Pratique du Shadowing: Talk About Your Day in English 🗣️ | Daily Routine Conversation (B1–B2) | English Podcast - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo
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Hello everyone and welcome back to Mr. English Channel, where learning English is easy and fun.
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I'm Emily.
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Hey Emily!
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It is so great to be here today.
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I am really happy to talk to our amazing listeners again.
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I know.
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I always look forward to our recording days.
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How is your week going so far?
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It is going really well, thanks for asking.
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Actually, I had a very busy morning today.
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Oh, really?
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Tell me about it, because my morning was super quiet and relaxed.
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Well, my alarm didn't go off at 6 a.m like usual, so I woke up late and had to run around the house.
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Oh no, that is the worst feeling.
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Did you miss your morning coffee?
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No way.
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I never miss my coffee, Emily.
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I just made it really fast and drank it while putting on my shoes.
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That sounds so stressful, but it is actually a perfect example for our topic today.
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We're talking about how to describe your day in English.
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You are so right.
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It is something we do every single day with our friends.
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But how do we start?
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Usually, it's best to start from the very beginning.
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You can use simple words like first or in the morning.
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Right, like when I said I woke up late.
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A good sentence is just, first, I woke up at 7 instead of 6.
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Exactly.
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That's simple and clear.
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And then you can use transition words like then or after that to move to the next activity.
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Mm-hmm.
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Those words are like glue for your sentences.
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So I could say, then I made some quick coffee and left the house.
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Perfect.
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See, you're already teaching the lesson through your stressful morning.
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Hey, I try my best.
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But what about a normal day when things actually go right?
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On a normal day, you might say, first I wake up and stretch.
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After that, I make a healthy breakfast.
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That sounds much nicer than my morning.
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What do you usually have for breakfast, Emily?
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I usually have some oatmeal with fruit and a warm cup of green tea.
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It helps me feel ready for the day.
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Wow, that is very healthy.
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I usually just have toast with butter.
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But hey, it is fast and easy.
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Toast is great too.
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The important thing for our listeners is the structure.
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We use the present tense when we talk about our daily routine in general.
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Ah, that is an important detail.
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So, if it happens every day, I use I wake up, not I woke up.
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Exactly.
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Use the present tense for your regular routine and use the past tense if you are talking about just today or yesterday.
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That makes total sense.
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So, every day I drink coffee, but yesterday I drank tea.
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Yes, you got it.
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It's a very simple rule, but it changes the meaning completely.
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So after breakfast, what is the next step in a standard day?
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Usually people go to work or school, right?
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Right.
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And a great phrase to use here is get ready.
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For example, I get ready for work at 8 o'clock.
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Oh, I love that phrase.
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Get ready can mean brushing your teeth, getting dressed, or packing your bag.
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Exactly.
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It includes everything.
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It saves you from saying 10 small actions in a row. That is true.
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Nobody wants to hear a long list of every time you brushed your teeth.
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Right.
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We want to keep the conversation moving naturally.
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So after you get ready, how do you talk about traveling to work?
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Well, you can say, I commute to work, or just simply, I go to work by car or I take the bus.
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Simple is always better.
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I take the train or I drive to work are excellent options for intermediate learners. For sure.
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Personally, I drive to work and the traffic is usually a bit heavy in the morning.
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Traffic can be so annoying.
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Do you listen to anything in the car to pass the time?
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Oh, always.
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I listen to podcasts or upbeat music to keep me awake and happy.
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That is a great habit.
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Maybe some of our listeners are listening to us right now during their morning commute.
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I hope so.
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If you are driving right now, keep your eyes on the road, but enjoy the lesson.
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Yes, safety first.
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So once you arrive at your office or school, what do you say next?
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You can say, I arrive at work at 9 a.m.
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Or, more casually, I get to work around 9.
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Get to is very common in American English.
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I get to school, I get to the office, I get to the gym.
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It really is.
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I use get to all the time without even thinking about it.
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It just sounds so natural.
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It does.
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And then during the day, you probably take a short break or eat lunch with your friends.
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Oh, lunch is my absolute favorite part of the workday.
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I usually have lunch at noon.
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I knew you would say that.
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Who do you usually eat lunch with when you are at the office?
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I usually eat with my co-workers at a small cafe near our building.
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We like to chat and relax.
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That sounds lovely.
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Notice how Paul said co-workers.
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That's a great word for the people you work with.
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Right.
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It is much better than saying, the other people at my job.
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It sounds more professional.
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Definitely.
