Talking about household chores in English

Household chores are tasks that we do to keep our home tidy, clean and running smoothly. In this English vocabulary lesson, we will learn the names of common household chores in English using pictures. After this lesson, you will be able to talk about them with your friends or colleagues. Also, do not forget to test how much you have learned by answering our English exercises on the next page.

List of common household chores

 

In the next lesson, we will learn how to use these vocabularies in sentences.

How to talk about your domestic tasks?

Tallking about your daily task at home

Vocabulary	Sentence
Sweep	I usually sweep my living room before going to school.
Mop	Can you mop the spilled milk on the floor?
Vacuum	I vacuum the carpets every Saturday to keep the amount of dust low.
Mow	During summer, I mow the lawn every two weeks.
Dust	I dust the furniture regularly to avoid allergies.
Iron	I always iron my clothes to look tidy.
Make the bed	I start my day positively by making the bed every morning.
Wash dishes	After meals, we wash dishes to keep the kitchen tidy.
Cook	On weekends, I love to cook special meals for my family.
Scrub	Once a month, I scrub the bathroom tiles to maintain their shine.
Clean windows	I clean the windows regularly to have a clearer view and get more sunlight.
Set the table	Can you set the table before the guests arrive?
Clear the table	It’s everyone’s responsibility in our house to clear the table after meals.
Water plants	We use recycled water to water plants.
Dry dishes	Once washed, I like to dry dishes immediately to prevent water spots.
Clean the pool	Regularly cleaning the pool ensures it’s safe for swimming.
Water the garden	My sister was watering the garden when a snake suddenly showed up.
Do the laundry	I do the laundry every Wednesday and Sunday.
Take out rubbish	We take out the rubbish every day.
Rake leaves	When autumn comes, we rake leaves to keep our yard tidy.
Hang clothes	I prefer to hang clothes outside on a sunny day to give them a fresh scent.
Feed pets	Feeding pets at the same time every day helps maintain their routine.
Fold laundry	I often watch a movie while folding the laundry.

 

What chores do you enjoy? Which ones don’t you like? Do you have any special ways to save water? What do you do to make chores fun? Learn to talk about likes and dislikes while discussing these with your partners. Notice that we have used the present simple tense when we talked about routines and habits.

Things we do in the kitchen such as cooking (slicing cucumbers, chopping onions etc.) are part of household chores. While discussing with your partners about your favourite or most hated household chores, try to also include the words you have learned in our previous English vocabulary lesson on vegetables and kitchen utensils. Here are some examples that you can use: