Talk About Your Daily Routine | Real English Practice | Easy Conversation (A1–A2)

Hello everyone. Welcome to Daily English

Talk.

>> Hey there. We're delighted that you've

decided to join us today.

>> I'm Lily.

>> And I'm Tom. This channel is all about

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>> [music]

>> Today's topic is something everyone does

every single day.

>> That's right. We're talking about daily

routines. How to describe your day from

morning to night in simple English.

>> So, Lily, how are you feeling today?

>> I'm great, thanks. Actually, I'm feeling

really energetic today.

>> Oh, yeah. That's good. I'm a bit tired,

to be honest.

>> Tired? Why? Did something happen? Well,

I stayed up a little late last night. I

was reading a book and I couldn't stop.

>> Oh no. What book was it?

>> A mystery novel. It was so interesting.

But then this morning, my alarm went off

and I thought, "Oh no, why did I stay up

so late?"

>> I know exactly what you mean. So, what

time did you wake up today?

>> I woke up at 6:45. I usually wake up at

6:30, so not too bad.

>> 6:30? That's pretty early. I usually

wake up at 7. Yeah, I like to start

early. It gives me more time in the

morning. What about you? Do you like

mornings?

>> H, not really. I'm not a morning person,

but I'm trying to be.

>> Okay, so let's talk about our morning

routines. Let's start from the very

beginning when we wake up.

>> Good idea.

So, my alarm rings at 7:00 and I always,

always hit the snooze button.

>> Always.

>> Always. I need those extra 10 minutes.

It's like a small gift to myself. Do you

hit snooze?

>> Never. I'm terrible at that. If I hit

snooze, I will fall asleep again and

wake up 1 hour later.

>> Really? You have no self-control?

>> Not in the morning. So, when my alarm

rings, I sit up immediately. I open my

eyes. I stretch my arms like this. And

then I get out of bed.

>> Wow, that's impressive. After my snooze,

I finally open my eyes. Then I just lie

there for one more minute. I think about

my day. What do I have to do today? Do I

have any meetings?

>> Oh, interesting. I don't think in bed.

My brain doesn't work yet.

>> Then what's the first thing you do when

you get out of bed?

>> The very first thing I open my curtains.

I need to see sunlight. It helps me wake

up. What about you?

>> The first thing I do is check my phone.

I know. I know. It's not a good habit.

>> Everyone does that. What do you check?

>> Messages from friends, the time, the

weather forecast. I want to know, is it

cold today? Is it raining? Should I wear

a jacket?

>> That's smart. I check my phone, too. But

after I open the curtains, I look at my

calendar. I check if I have any

important meetings today.

>> And then

>> then I make my bed. Every single day.

>> Every day. Even on Sundays.

>> Every day. It makes me feel organized.

It's like my room says, "Good morning,

Tom. Today is a new day."

>> That's so disciplined. I make my bed,

too, but only on weekdays. On the

weekend, I'm lazy. The bed stays messy.

>> After making the bed, I go straight to

the bathroom. That's my second stop of

the day.

>> Me, too. The bathroom is so important.

My whole morning routine happens there.

>> Okay. So, what do you do first in the

bathroom?

>> First, I brush my teeth. I brush for 2

minutes, nice and slow. Then I wash my

face with warm water and some face wash.

>> Warm water, not cold.

>> Warm. Cold water in the morning. No,

thank you. I want to feel comfortable,

not shocked.

>> See, I'm the opposite. I wash my face

with very cold water. It wakes me up.

Splash, splash, splash, and then

suddenly I'm awake.

>> You're brave. After I wash my face, I

brush my hair. I have long hair, so it

takes a few minutes.

>> I have short hair, so 1 minute. Very

easy. Then I brush my teeth. I use an

electric toothbrush.

>> Oh, fancy. Does it work better?

>> I think so. It has a timer. It tells me

when 2 minutes are finished.

>> That's helpful. Do you take a shower in

the morning or at night?

>> Definitely in the morning. A hot shower

is the best way to start my day. I take

a 10-minute shower. I wash my hair, wash

my body, and I just stand under the

water and think.

>> I'm the same. Morning showers are the

best, but I take a quick shower, only 5

or 6 minutes. I try to save water.

>> That's good. My girlfriend always tells

me, "Tom, your showers are too long."

>> She's right.

>> After my shower, I dry off and get

dressed, but I have a small problem

every morning.

>> What problem? I stand in front of my

closet and think, "What should I wear

today?" It takes me so long to decide.

>> Oh, I used to have that problem, too.

