Shadowing Practice: How to Talk About Your Daily Routine in English | English Slow Podcast - Learn English Speaking with Video

Listen, speak, and welcome to Slow English Podcast.

Hi everyone, and I'm Jack.

I'm Emma.

We're so happy you're here.

Today, we are going to learn how to talk about your daily routine.

It's a very useful topic.

Please remember to like this video and subscribe to our channel for more English practice.

It really helps us.

Let's get started.

So, Emma, how are you today?

I'm great, thank you. And you?

I'm a little tired, but I'm okay.

Tired?

Why are you tired?

Well, this weekend I woke up very early on both days.

Oh no!

Why did you wake up so early on the weekend?

On Saturday I went for a long walk with my dog.

He likes the morning.

And on Sunday I cleaned my apartment.

It was a busy weekend.

My weekend was more relaxed.

I watched a movie and I met my friend for coffee.

So, talking about our weekends is a good start. But...

But let's talk about our normal day.

From morning to night.

Our daily routine.

Okay.

Good idea.

So, Jack, what time do you usually wake up?

I usually wake up at 7 o'clock.

I stay in bed for about 10 minutes.

I check the news on my phone.

It's a bad habit, I know.

I do the same thing.

I need a little time to wake up.

But after that, what do you do?

Then I get out of bed.

The first thing I do is make my bed.

Oh, you make your bed.

That's very organized.

Yes, it makes my room look nice.

After that, I go to the bathroom.

Me too.

The first thing in the bathroom is I brush my teeth.

Same.

I brush my teeth and then I wash my face with cold water.

Cold water, Burr.

That sounds cold.

It is cold, but it is good for waking up.

After that, I take a shower.

I take a shower every morning too, but I prefer a warm shower.

A hot shower, actually.

A hot shower sounds nice.

Maybe I will try that tomorrow.

After my shower, I get dressed.

What do you wear for work?

Do you wear a uniform?

No, I don't have a uniform.

I usually wear comfortable clothes.

I wear jeans and a t-shirt.

Sometimes I wear a nice shirt.

What about you?

I also wear jeans, but I often wear a blouse or a nice sweater.

I like to be comfortable, but also look professional.

After I get dressed, I am ready for breakfast.

I am always very hungry in the morning.

Ah, breakfast.

What do you usually have for breakfast?

I usually have a very simple breakfast.

I drink a big cup of coffee, and I eat two pieces of toast with butter.

Just toast?

That's all?

Sometimes I eat cereal with milk, or if I have time, I make eggs.

But usually it's just coffee and toast.

It's quick and easy.

I love breakfast.

I think it's the most important meal.

I usually eat yogurt with fruit or I make some scrambled eggs and I always drink tea.

You always drink tea?

Every morning?

Every single morning.

I don't like coffee.

I drink green tea.

So after breakfast, I wash my breakfast dishes.

Oh, that's good.

I also wash my cup and plate.

I don't like dirty dishes in the sink.

Me neither.

Then after breakfast, I leave my house.

I go to work.

How do you get to work?

I usually take the bus.

The bus stop is very near my house.

Just a two minute walk.

That's convenient.

How long is the bus ride?

The bus ride is about 20 minutes.

I listen to music on the bus.

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That's nice.

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I walk to work because my office is very close to my apartment.

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It takes me about 10 minutes.

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What time do you start work?

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I start work at nine o'clock.

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What about you?

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I also start at nine.

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So at work, what do you do first?

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What is the first thing you do at the shop?

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Well, first I open the door and turn on all the lights.

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Then I turn on the computer and the cash register.

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I make sure everything is ready for customers.

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Do you have many customers in the morning?

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Not so many.

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The morning is usually very quiet.

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So I often read a book for a little while, or I organize the books on the shelves.

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That sounds like a peaceful way to start the day.

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It is.

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I like the quiet morning.

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What about you?

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What is your morning at school like?

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Well, first I go to my classroom.

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I put my bag on my desk.

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Then I check my emails on my computer.

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I have many emails every morning.

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Oh, I understand.

