Shadowing Practice: Talk About Your Daily Routine | Real English Practice | Easy Conversation (A1–A2) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello everyone, welcome to Daily English Talk.
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Hey there, we're delighted that you've decided to join us today.
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I'm Lily and I'm Tom.
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This channel is all about helping you speak English fluently and confidently.
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If you enjoy our lessons, please don't forget to subscribe and hit that like button.
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It really helps us continue making content for you.
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Bye.
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Today's topic is something everyone does every single day.
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That's right, we're talking about daily routines.
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How to describe your day from morning to night in simple English.
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So, Lilly, how are you feeling today?
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I'm great, thanks.
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Actually, I'm feeling really energetic today.
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Oh yeah, that's good.
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I'm a bit tired, to be honest.
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Tired?
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Why?
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Did something happen?
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Well, I stayed up a little late last night.
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I was reading a book and I couldn't stop.
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Oh no!
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What book was it?
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A mystery novel.
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It was so interesting.
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But then this morning my alarm went off and I thought, Oh no, why did I stay up so late?
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I know exactly what you mean.
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So, what time did you wake up today?
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I woke up at 6 :45.
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I usually wake up at 6 :30, so not too bad.
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6 :30?
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That's pretty early.
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I usually wake up at 7 :00.
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Yeah, I like to start early.
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It gives me more time in the morning.
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What about you?
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Do you like mornings?
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"Hmm, not really." I'm not a morning person.
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But I'm trying to be.
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Okay, so let's talk about our morning routines.
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Let's start from the very beginning, when we wake up.
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Good idea.
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So my alarm rings at seven o 'clock.
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And I always, always hit the snooze button.
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Always.
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Always.
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I need those extra 10 minutes.
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It's like a small gift to myself.
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Do you hit snooze?
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Never.
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I'm terrible at that.
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If I hit snooze, I will fall asleep again and wake up one hour later.
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Really?
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You have no self -control?
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Not in the morning.
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So, when my alarm rings, I sit up immediately.
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I open my eyes, I stretch my arms like this, and then I get out of bed.
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Wow, that's impressive.
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After my snooze, I finally opened my eyes.
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Then I just lie there for one more minute.
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I think about my day.
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What do I have to do today?
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Do I have any meetings?
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Oh, interesting.
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I don't think in bed.
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My brain doesn't work yet.
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Then what's the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
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The very first thing, I open my curtains.
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I need to see sunlight.
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It helps me wake up.
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What about you?
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The first thing I do is check my phone.
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I know, I know.
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It's not a good habit.
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Everyone does that.
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What do you check?
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Messages from friends, the time, the weather forecast, I want to know, is it cold today?
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Is it raining?
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Should I wear a jacket?
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That's smart.
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I check my phone too but after I open the curtains.
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I look at my calendar.
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I check if I have any important meetings today. And then?
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Then I make my bed.
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every single day.
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Every day, even on Sundays?
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Every day.
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It makes me feel organized.
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It's like my room says, Good morning, Tom.
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Today is a new day.
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That's so disciplined.
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I make my bed too, but only on weekdays.
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On the weekend, I'm lazy.
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The bed stays messy.
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After making the bed, I go straight to the bathroom.
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That's my second stop of the day.
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Me too.
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The bathroom is so important.
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My whole morning routine happens there.
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Okay, so what do you do first in the bathroom?
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First, I brush my teeth.
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I brush for two minutes, nice and slow.
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Then I washed my face with warm water and some face wash.
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Warm water, not cold?
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warm Cold water in the morning?
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No thank you.
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I want to feel comfortable, not shocked.
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See, I'm the opposite.
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I wash my face with very cold water.
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It wakes me up.
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Splash, splash, splash, and then suddenly, I'm awake.
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You're brave.
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After I wash my face, I brush my hair.
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I have long hair, so it takes a few minutes.
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I have short hair, so one minute.
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Very easy.
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Then I brush my teeth.
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I use an electric toothbrush.
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Oh, fancy!
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Does it work better?
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I think so.
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It has a timer.
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It tells me when two minutes are finished.
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That's helpful.
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Do you take a shower in the morning or at night?
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Definitely in the morning.
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A hot shower is the best way to start my day.
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I take a 10 -minute shower.
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I wash my hair, wash my body, and I just stand under the water and think.
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I'm the same.
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Morning showers are the best.
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But I take a quick shower, only five or six minutes.
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I try to save water.
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That's good.
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My girlfriend always tells me, "Tom, your showers are too long." She's right.
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After my shower, I dry off and get dressed.
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But I have a small problem every morning.
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What problem?
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I stand in front of my closet and think, What should I wear today?
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It takes me so long to decide.
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Oh, I used to have that problem, too.
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But now I have a solution.
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I choose my clothes the night before.
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I put them on a chair in my bedroom.
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So in the morning, I just put them on.
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No thinking.
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That's genius!
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I should do that!
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So you never think about clothes in the morning?
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Never.
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It makes my morning so easy and fast.