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And what about the afternoon?
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How do you describe the hours after lunch?
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Well, the afternoon is usually when I focus on my big projects.
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I might say, in the afternoon, I finish my tasks.
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That is good.
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You can also talk about meetings.
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For example, I have a meeting with my manager at 2 p.m.
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Meetings can sometimes be long and boring, but they are a big part of the day for many people.
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They really are.
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But then the best moment arrives, the end of the workday.
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Yes, the moment everyone waits for.
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How do we say that we are leaving work, Emily?
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You can say, I finish work at 5 o'clock.
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Or you can use a fun phrasal verb like wrap up.
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Wrap up?
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Like wrapping a present?
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Regular words can be funny, right?
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But yes, to wrap up means to finish or complete something.
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Oh, I see.
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So I can say, I wrap up my work around 5 p.m and then I head home.
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Yes, head home is another fantastic, natural phrase.
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It just means to go in the direction of your house.
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I use head home every single day.
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It sounds much warmer than just saying, I go to my house.
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It really does.
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It feels like you are looking forward to relaxing after a long day.
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Speaking of a long day, this is a great moment to pause and talk to our amazing listeners.
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Oh yes, if you are enjoying this conversation and learning new phrases, please take a second to like this video.
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And don't forget to subscribe to Mr. English Channel.
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Share it with a friend who is also learning English.
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We love reading your stories, so today, leave a comment below telling us, what time do you usually wake up?
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Yes, tell us your morning time.
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I promise I won't judge you if you wake up late like I did today.
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Yes, we want to know.
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Now let's get back to the evening routine, Paul.
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So after we head home, what do most people do next?
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For me, the first thing is changing into comfortable clothes.
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Oh, absolutely.
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I take off my shoes and put on my favorite soft clothes immediately.
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It is a great feeling.
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Then, it is time for dinner.
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Some people love to cook and other people prefer to order food.
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Which one are you, Paul?
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Do you cook dinner or order delivery?
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Honestly, I like to cook when I have time.
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It helps me relax after a busy day.
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I cook simple things like pasta or chicken.
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That sounds delicious.
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I also prefer cooking at home.
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It feels healthier and more personal.
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What do you do after dinner to wind down before going to sleep?
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Oh, wind down is a beautiful phrase.
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It means to relax your body and mind before bed.
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Yes, it is like slowing down a machine.
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I usually watch a little bit of television or read a book.
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Me too.
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I like to read a chapter of a book with a small cup of warm tea.
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helps me sleep better.
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I try to read, but sometimes I just fall asleep on the couch with the book on my face.
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That happens to the best of us, especially when we are very tired from work.
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Exactly.
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And then finally, the last step of the day is going to bed.
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You can say, I go to sleep at 10 p.m.
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Or you can say, I hit the sack.
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That is a very common American idiom for going to bed.
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Hit the sack?
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That sounds a little violent, Emily.
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Don't worry, it doesn't hurt.
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The sack just means the bed.
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It is just a fun way to say you are going to sleep.
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I like that.
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I am so tired, I am going to hit the sack.
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It sounds very fluent.
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It really does.
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So now we have a complete picture of a standard day from morning to night.
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We do.
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But what happens if someone asks you, how was your day?
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How do you answer that question in a general way?
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That is a great question.
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You don't always have to tell the whole story.
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You can give a short, general answer first.
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Right.
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Like if the day was good, you can say, it was great, it was pretty good, or I had a productive day.
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Yes.
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Productive is a wonderful intermediate word.
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It means you completed many tasks and did a lot of work.
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I love using that word.
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It makes me feel good about my time.
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What if the day was bad or difficult?
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If it was a tough day, you can say, It was exhausting.
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It was a long day.
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Or, it was pretty stressful.
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It was a long day is a very common phrase when people are just tired from working too much.
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Yes.
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And notice that we don't mean the day actually had more hours.
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It just felt long because we worked hard.
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Right.
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Time moves slowly when you were doing something difficult.
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Exactly.
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It feels like the clock stops moving completely.
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So, Emily, if a friend asks you about your day, Do you usually give a lot of details or just a quick summary?
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It depends on the friend, honestly.
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If it is a close friend like you, I share the small details.
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If it is a stranger, I just say, it was good, thanks.
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That is true.
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You don't want to tell the grocery store worker your whole morning story.
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No, definitely not.
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They just want to scan the food and move to the next person.
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A simple good thanks is perfect.
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So, it is all about context.
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For our intermediate learners, practicing these stories with someone can really help.