But now I have a solution. I choose my

clothes the night before. I put them on

a chair in my bedroom. So, in the

morning, I just put them on. No

thinking.

>> That's genius. I should do that. So, you

never think about clothes in the

morning?

>> Never. It makes my morning so easy and

fast.

>> Okay. After getting dressed, I go to the

kitchen and I'm always very hungry.

>> Me, too. Breakfast is so important for

me. I always eat breakfast. Always.

>> What do you usually eat?

>> I usually eat toast with butter and jam.

Sometimes I have yogurt with fruit and I

always drink orange juice. What about

you?

>> I'm a cereal person. I eat cereal with

milk almost every day. And I drink

coffee. Lots of coffee.

>> How many cups? Two cups in the morning.

I can't function without coffee. My

brain needs it.

>> Two cups. Wow. I don't drink coffee. I

prefer tea. Green tea or English

breakfast tea.

>> Tea is nice, but not strong enough for

me. While I drink my coffee, I usually

read the news on my phone or watch a

short video.

>> I do the same. I watch videos while I

eat. It makes breakfast more

interesting.

>> After breakfast, I need to get ready to

leave. I have to go to the office.

Right. And I work from home, so my

morning is a little different.

>> Lucky you. No commute. So, what time do

you leave your house?

>> I don't leave. I just walk from my

kitchen to my desk in my bedroom. My

commute is about 10 seconds.

>> That must be so nice. My commute is 40

minutes.

>> 40 minutes? How do you get to work?

>> I take the subway. I leave my house at

8:15 every morning. I walk to the subway

station. It takes about 7 minutes. Then

I take the subway for 25 minutes. Then I

walk from the station to my office.

Another 8 minutes.

>> That's a long journey. What do you do on

the subway?

>> Usually I listen to podcasts, English

learning podcasts actually. Sometimes I

listen to music or I just look at people

and think.

>> That sounds peaceful. Do you ever read?

I try to read, but the subway is too

crowded. There's no space. Everyone is

standing very close together.

>> Oh, that sounds uncomfortable.

>> It is, but I'm used to it now. What

about you? What time do you start work?

>> I start at 9:00. But before I start, I

have my own little routine. I make a cup

of tea. I sit at my desk. And I write my

to-do list for the day.

>> A to-do list? That's organized. I should

do that. So, you arrive at your office

at what time?

>> I usually arrive at 8:55,

just in time. Then I go to my desk, I

turn on my computer, and I check my

emails

>> right away. Emails first.

>> Always emails first. I want to see if

anything urgent happened. Then I check

my calendar. What meetings do I have

today?

>> I do the same thing. Emails and

calendar. It helps me prepare mentally

for the day.

Exactly. Then at 9:30, I have a coffee

break with my colleagues. We go to the

coffee machine together and chat for 10

minutes.

>> That sounds nice. Social time. I work

alone at home, so I don't have that. I

just drink my tea at my desk.

>> Do you miss having colleagues around

>> sometimes? Yes. But I like the quiet. I

can focus better. What do you do after

your coffee break?

>> Then the real work starts. I work on my

projects. I'm a graphic designer, so I

spend a lot of time on my computer. I

design logos, posters, social media

posts.

>> That sounds creative. Do you take breaks

during the morning?

>> I try to take a break every hour. I

stand up. I walk around the office. I

look out the window. It helps my eyes

and my back.

>> That's a good habit. I forget to take

breaks sometimes. I work for 2 hours

straight and then I realize, oh, I

didn't move at all. You should set a

timer. What kind of work do you do?

>> I'm a writer. I write articles for

websites. So, I spend all day typing on

my keyboard.

>> Do you like it?

>> I love it. But sometimes it's hard to

find ideas. That's the difficult part.

>> Okay. So, now we're at lunchtime. What

time do you usually eat lunch?

>> I eat at 12:30. Pretty standard, I

think. What about you?

>> Me, too. 12:30. We're the same. Where do

you eat lunch? I eat at home at my

kitchen table. I usually make something

simple like a sandwich or a salad. What

about you?

>> I have three options. Sometimes I bring

lunch from home. I prepare it the night

before and put it in a container.

Sometimes I buy lunch from a restaurant

near the office. And sometimes I eat in

the office cafeteria.

>> Oh, you have a cafeteria. What kind of

food do they have?

>> Different things every day. Monday is

usually chicken and rice. Tuesday is

pasta. Friday is fish. It's okay. Not

amazing, but not bad.

>> That's convenient. Do you eat alone or

with colleagues?

>> I usually eat with my colleague Daniel.

We sit together and talk about work or

sports or movies. It's a nice break from

work.

