Daily Routines in English: Learn to Talk About Your Day Confidently

[0:00]hello everyone and welcome back to English Easy Talk. The podcast where learning English feels like talking to a friend. I'm Marcus. And I'm Chris. Hey Marcus, how's it going today? I'm doing fantastic, Chris. I just had my morning workout and I'm full of energy. How about you? I'm great. I had my coffee so now I'm ready for anything. Coffee first, then everything else, right? Exactly, you get me. So, Marcus, what's our topic today? Today, we're talking about daily routines. How to talk about your day in English? Oh, this is such a useful topic. Everyone has a routine, so everyone can use this. That's right. And before we start, everyone listening please hit that subscribe button. Yes, and give us a thumbs up if you're enjoying the podcast. It really helps us reach more English learners like you. And please share this episode with your friends who are learning English. We're all in this together. Absolutely. Okay, Marcus. I'm ready. Let's talk about routines. Let's do it. So Chris, let me ask you first, what time do you usually wake up? Oh, well, I usually wake up at 8:00 a.m. but honestly I'm not a morning person. 8:00 a.m. that's actually pretty good. I wake up at 5:30 a.m. every day 5:30. 5:30? Wow, Marcus, that's so early. Why so early? I'm a personal trainer, so I have clients early in the morning. Plus, I love the quiet time. The world is still sleeping. I can respect that, but I could never do it. So what do you do after you wake up? First thing I drink a big glass of water. It's very important to hydrate after sleeping. That's a good habit. I should do that too. You should. Then I brush my teeth, wash my face and get dressed in my workout clothes. Workout clothes right away? You really are committed. Always. Then I make a protein shake for breakfast. Quick and healthy. A protein shake for breakfast. Very fitness lifestyle. It works for me. What about you Grace? What's your morning routine? Well, after I wake up at 8, I stay in bed for about 10 minutes. I check my phone, read some messages. Uh, slow start to the day. Exactly. Then I get up, brush my teeth and take a shower, a long hot shower. How long is long? Maybe 20 minutes. It helps me wake up and think about my day. 20 minutes? I take a five minute shower. We are very different people, Marcus. We really are. What do you eat for breakfast? Oh, breakfast is my favorite meal. I make scrambled eggs with toast and a big cup of coffee. That sounds delicious. And the coffee is important. Very important. I can't start my day without coffee. Do you drink coffee? I do, but just one cup after my morning workout. See, I need it before I can do anything productive. Everyone is different, and that's okay. So after breakfast, what do you do? I get dressed, usually something comfortable because I work from home. Then I go to my desk and start working. Working from home, that's convenient. What time do you start work? Usually around 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. I'm a graphic designer, so I have flexible hours. That's really nice. I start work at 6:00 a.m. with my first client. 6:00 a.m.? Your clients must be very motivated. They are. Some people like to exercise before work. It gives them energy for the day. I admire that. I could never exercise in the morning. So Chris, let's talk about the afternoon. What does your afternoon look like? My afternoons are pretty busy. I usually work until about 1 p.m. Then I take a lunch break. What do you eat for lunch? It depends. Sometimes I make a salad, sometimes a sandwich, sometimes I order food delivery. Food delivery is very convenient. It really is. What about you? When do you eat lunch? I usually eat lunch around 12:30 p.m. between training sessions. And what do you eat? I usually eat chicken with rice and vegetables, or fish with a salad. I try to eat clean and healthy. Always the healthy option. Very disciplined. It's part of my job. I need to practice what I preach. That makes sense. So after lunch, do you train more clients? Yes, I have afternoon clients from 2 p.m. until about 5 p.m. Those are usually people who work from home or have flexible schedules. Busy afternoon. What about you, Chris, after lunch? I go back to work. I usually work on my design projects until about 4 or 5 p.m. Do you take breaks? Yes, I take short breaks, maybe I walk around my apartment, stretch a little, make another coffee. Another coffee? Hey, Don't judge me. Coffee is my fuel. No judgment here. Everyone has their thing. For me it's water. I drink a lot of water during the day. How much water? At least two liters, maybe more, especially on hot days. That's impressive. I probably don't drink enough water. You should try. It's really good for you. I'll try. Maybe after my third coffee. Baby steps, Chris, baby steps. Okay, so let's talk about the evening, Marcus. What do you do after work? After work, around 5:30 or 6 p.m., I go home and make dinner. You cook your own dinner? Always. I like to know what I'm eating. Usually something with protein and vegetables. And after dinner? After dinner, I relax a little. Maybe I watch TV for 30 minutes or read a book. Only 30 minutes of TV? Yeah, I don't watch too much TV. I prefer to read or listen to podcasts. What kind of books do you read? I like self-improvement books, fitness books, biographies. What about you? What's your evening routine? My evenings are more relaxed. I finish work around 5 p.m. then I make dinner, but I'm not as disciplined as you. What does that mean? Sometimes I order pizza or pasta. I like comfort food after a long day of work. Hey, nothing wrong with that. Everyone deserves to enjoy their food. Thank you. After dinner I like to watch TV shows or movies. I'm a big fan of series. What kind of series? Drama, mystery, sometimes comedy. I can watch TV for two or three hours easily. Wow, that's a lot, but if you enjoy it, that's what matters. Exactly. It helps me relax and disconnect from work. That's important. We all need to relax. Do you do