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Speaking of practicing, this is the perfect time for a quick shout-out to Mr. English AI.
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Oh, yes.
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Mr. English AI is our amazing smart assistant that helps you practice everything we talk about today.
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It is so cool.
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You can chat with it anytime you want, practice describing your day, and get instant feedback.
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Exactly.
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If you want to improve your speaking skills faster, you should really check it out.
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The link is right in the video description.
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Yes, it is a wonderful tool to build your confidence.
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I highly recommend it.
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Me too.
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I think practicing daily routines is one of the best ways to start using English naturally every single day.
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I agree completely.
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It uses words that apply directly to your real life, so you don't forget them.
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Let's think about some extra phrases that can make a description of a day sound even more interesting.
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What about weekends?
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Oh, weekends are different.
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On weekends, people love to sleep in.
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Sleep in?
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Does that mean sleeping inside the house?
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No. It means sleeping later than you normally do on a workday.
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For example, waking up at 9am instead of 6am.
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Oh, I love sleeping in on Saturdays.
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It's one of life's greatest pleasures.
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It truly is.
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Another great weekend phrase is stay up late.
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This means going to bed much later than usual.
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So, I stayed up late on Friday night watching movies and then I slept in on Saturday morning.
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Beautiful!
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You combined both phrases perfectly in one sentence.
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That sounds incredibly natural.
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Thanks!
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I am practicing my own English lessons here.
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You are doing great, Paul.
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Another Another good phrase for free time is hang out.
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Hang out just means to spend time relaxing with your friends or family without a specific plan.
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Yes.
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Like, on Sunday afternoon, I hung out with my family at the park.
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Perfect.
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Notice that the past tense of hang is hung.
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That is an irregular verb, so it's good to remember.
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Ah, good catch.
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out becomes hung out when we talk about yesterday or last weekend.
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Exactly.
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It's these small details that help intermediate students move up to the next level of fluency.
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It really helps to hear these words used in a real conversation instead of just reading them in a book.
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That is exactly why we make this podcast.
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We want to show how English lives in everyday moments.
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Well, I think we covered a lot of great vocabulary today, from early morning alarms to hitting the sack at night.
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We certainly did.
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I hope our listeners feel more comfortable sharing stories about their daily lives now.
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Me too!
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Remember to use those transition words like first, then, and after that to keep things organized and easy to follow.
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Well everyone, that brings us to the end of our episode today.
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Thank you so much for hanging out with us.
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Yes, thank you all!
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Please remember to like this video, subscribe to Mr. English Channel, and leave your comment about your morning routine.
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We love you guys and we will see you in the next episode.
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Bye-bye!
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Goodbye everyone!
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Have a wonderful day!
Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
Engaging with this video is a great way to improve your English speaking practice skills. The conversational format allows you to hear real-life examples of how native speakers discuss their daily routines, which is essential for developing your fluency. This practice enhances your ability to describe your own day, making your conversations feel more natural and engaging. Additionally, using tools like a shadowing app can complement your learning, as you can repeat phrases and work on your pronunciation, allowing the rhythm and intonation of the English language to sink in.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
In the video, several grammatical structures are clearly illustrated that can aid learners in describing their daily routines:
- Present simple tense: The speakers often use the present simple tense when discussing their routines. For example, they say “I wake up” or “I make breakfast.” This is key in English, as it conveys actions that happen regularly.
- Transition words: Words like first, then, and after that are essential for organizing thoughts and making sentences cohesive. They act like glue within your sentences, linking ideas smoothly.
- Descriptive phrases: Using adjectives adds depth to your descriptions. Phrases like “a busy morning” or “healthy breakfast” help paint a clearer picture and engage your listener.
Incorporating these structures into your own speech can significantly enhance your communication skills, especially when preparing for tests such as the IELTS speaking practice.
Common Pronunciation Traps
While the video demonstrates clear speech, certain words and phrases may pose challenges for English learners:
- “Alarm didn’t go off”: Pay special attention to the phrase’s rhythm. Practicing the entire phrase can help improve your fluidity in conversation.
- “Breakfast”: This word often trips up learners due to variable stress patterns. Make sure to emphasize the first syllable when practicing.
- “Toast with butter”: The “t” sound at the end of “toast” can sometimes be softened or dropped in casual speech, so practice enunciating clearly.
Listening carefully and repeating these phrases using the techniques shown in the video can greatly enhance your comprehension and pronunciation skills, helping you communicate more effectively in everyday situations.
Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?
Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.