Arabic Spoken Course – Lesson 6: Talking About Daily Routines

Introduction: Why Talking About Daily Routines Matters

Imagine this: you just arrived in Dubai, Kuwait, or Riyadh. You’re staying with a host family, and over breakfast, someone asks: “Sho tsawi kul yawm?” (شو تسوي كل يوم؟) — What do you do every day? Panic? Not anymore.

Welcome to Lesson 6 of the Arabic Spoken Course, where we focus on something you’ll use every single day: daily routines. Whether you’re chatting with a roommate, colleague, or friend, knowing how to describe your day in Gulf Arabic will make your conversations smoother and your connections stronger. If you want to

Recap of Lessons 1–5

Before diving into daily routines, let’s briefly revisit what we’ve covered:

1. Lesson 1: Greetings & Introductions
   • Master basic Gulf Arabic greetings
2. Lesson 2: Introducing Yourself and Asking Names
   • introduce yourself and ask someone’s name
3. Lesson 3: Numbers, Age & Everyday Conversations
   • beginner-friendly guide to numbers in Gulf Arabic and how to talk about age
4. Lesson 4: Talking About Family
   • lesson focuses on how to talk about your family
5. Lesson 5: Describing People
   • master common Gulf Arabic expressions to describe appearance and personality traits.

These foundational lessons have equipped you with the tools needed to discuss daily activities effectively.

Why Daily Routine Vocabulary Matters in Arabic

Talking about daily routines builds a strong foundation in language learning. These expressions are used every day—when you’re introducing yourself, chatting with a friend, or even practicing small talk at work.

In Gulf countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or Kuwait, conversations often begin with:

• شسويت اليوم؟ (Shsawwayt ilyōm?) – What did you do today?
• كيف كان يومك؟ (Kēf kān yōmak?) – How was your day?

Learning these phrases means you’ll never be stuck in awkward silence again.

🗓️ Vocabulary for Daily Routine (with Table)

Here’s a handy table of daily routine verbs and phrases in Gulf Arabic. We’ve included Arabic script, Roman Arabic, English meaning, and even emojis to keep it fun!

Use this table daily—it’s gold for your Arabic learning!

Verbs: Daily Activities

🕰️ Time-Related Vocabulary

🧰 Common Items/Objects in Daily Routines

🗣️ Sample Conversation: “My Daily Routine”

Let’s look at a simple, realistic Gulf Arabic conversation between two friends. We’ll provide:

• Arabic script
• Roman Arabic
• English translation
• Word-by-word breakdown

🗨️ Conversation 1: Waking Up

👤 A:
شْسَوِّيت أول ما صِحِّيت؟
shsawwēt awwal mā ṣiḥḥēt?
What did you do when you first woke up?

👤 B:
غَسَّلْت وَجْهِي وَفَرَّشْت سْنُوني.
ghassalt wajhī w farraʃt snūnī.
I washed my face and brushed my teeth.

🗨️ Conversation 2: Getting Ready

👤 A:
مَتَى تِطْلَع مِنَ الْبَيْت؟
matā tiṭla‘ min il-bayt?
When do you leave the house?

👤 B:
أَطْلَع السَّاعَة سَبْعَة.
aṭla‘ as-sā‘a sab‘a.
I leave at seven o’clock.

🗨️ Conversation 3: Going to Work

👤 A:
وَيْن تِشْتَغِل؟
wēn tishtaghil?
Where do you work?

👤 B:
أَشْتَغِل فِي الشَّرِكَة.
ashtaghil fī ash-sharika.
I work at the company.

🗨️ Conversation 4: Breakfast Time

👤 A:
شْفَطَرْت؟
shfaṭart?
What did you eat for breakfast?

👤 B:
فَطَرْت خُبْز وَبَيْض.
faṭart khubz w bayḍ.
I had bread and eggs.

🗨️ Conversation 5: Going to School

👤 A:
وَلَدَك يِرُوح الْمَدْرَسَة؟
waladak yerūḥ il-madrasa?
Does your son go to school?

👤 B:
إِيْه، يِرُوح السَّاعَة سِتَّة.
ēh, yerūḥ as-sā‘a sitta.
Yes, he goes at six o’clock.

🗨️ Conversation 6: Lunchtime

👤 A:
مَتَى تِتْغَدَّى؟
matā titghadda?
When do you have lunch?

👤 B:
أتْغَدَّى السَّاعَة وَاحِدَة.
atghadda as-sā‘a wāḥida.
I have lunch at one o’clock.

🗨️ Conversation 7: Napping

👤 A:
تِرْقُد بَعْد الغَدَا؟
tirgud ba‘d il-ghadā?
Do you nap after lunch?

👤 B:
إِيْه، أَخُوذ لِي غَفْوَة.
ēh, akhūdh lī ghafwa.
Yes, I take a nap.

🗨️ Conversation 8: Exercising

👤 A:
تِسَوِّي رِيَاضَة كُل يَوْم؟
tisawwī riyāḍa kull yawm?
Do you exercise every day?

👤 B:
إِيْه، أِمْشِي نُص سَاعَة.
ēh, imshī nuṣ sā‘a.
Yes, I walk for half an hour.

🗨️ Conversation 9: Watching TV

👤 A:
شْتِسَوِّي بَعْد العَشَا؟
shtisawwī ba‘d il-‘ashā?
What do you do after dinner?

👤 B:
أَتْفَرَّج عَالتِّلْفِزْيُون.
atfarraj ‘al-tilfizyūn.
I watch TV.

🗨️ Conversation 10: Sleeping

👤 A:
مَتَى تِرْقُد؟
matā tirgud?
When do you sleep?

👤 B:
أَرْقُد السَّاعَة تِسْعَة.
argud as-sā‘a tis‘a.
I sleep at nine o’clock.

Grammar Note: Past Tense in Spoken Arabic

In Gulf Arabic, past tense verbs are used frequently to describe routines that already happened today. These verbs often start with prefixes like:

• “ṣaḥayt” (I woke up)
• “faṭart” (I ate breakfast)
• “ruḥt” (I went)

Pattern Tip:
Most I-form past verbs end in -t
e.g.,

• رحت (ruḥt) – I went
• ذاكرت (dhākart) – I studied
• لعبت (laʿibt) – I played

Cultural Tip: The Gulf Workday 🕋

In Gulf countries, the day starts early, especially for those working government jobs. People often wake up before sunrise, and many offices finish by 2–3 PM. This means:

• Breakfast is early (before 7 AM)
• Lunch is often the main meal of the day
• Evening naps (قيلولة – qaylūla) are common!

Knowing this helps you align your Arabic learning with real-life context.

Practice Worksheet (Try These at Home!)

Translate and practice saying the following in Gulf Arabic:

1. I wake up at 6:30.
2. I go to school at 7:30.
3. I take a shower and eat breakfast.
4. I watch TV in the evening.
5. I sleep at 10 PM.

✅ Challenge: Create your own “My Daily Routine” paragraph in Arabic and share it with your tutor or classmates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

📢 Final Thoughts & Call to Action

Learning to talk about your daily routine in Arabic is more than just memorizing verbs—it’s about building real, meaningful conversations. With Gulf Arabic, you sound natural, relatable, and regionally aware.

🎯 Next Step?
👉 Grab our Arabic Spoken Course eBook .
👉 Join our Live Arabic Classes and speak confidently in just weeks.
👉 Share your Arabic routine in the comments or tag us on social media!

Your journey to fluency starts with the daily things—so let’s talk about your day… in Arabic. 😄