anything else in the evening? Sometimes I call my family or friends. We video chat and catch up. That's nice. Staying connected with loved ones. Yes, especially because I work from home. Sometimes I don't see people all day. I understand. Social connection is important for mental health. Absolutely. What about you? Do you have evening social time? Sometimes. I go to the gym for my own workout around 7 p.m. I train other people all day, but I also need to train myself. You go to the gym in the evening too? You really love fitness. It's my passion, but not every day. Some evenings I just rest at home. That's good. Rest is important too. So, Chris, we talked about morning, afternoon, and evening. Now let's talk about bedtime. What time do you go to bed? Oh, I'm a night owl. I usually go to bed around midnight or even 1:00 a.m. Midnight? That's late. I go to bed at 9:30 p.m. 9:30, Marcus, that's so early. Remember, I wake up at 5:30 a.m. I need my eight hours of sleep. That's true. Eight hours is important, but I'm most creative at night. My brain works better after 9 p.m. Everyone has their own rhythm. I'm definitely a morning person. And I'm definitely a night person. What do you do before bed? I have a bedtime routine. First, I prepare my clothes and bag for the next day. You prepare everything the night before? Yes, it makes my morning easier and faster. Then I brush my teeth and wash my face. Same here. Skincare is important. Absolutely. Then I read a book for about 20 minutes. It helps me relax and fall asleep. Reading in bed, that's a good habit. I should do that more. It really helps. It really helps. What do you do before bed? Well, sometimes I work a little more if I have a deadline. I know, I know. It's not good. You're right, it's not ideal, but I understand. Sometimes work demands it. Exactly. But usually I watch one more episode of my series. Just one more episode, the famous last words. You know me too well. Then I brush my teeth, wash my face and check my phone one last time. Ah, the phone. That's not great for sleep, you know. I know, I know. I'm trying to stop that habit. Then I set my alarm for 8:00 a.m. and go to sleep. And that's your day complete. That's my day. Very different from yours. Very different, but both routines work for us. So, Marcus, we shared our routines. Now let's help our listeners talk about their own routines. Great idea. Let's give them some useful phrases, first for talking about time, right? Right. You can say I wake up at plus the time. For example, I wake up at 7 a.m. Or I usually wake up at if it's your normal time. The word usually is very useful. Yes. You can also say I always, I often, I sometimes, I rarely, or I never. These words show how often you do something. For example, I always drink coffee for breakfast. Or I never exercise in the morning. That's me. And that's okay. Now let's talk about connecting your activities. You can use then, after that, or next. Right. For example, I wake up, then I take a shower. After that, I have breakfast. Perfect example. You can also use before and after. Like before work, I go to the gym. Or after dinner I watch TV. These words help your story flow naturally. Exactly. Now, what about talking about duration? How long something takes? Good point. You can say for plus time. I work for 8 hours or I watch TV for 2 hours. And if you want to say when something happens, use at for specific times. Yes, at 8:00 a.m., at noon, at midnight. Very useful. Also, remember you can use in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, and at night. These are essential for talking about routines. What else should we mention? How about questions? If you want to ask someone about their routine, you can say, What time do you wake up? Or when do you eat breakfast? Or what do you do after work? These questions help you have conversations and learn about other people. And remember, listeners, you don't need to have a perfect routine. Everyone is different. That's right. Some people are morning people like me, some people are night people like Chris. Some people love routines and structure. Some people prefer flexibility. The important thing is to be able to talk about your routine in English. Exactly. Use simple sentences. Don't worry about being perfect. Just practice. The more you talk about your day, the easier it gets. Wow, Marcus, this was such a fun conversation. I learned a lot about your routine. Me too, Chris. I had no idea you were such a night owl. And I had no idea you woke up so early, but that's what makes conversations interesting. Absolutely. We're all different and that's beautiful. So to everyone listening, we hope this episode was helpful. We hope you learned some new vocabulary and phrases to talk about your daily routine. And remember, practice makes perfect, or as we say, practice makes progress. I like that, progress, not perfection. Now, before we finish, we have a special request for you. If you enjoyed this episode, please, please, please, subscribe to our channel and click the like button. It's a small action that makes a huge difference for us. Share this episode with your friends, your family, your study group, anyone learning English. And now the fun part. We want to hear from you. Yes, go to the comment section and tell us about your routine. You can write something simple like, I wake up at 7:00 a.m. or I drink coffee every morning. Or I'm a morning person or I'm a night owl like Chris. We will read all your comments. We love connecting with you. And who knows, maybe your routine will inspire our next episode. That would be awesome. So don't be shy. Write in the comments. Thank you all so much for listening today. Thank you. You are amazing. Keep practicing, keep learning, and keep believing in yourself. English is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy every step. We'll see you in the next episode. Until then, goodbye everyone. Goodbye. And remember, wake up early. Or sleep late. Just do what works for you. haha Okay, Chris wins that one. Bye everyone. Bye.