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Okay, after getting dressed, I go to the kitchen.
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And I'm always very hungry.
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Me too.
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Breakfast is so important for me.
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I always eat breakfast.
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Always.
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What do you usually eat?
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I usually eat toast with butter and jam.
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Sometimes I have yogurt with fruit.
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And I always drink orange juice.
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What about you?
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I'm a serial person.
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I eat cereal with milk almost every day.
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and I drink coffee.
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lots of coffee.
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How many cups?
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Two cups in the morning.
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I can't function without coffee.
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My brain needs it.
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Two cups?
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Wow.
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I don't drink coffee.
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I prefer tea.
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green tea or English breakfast tea.
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T is nice, but not strong enough for me.
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While I drink my coffee, I usually read the news on my phone or watch a short video.
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I do the same.
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I watch videos while I eat.
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It makes breakfast more interesting.
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After breakfast, I need to get ready to leave.
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I have to go to the office.
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- Yeah.
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Right!
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And I work from home, so my morning is a little different.
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Lucky you!
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No commute!
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So, what time do you leave your house?
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I don't leave.
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I just walk from my kitchen to my desk in my bedroom.
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My commute is about 10 seconds.
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That must be so nice!
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My commute is 40 minutes.
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40 minutes?
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How do you get to work?
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I take the subway.
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I leave my house at 8 :15 every morning.
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I walked to the subway station.
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It takes about 7 minutes.
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Then, I take the subway for 25 minutes.
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Then I walk from the station to my office, Another 8 minutes.
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That's a long journey.
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What do you do on the subway?
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Usually, I listen to podcasts.
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English learning podcasts, actually.
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Sometimes I listen to music.
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Or I just look at people and think: That sounds peaceful.
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Do you ever read?
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I try to read.
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But the subway is too crowded.
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There's no space.
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Everyone is standing very close together.
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Oh, that sounds uncomfortable.
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It is, but I'm used to it now.
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What about you?
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What time do you start work?
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I start at 9 o 'clock.
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But before I start, I have my own little routine.
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I make a cup of tea, I sit at my desk.
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and I write my to -do list for the day.
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A to -do list, that's organized!
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I should do that.
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So you arrive at your office at what time?
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I usually arrive at 8 :55.
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Just in time.
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Then, I go to my desk, I turn on my computer, and I check my emails.
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right away.
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Emails first.
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Always emails first.
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I want to see if anything urgent happened.
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Then I check my calendar.
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What meetings do I have today?
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I do the same thing.
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emails and calendar.
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It helps me prepare mentally for the day.
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Exactly.
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Then at 9 :30, I have a coffee break with my colleagues.
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We go to the coffee machine together and chat for 10 minutes.
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That sounds nice.
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Social time.
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I work alone at home, so I don't have that.
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I just drink my tea at my desk.
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Do you miss having colleagues around?
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Sometimes, yes.
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But I like the quiet.
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I can focus better.
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What do you do after your coffee break?
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Then the real work starts.
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I work on my projects.
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I'm a graphic designer, so I spend a lot of time on my computer, I design logos, posters, social media posts.
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That sounds creative.
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Do you take breaks during the morning?
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I try to take a break every hour.
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I stand up I walk around the office, I look out the window.
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It helps my eyes and my back.
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That's a good habit.
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I forget to take breaks sometimes.
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I work for two hours straight and then I realize, oh, I didn't move at all.
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You should set a timer.
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What kind of work do you do?
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I'm a writer.
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I write articles for websites.
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So I spend all day typing on my keyboard.
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Do you like it?
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I love it.
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But sometimes it's hard to find ideas.
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That's the difficult part.
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Okay, so now we're at lunchtime.
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What time do you usually eat lunch?
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I eat at 12 :30.
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Pretty standard, I think.
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What about you?
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Me too, 12 :30.
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We're the same.
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Where do you eat lunch?
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I eat at home at my kitchen table.
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I usually make something simple like a sandwich or a salad.
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What about you?
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I have three options.
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Sometimes I bring lunch from home.
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I prepare it the night before and put it in a container.
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Sometimes I buy lunch from a restaurant near the office.
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and sometimes I eat in the office cafeteria.
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Oh, you have a cafeteria.
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What kind of food do they have?
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Different things every day.
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Monday is usually chicken and rice.
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Tuesday is pasta.
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Friday is fish.
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It's okay.
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Not amazing, but not bad.
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That's convenient.
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Do you eat alone or with colleagues?
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I usually eat with my colleague Daniel.
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We sit together and talk about work or sports or movies.
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It's a nice break from work.
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That sounds fun.
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I eat alone most days.
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Sometimes I call my mom on the phone while I eat.
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That's sweet!
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After lunch, what do you do?
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I always take a 15 -minute break.
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I don't work immediately after eating.
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I sit on my sofa, I close my eyes, and I relax.
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Sometimes I almost fall asleep.
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A power nap.
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I wish I could do that.
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After lunch, I go back to my desk and I always feel a little sleepy.