>> That sounds fun. I eat alone most days.

Sometimes I call my mom on the phone

while I eat.

>> That's sweet. After lunch, what do you

do? I always take a 15-minute break. I

don't work immediately after eating. I

sit on my sofa. I close my eyes and I

relax. Sometimes I almost fall asleep.

>> A power nap. I wish I could do that.

After lunch, I go back to my desk and I

always feel a little sleepy, so I make

another coffee.

>> Coffee again? That's your third cup.

>> I know. I know. I drink too much coffee.

>> So, what does your afternoon look like?

The afternoon is usually for meetings. I

have a lot of meetings with clients or

with my team. Zoom calls, phone calls,

in-person meetings.

>> How many meetings do you have per day?

>> Usually two or three. Each meeting is

about 30 minutes or 1 hour.

>> That's a lot. I don't have many

meetings. Maybe one per week. I like

working independently.

>> I understand that meetings can be

tiring, but sometimes they're necessary.

After my meetings, I finish my design

projects. I send files to clients. I

answer more emails.

>> And what time do you finish work?

>> Officially, I finish at 5:30. But

sometimes, if I have a lot of work, I

stay until 6 or even 6:30.

>> Do you get paid extra for that?

>> No, that's just part of the job. What

about you?

>> I also finish at 5:30, but I'm more

strict about it. At 5:30, I close my

laptop. I stop working. I don't check

emails after that.

>> That's a good boundary. I should do

that, too. [clears throat] Okay,

everyone. Let's stop here for a moment.

We've been talking a lot about our daily

routines,

>> and we've used some really useful

vocabulary words. Let's explain a few of

them. Now,

>> these are important words that you can

use when you talk about your own daily

routine in English.

>> Let's look at four key words. Ready?

>> Ready? Mm- The first word is routine. R

O U T I N E. Routine.

>> A routine is a sequence of actions that

you do regularly in the same order. It's

your pattern for the day.

>> For example, my morning routine is wake

up, hit snooze, check my phone, take a

shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and

start work.

>> Good example. You can have a morning

routine, an evening routine, a bedtime

routine, a workout routine.

>> Can you give us an example, Tom?

>> Sure. My evening routine is leave work,

take the subway home, change my clothes,

cook dinner, watch TV, brush my teeth,

and go to bed.

>> Perfect. So remember, a routine is a

regular pattern of activities.

>> The next word is habit. H A B I T habit.

>> A habit is one single action that you do

regularly, often without thinking about

it. It's something you do automatically.

>> For example, I have a habit of drinking

coffee every morning. It's automatic. I

don't think about it. I just do it.

>> Right. I have a habit of checking my

phone first thing in the morning. It's a

habit. Some habits are good and some

habits are bad. Can you give us a good

habit and a bad habit?

>> Sure. A good habit is exercising every

day. A bad habit is eating too much

candy.

>> Great examples. Our third word is

schedule. S C H E D U L E. Schedule.

>> Your schedule is your plan for the day.

It's the specific times when you do

different activities.

>> For example, my work schedule is I start

at 9:00. I have lunch at 12:30 and I

finish at 5:30. That's my schedule.

>> You can also say, "What's your schedule

today?" Or, "My schedule is very busy

this week."

>> And our last word for today is commute.

C O M M U T E. Commute.

>> A commute is your regular journey from

home to work or school and back again.

>> My commute is 40 minutes by subway. Lily

doesn't have a commute because she works

from home.

>> Lucky me. You can say, "I have a long

commute." Or, "I have a short commute."

You can also use it as a verb. I commute

to work by bus.

>> So, let's review. Routine, habit,

schedule, and commute. Four very useful

words for talking about your day.

>> Try to use these words this week when

you talk about your daily routine. It's

great practice.

>> All right, let's continue with our day.

We've finished work. Now it's evening

time.

>> Evening is my favorite part of the day.

It's time to relax.

>> Me, too. So, Lily, when you finish work

at 5:30, what's the first thing you do?

>> The very first thing I do is change my

clothes. I take off my work clothes and

I put on something comfortable.

Sweatpants and a t-shirt or a cozy

sweater.

I do the same. As soon as I get home, I

change into comfortable clothes. Work

clothes off, home clothes on.

>> It's like a signal to your brain. Work

time is over. Relax time is starting.

>> Exactly. After I change, I usually sit

on my sofa for 10 minutes. I just

breathe and relax. Sometimes I close my

eyes.

>> That's nice. After I change, I decide

what to do for dinner. Do I want to cook

or am I too tired? And when you're too

tired.

