out loud:

Ich ___ nachts nie.

I never ___ at night.