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I get emails too, but not so many.

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After I check my emails, I prepare my lessons for the day.

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I write on the whiteboard.

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I get my books ready.

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I teach three classes in the morning, usually from 10 o'clock to 1 o'clock.

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Three classes?

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That sounds busy.

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Do you have a break between your classes?

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Yes, I have a short break at 11.30.

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It's only 15 minutes.

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What do you do in your break?

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I usually go to the teacher's lounge.

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I drink more tea and I talk with my colleagues.

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That sounds nice.

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I talk with my colleagues, too.

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But my shop is small.

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I have only two colleagues.

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Do you like your colleagues?

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Yes, they are very friendly.

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We have lunch together sometimes.

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What time do you have lunch?

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I have lunch at 1 o'clock after my morning class is finished.

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Oh, I have lunch at 1 o'clock too.

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It's the perfect time for lunch.

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What do you usually eat for lunch?

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I often bring lunch from home.

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I make a sandwich or I bring some rice and vegetables from dinner the night before.

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That's a good idea.

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It saves money.

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Yes, it is cheaper.

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But sometimes, maybe once a week, I go to a small cafe near the shop.

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I buy a soup or a hot sandwich.

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That sounds nice.

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I usually eat in the school cafeteria.

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The food is okay, and it is very cheap.

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I often have a salad or pasta.

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After lunch, I feel a little sleepy.

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Do you feel sleepy after lunch?

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Yes, sometimes.

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It's a problem.

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In the afternoon, I have two more classes.

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It is sometimes difficult to teach when I feel sleepy.

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What time do you finish work?

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I finish at 6 o'clock.

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Then I close the shop.

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I clean the floor, I turn off the lights and the computer, and then I lock the door.

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That sounds like a lot of work at the end of the day.

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It's not so bad.

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It takes about 15 minutes.

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What time do you finish work?

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I finish at 5 o'clock, so our workdays are similar in length.

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Yes, so the workday is finished.

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Now the evening begins.

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What do you do in the evening?

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Well, first I go home.

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When I get home, the first thing I do is change my clothes.

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Me too.

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It's the best feeling.

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I take off my jeans and I put on comfortable pants.

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Exactly.

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I put on comfortable pants and a big soft t-shirt.

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Then I feel like I am at home.

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Yes.

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It means work is finished and relax time begins.

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After I change clothes, I think about dinner.

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I am usually hungry.

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Do you cook dinner?

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Yes, I like to cook.

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It helps me relax.

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What do you like to cook for dinner?

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I'm not a great cook.

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I often make simple things.

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I make pasta with tomato sauce, or I cook chicken with rice and salad.

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Sometimes when I'm very tired, I order food from a restaurant.

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I also order food sometimes, maybe once a week.

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But I like to cook.

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I often make soup or fish with vegetables.

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I eat dinner around 7.30.

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I eat a little later, at 8 o'clock.

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After dinner, I wash the dishes.

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I wash the dishes too, right after I eat.

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I don't like a dirty kitchen.

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I need to clean everything.

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Same.

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I can't relax if the kitchen is messy.

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So, after dinner and dishes, it's time to relax.

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What do you do for fun in the evening?

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Well, it depends on the day.

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Sometimes I watch television.

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I like to watch nature documentaries.

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Oh, I like those too.

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The ones about animals?

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Yes, about the ocean or about forests.

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Sometimes I read a book for my book club.

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Or I call my family on the video call.

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That's nice.

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I usually watch a series on Netflix.

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I am watching a funny comedy series now.

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Or I play video games with my friends online.

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It helps me relax and talk with my friends.

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Do you ever exercise in the evening?

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That's a good question.

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Sometimes I go for a walk after dinner, but not always.

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I prefer to exercise in the morning, but I don't have time in the morning.

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I never exercise in the morning.

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I am too sleepy.

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I sometimes go to the gym in the evening, but only two times a week on Tuesday and Thursday.

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Oh, so you have a schedule for the gym?

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Yes, it helps me remember.

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Okay, the evening is finished.

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Now it's time for bed.