>> When I'm too tired, I order food online.

Pizza, Thai food, sushi. It's so easy.

>> I love ordering food, too. But I try to

cook at home most days. It's healthier

and cheaper.

>> What do you usually cook?

>> Simple things. Pasta with vegetables,

chicken with rice, stir fry. Nothing

fancy, but it's good.

>> How long does it take you to cook? about

30 minutes. While I cook, I listen to

music or a podcast. It makes cooking

more fun.

>> That's a good idea. What time do you eat

dinner?

>> I eat around 7 or 7:30. What about you?

>> Usually 7:00. I don't like eating late.

It's not good for my stomach.

>> After dinner, what do you do with your

evening?

>> After dinner, I clean the dishes. I hate

leaving dirty dishes in the sink, so I

wash them right away.

>> Same here. Clean kitchen, happy mind.

>> Exactly. Then I have my free time. This

is my relaxation time. Sometimes I watch

a TV show. Sometimes I read a book.

Sometimes I call my friends or family.

>> What kind of shows do you like?

>> I like comedy shows and dramas. Nothing

too stressful. I want to laugh and

relax, not think too much. What about

you? What do you do in the evening?

>> I usually watch one or two episodes of a

series. Right now I'm watching a

detective series. It's so interesting.

>> Is that the book you were reading? The

mystery novel?

>> No, no, different story. But I love

mysteries. After I watch TV, I sometimes

play video games for 30 minutes.

>> Oh, what games?

>> Puzzle games mostly. Games that make me

think, but also relax me.

>> That sounds fun. I don't play video

games. Instead, I sometimes do yoga or

stretching before bed. It helps me sleep

better.

>> That's healthy. I should try that. How

long do you do yoga?

>> Just 15 or 20 minutes. Nothing intense,

just gentle stretching.

>> I might try that. I think it would help

with my back pain from sitting all day.

>> Okay, now we're at the end of the day.

Bedtime.

>> What time do you usually go to bed, Tom?

>> I try to go to bed at 11:00, but

sometimes it's 11:30 or midnight. I'm

terrible at going to bed on time.

Me, too. I always say, "Okay, I'll go to

bed at 10:30 tonight." But then it's

suddenly 11:30 and I'm still awake.

>> What do you do before bed?

>> My bedtime routine is pretty simple.

First, I brush my teeth. Then, I wash my

face and put on some lotion. Then, I put

on my pajamas.

>> Do you take a shower at night?

>> No, I take my shower in the morning,

remember? But some people prefer

nighttime showers,

>> right? I take a quick shower at night,

just 5 minutes. It helps me feel clean

and fresh before bed.

>> After I'm in my pajamas, I get into bed

and I read. I read for at least 20

minutes before I turn off the light.

>> What are you reading now?

>> A self-help book about productivity.

It's quite interesting. What about you?

Do you read before bed?

>> Not usually. I scroll on my phone for a

few minutes. I check social media. I

look at some memes. And then I put my

phone on my nightstand.

>> Do you set an alarm for the next

morning?

>> Yes, always. I set my alarm for 6:30.

And you?

>> I set mine for 7:00 and then I close my

eyes and try to fall asleep.

>> How long does it take you to fall

asleep?

>> Usually about 10 or 15 minutes. I'm a

pretty fast sleeper. What about you?

>> Me, too. I'm asleep in about 10 minutes.

My head hits the pillow and boom, I'm

gone.

>> Wow, Tom, we just talked through an

entire day from waking up to falling

asleep.

>> We really did. I hope everyone learned

some new phrases and feels more

confident talking about their own daily

routines.

>> Let's do a quick summary. Today, we

talked about how to describe your daily

routine in English. We covered morning

routines, work time, evening activities,

and bedtime habits.

>> And we learned four important vocabulary

words: routine, habit, schedule, and

commute.

>> Now, it's your turn to practice. We have

a question for you today.

>> Today's question is, what time do you

usually wake up and what's the first

thing you do in the morning?

>> Please write your answer in the comments

below. We read every single comment, and

we love hearing from you. Don't worry if

you make mistakes. Just try your best.

For example, you can write, "I usually

wake up at 7. The first thing I do is

drink water."

>> Perfect. That's great practice. And if

you want, you can tell us about your

whole morning routine. We'd love to read

about it.

>> Before we go, please remember to like

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We post new videos every week with real

English conversations. [music]

>> Learning English is about practicing

every day, just like your daily routine.

>> Thank you so much [music] for learning

with us today.

>> We'll see you in the next video. Take

care, everyone.

>> Bye. Goodbye.