Morning routines vary, but waking up, getting ready, having breakfast, and leaving home are common parts of the start of the day.
In French, many morning activities use reflexive verbs such as se réveiller, se lever, and s'habiller.
Waking up and getting out of bed
French distinguishes between waking up and getting out of bed. Se réveiller means to wake up, while se lever means to get up:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| se réveiller | to wake up |
| se lever | to get up |
| rester au lit | to stay in bed |
| sortir du lit | to get out of bed |
Sortir du lit refers specifically to physically getting out of bed.
You can add a time or another detail to describe the beginning of your morning:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je me réveille à sept heures. | I wake up at seven o'clock. |
| Je me lève à sept heures et quart. | I get up at seven fifteen. |
| Le week-end, je reste au lit plus longtemps. | On weekends, I stay in bed longer. |
For washing, grooming, brushing your teeth, and getting dressed, see Hygiene and personal care.
Having breakfast
Use prendre with le petit-déjeuner to talk about having breakfast:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je prends le petit-déjeuner. | I have breakfast. |
| Je prends un café. | I have a coffee. |
| Je bois du thé. | I drink tea. |
| Je mange des céréales. | I eat cereal. |
| Je mange du pain avec de la confiture. | I eat bread with jam. |
You can add a time or place to give more detail:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je prends le petit-déjeuner à sept heures et demie. | I have breakfast at seven thirty. |
| Je prends un café à la maison. | I have a coffee at home. |
| Je mange avant de partir. | I eat before leaving. |
Prendre is also commonly used with drinks, as in prendre un café. For specific foods, you can use manger, and for drinks you can also use boire.
Getting ready to leave
Before leaving home, you may need to pack your bag, get your things, or put on your shoes or coat:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| préparer son sac | to prepare / pack one's bag |
| prendre ses affaires | to get one's things |
| mettre ses chaussures | to put on one's shoes |
| mettre son manteau | to put on one's coat |
| quitter la maison | to leave the house |
| partir | to leave |
| aller au travail | to go to work |
| aller à l'école | to go to school |
Quitter la maison specifically means leaving the house. Partir can be used more generally for leaving or setting off:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je prépare mon sac. | I pack my bag. |
| Je mets mes chaussures. | I put on my shoes. |
| Je quitte la maison à huit heures. | I leave the house at eight o'clock. |
| Je pars à huit heures. | I leave at eight o'clock. |
| Je vais au travail en bus. | I go to work by bus. |
With aller, you can also say where you are going, such as aller au travail or aller à l'école, and add how you travel if it is useful.
From learning to practice
Tomorrow morning, try to recall the French expression for each part of your routine as you do it. Start when you wake up and continue as you get out of bed, get ready, have breakfast, and leave home.