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What is your bedtime routine?

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What do you do before you sleep?

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My bedtime routine is simple.

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First, I brush my teeth again, then I wash my face.

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After that, I set my alarm for the next morning.

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And then I get into bed.

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What do you do in bed?

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Do you read?

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I usually look at my phone.

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I watch short videos.

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But I know it's not good for sleep.

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No, it's not.

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The light from the phone is bad.

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I like to read a book in bed for about 20 minutes.

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A real book, not a phone.

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It helps me sleep.

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That's a good idea.

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You are the second person to tell me that this week.

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Maybe I will try reading a book.

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What time do you usually go to sleep?

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I usually go to sleep at 11 o'clock.

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I need eight hours of sleep to feel good.

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Wow.

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Eight hours?

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That's great.

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I go to sleep at midnight, and I wake up at 7, so I get only seven hours.

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Seven hours is okay, too.

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But you said you were tired in the morning.

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Maybe you need more sleep.

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Maybe you are right.

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Maybe I need to go to sleep at 11, like you.

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You should try it.

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And then the next day, you wake up and do it all over again.

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Yes, the daily routine.

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It's the same, but a little different every day.

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For example, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go to the gym, so my evening is different.

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Exactly.

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On Wednesdays, I have my book club.

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On weekends, everything is different.

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I wake up later, I have a big breakfast.

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And I don't go to work.

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The weekend routine is the best routine.

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I think so, too.

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But the everyday routine is also good.

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It helps us feel organized.

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Yes, I agree.

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A good routine is important for a happy life.

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So let's think about what we did today.

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We practiced how to talk about our daily routine from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep.

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That's right.

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We started with the morning.

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We talked about waking up, getting out of bed, and making the bed.

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Yes, and then we talked about our morning routine in the bathroom, brushing teeth, washing faces, taking showers.

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And then we discussed getting dressed and having breakfast.

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We learned that you love coffee, Jack, and I love tea.

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That's an important difference.

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Then we moved on to going to work.

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We talked about how we get to work.

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I take the bus and you walk.

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We described our work days.

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You work in a bookshop and you open the shop, help customers and organize books.

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And you are a teacher.

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You prepare lessons, teach classes, check emails and talk with your colleagues.

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We must not forget lunch.

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We both eat lunch at around 1 o'clock, and we talked about what we like to eat.

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After lunch, we continue our work.

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Then we finish work and go home.

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And the evening routine is very important.

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Yes, we talked about changing into comfortable clothes as soon as we get home.

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I think that is a very common thing for many people.

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It's the best feeling.

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Then we make and eat dinner, wash the dishes, and finally, we relax.

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We relax in different ways.

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You watch series and play video games.

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And you read books, watch documentaries, and call your family.

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Finally, we talked about our bedtime routine.

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Brushing teeth again, washing our faces, and getting ready for sleep.

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So we covered a whole day.

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We used many simple sentences that our viewers can use to talk about their own lives.

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Absolutely.

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The goal is for you to be able to say, I usually wake up at your time or after work,

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I like to your activity.

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It's not complicated.

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It's just about your normal life.

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So, to summarize, today we practiced talking about our daily routine.

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We learned many useful words and phrases to describe your day from start to finish.

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We hope you feel more confident now.

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Remember, practice is very important.

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Try to describe your routine to yourself in the mirror or to a friend.

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Thank you so, so much for joining us today.

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It was a pleasure to talk to you.

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If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up and share it with a friend who is also learning English.

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And don't forget to subscribe to our channel and click the bell so you never miss a new lesson.

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We have new conversations every week.

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Next time, we will talk about a different useful topic.

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So, from both of us...

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Keep learning, keep practicing, and have a wonderful day.

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Goodbye!

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Bye, everyone!

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Your progress doesn't end here.

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To continue advancing your English skills, click on the next video or explore the additional video that we thoughtfully selected for you.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing Practice: How to Talk About Your Daily Routine in English | English Slow Podcast - Learn English Speaking with Video

Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Common Pronunciation Traps

What is the Shadowing Technique?