Spanish - Habits

Lesson 34 of 159

Learner practicing Spanish habit phrases aloud, focused on everyday routines.

Goal: Talk about routines and how often you do things

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

Ready to talk about what you usually do each day? This short lesson helps you describe habits, ask how often someone does something, and say if a routine changes. Listen, practice, and say the phrases out loud to make them stick.

Level A2: In this lesson you'll learn useful Spanish frames for describing habits (what you usually do), asking about frequency, and talking about changes to routines. You'll practice phrases like “Normalmente ___ en la mañana,” “¿Cada cuánto ___?” and “Últimamente casi no ___.” The lesson is CEFR-aligned and focused on everyday routines.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Use simple frames to say what you usually do in the morning or on weekends.
  • Ask and answer questions about how often someone does an activity.
  • Describe occasional habits and recent changes (e.g., “Últimamente casi no ___”).
Two friends talking about their morning and weekend habits in Spanish — perfect for A2 learners.

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.

Normalmente ___ en la mañana.

I usually ___ in the morning.

Meaning: Normally I ___ in the morning.

When to use: Use this to say what you usually do in the morning; put the verb or phrase in first person (e.g., “desayuno”, “salgo a correr”).

Tip: Beginner error: forgetting to put the verb in first person (e.g., using infinitive instead of ‘desayuno’).

Normalmente desayuno en la mañana.
I usually have breakfast in the morning.
Normalmente salgo a correr en la mañana.
I usually go for a run in the morning.

___ todos los días.

I ___ every day.

Meaning: ___ every day.

When to use: Use this to say how often you do something; you usually don't need to say “yo” because the verb shows the subject.

Tip: Avoid adding “yo” unnecessarily; Spanish often omits the subject pronoun.

Estudio español todos los días.
I study Spanish every day.
Camino al trabajo todos los días.
I walk to work every day.

¿Cada cuánto ___?

How often do you ___?

Meaning: How often do you ___?

When to use: Use this question to ask about frequency. In more formal speech use the usted form when appropriate.

¿Cada cuánto corres?
How often do you run?
¿Cada cuánto visitas a tu familia?
How often do you visit your family?

¿A veces ___?

Do you ever ___?

Meaning: Do you sometimes ___?

When to use: Ask whether someone has an occasional habit. For habits, “¿A veces ___?” sounds more natural than “¿Alguna vez ___?”.

¿A veces comes fuera?
Do you sometimes eat out?
¿A veces trabajas los fines de semana?
Do you sometimes work on weekends?

Normalmente no ___.

I don't usually ___.

Meaning: Normally I don't ___.

When to use: Use this to say something is not part of your usual routine. You can also say “No suelo ___” in a more formal tone.

Normalmente no veo televisión por la noche.
I normally don't watch TV at night.
Normalmente no como en mi oficina.
I usually don't eat in my office.

A veces ___.

Sometimes I ___.

Meaning: Sometimes I ___.

When to use: Use this to describe an occasional action; put the verb in first person.

A veces trabajo hasta tarde.
Sometimes I work late.
A veces ceno con amigos.
Sometimes I have dinner with friends.

Los fines de semana, normalmente ___.

On weekends, I usually ___.

Meaning: On weekends, I normally ___.

When to use: Use this to describe what you usually do on weekends.

Los fines de semana, normalmente duermo hasta tarde.
On weekends, I usually sleep in.
Los fines de semana, normalmente visito a mi familia.
On weekends, I usually visit my family.

Siempre ___ antes de ___.

I always ___ before I ___.

Meaning: I always ___ before I ___.

When to use: Use this to describe a sequence in your routine: a habitual action that happens before another.

Tip: Watch word order: the action that always happens should come first (e.g., 'Siempre me ducho antes de desayunar').

Siempre me ducho antes de desayunar.
I always shower before having breakfast.
Siempre estudio antes de salir a trabajar.
I always study before leaving for work.

Estoy tratando de ___ más.

I'm trying to ___ more.

Meaning: I'm trying to ___ more.

When to use: Use this to talk about a new habit or something you want to do more often.

Estoy tratando de leer más.
I'm trying to read more.
Estoy tratando de cocinar más en casa.
I'm trying to cook more at home.

Depende del día.

It depends on the day.

Meaning: It depends on the day.

When to use: Use this when your routine varies: sometimes you do an activity, sometimes you don't.

¿Vienes al gimnasio? Depende del día.
Do you go to the gym? It depends on the day.
Trabajo desde casa o en la oficina. Depende del día.
I work from home or the office. It depends on the day.

A menudo ___ después de ___.

I often ___ after ___.

Meaning: Often I ___ after I ___.

When to use: Use this to say one habitual action happens regularly after another (first blank is the action in present tense).

A menudo tomo un café después de correr.
I often have a coffee after running.
A menudo llamo a mi madre después de cenar.
I often call my mother after dinner.

Últimamente casi no ___.

I rarely ___ these days.

Meaning: Lately I hardly ___.

When to use: Use this to say you rarely do something these days; place the verb after the blank in the present tense.

Últimamente casi no salgo de noche.
Lately I hardly go out at night.
Últimamente casi no como dulces.
Lately I hardly eat sweets.

Nunca ___ en la noche.

I never ___ at night.

Meaning: I never ___ at night.

When to use: Use this to say an action doesn't happen at a particular time (e.g., night); 'por la noche' is an alternative.

Nunca estudio en la noche.
I never study at night.
Nunca leo en la noche.
I never read at night.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna and David ask about each other's routines and frequency of habits.

Anna and David chat about how often they do activities, using simple habit frames in Spanish.

What are Anna and David talking about?

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

Normalmente desayuno en la mañana, pero últimamente casi no tengo tiempo.

I normally have breakfast in the morning, but lately I hardly have time.

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

¿Cada cuánto desayunas fuera?

How often do you have breakfast out?

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

Depende del día. A veces compro algo rápido.

It depends on the day. Sometimes I buy something quick.

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

Los fines de semana, normalmente cocino en casa.

On weekends, I usually cook at home.

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

Estoy tratando de desayunar más antes de salir.

I'm trying to eat breakfast more before leaving.

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

Yo siempre tomo café antes de trabajar.

I always have coffee before working.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which Spanish sentence means: 'I sometimes work late.'?

Which sentence asks: 'How often do you run?'

Which Spanish sentence matches: 'Lately I hardly go out at night.'?

Which sentence expresses: 'On weekends, I usually sleep in.'?

Normalmente no veo televisión. = I usually don't watch TV.

I want to say: 'I usually don't watch TV.' Choose the Spanish phrase that fits: ___.

¿Cada cuánto visitas a tu familia? = How often do you visit your family?

Fill this: 'How often do you visit your family?' in Spanish: ___.

Últimamente casi no como dulces. = Lately I hardly eat sweets.

Complete: 'Lately I hardly eat sweets.' Choose the Spanish phrase: ___.

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:

Normalmente ___ en la mañana.

Normally I ___ in the morning.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ todos los días.

___ every day.

Say this phrase out loud:

¿Cada cuánto ___?

How often do you ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

¿A veces ___?

Do you sometimes ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

Normalmente no ___.

Normally I don't ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

A veces ___.

Sometimes I ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Los fines de semana, normalmente ___.

On weekends, I normally ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Siempre ___ antes de ___.

I always ___ before I ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Estoy tratando de ___ más.

I'm trying to ___ more.

Say this phrase out loud:

Depende del día.

It depends on the day.

Say this phrase out loud:

A menudo ___ después de ___.

Often I ___ after I ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Últimamente casi no ___.

Lately I hardly ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Nunca ___ en la noche.

I never ___ at night.