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So I make another coffee.
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Coffee again?
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That's your third cup.
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I know, I know.
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I drink too much coffee.
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So what does your afternoon look like?
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The afternoon is usually for meetings.
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I have a lot of meetings with clients or with my team.
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Zoom calls, phone calls, in -person meetings, How many meetings do you have per day?
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usually two or three.
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Each meeting is about 30 minutes or one hour.
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That's a lot.
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I don't have many meetings, maybe one per week.
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I like working independently.
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I understand that.
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Meetings can be tiring, But sometimes they're necessary.
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After my meetings, I finish my design projects.
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I send files to clients.
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I answer more emails.
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And what time do you finish work?
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Officially, I finish at 5 :30.
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But sometimes, if I have a lot of work, I stay until 6 or even 6 :30.
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Do you get paid extra for that?
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No, that's just part of the job.
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What about you?
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I also finish at 5 :30, but I'm more strict about it.
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At 5 :30 I close my laptop.
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I stop working.
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I don't check emails after that.
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That's a good boundary.
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I should do that too.
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Okay everyone, let's stop here for a moment.
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We've been talking a lot about our daily routines.
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And we've used some really useful vocabulary words Let's explain a few of them now.
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These are important words that you can use when you talk about your own daily routine in English.
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Let's look at four keywords: Ready?
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Ready.
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Mm -mm.
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The first word is routine.
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R -O -U -T -I -N -E.
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Routine.
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A routine is a sequence of actions that you do regularly in the same order, It's your pattern for the day.
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For example, my morning routine is...
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Wake up!
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Hits News.
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Check my phone.
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Take a shower.
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Get dressed.
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Eat breakfast and start work.
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Good example!
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You can have a morning routine, an evening routine, a bedtime routine, A Workout Routine Can you give us an example, Tom?
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Sure.
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My evening routine is: Leave work, Take the subway home, Change my clothes, Cook dinner.
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Watch TV, brush my teeth, and go to bed.
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Perfect!
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So remember, a routine is a regular pattern of activities.
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The next word is habit.
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H -A -B -I -T Habit A habit is one single action that you do regularly, often without thinking about it.
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It's something you do automatically.
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For example, I have a habit of drinking coffee every morning.
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It's automatic.
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I don't think about it.
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I just do it.
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Right!
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I have a habit of checking my phone first thing in the morning.
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It's a habit.
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Some habits are good and some habits are bad.
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Can you give us a good habit and a bad habit?
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Sure.
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A good habit is exercising every day.
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A bad habit is eating too much candy.
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Great examples!
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Our third word is schedule.
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S -C -H -E -D -U -L -E.
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Schedule Your schedule is your plan for the day.
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It's the specific times when you do different activities.
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For example, My work schedule is: I start at 9 o 'clock, I have lunch at 12 :30.
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and I finish at 5 :30.
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That's my schedule.
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You can also say, What's your schedule today?
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or, My schedule is very busy this week.
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And our last word for today is commute.
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C -O -M -M -U -T -E Commute.
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A commute is your regular journey from home to work or school and back again.
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My commute is 40 minutes by subway.
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Lily doesn't have a commute because she works from home.
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Lucky me!
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You can say, I have a long commute. Or...
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I have a short commute.
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You can also use it as a verb.
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I commute to work by bus.
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So let's review!
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Routine, Habit schedule, and commute.
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Four very useful words for talking about your day.
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Try to use these words this week when you talk about your daily routine.
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It's great practice.
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Alright, let's continue with our day.
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We've finished work, now it's evening time.
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Evening is my favorite part of the day.
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It's time to relax.
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Me too.
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So, Lily, when you finish work at 5 :30, what's the first thing you do?
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The very first thing I do is change my clothes.
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I take off my work clothes and I put on something comfortable.
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sweatpants and a t -shirt or a cozy sweater.
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I do the same.
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As soon as I get home, I change into comfortable clothes.
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Work clothes off, home clothes on.
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It's like a signal to your brain.
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Work time is over.
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Relax time is starting.
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Exactly.
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After I change, I usually sit on my sofa for 10 minutes.
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I just breathe and relax.
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Sometimes I close my eyes.
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That's nice.
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After I change, I decide what to do for dinner.
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Do I want to cook or am I too tired?
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And when you're too tired?
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When I'm too tired, I order food online.
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Pizza, Thai food, sushi.
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It's so easy.
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I love ordering food too, but I try to cook at home most days.
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It's healthier and cheaper.
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What do you usually cook?
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Simple things: Pasta with vegetables?
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Chicken with rice.
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Stir Fry Nothing fancy, but it's good.
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How long does it take you to cook?
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About 30 minutes.
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While I cook, I listen to music or a podcast.
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It makes cooking more fun.
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That's a good idea.
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What time do you eat dinner?
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I eat around 7 or 7 :30.
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What about you?
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usually 7 o 'clock.
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I don't like eating late.
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It's not good for my stomach.
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After dinner, what do you do with your evening?
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After dinner, I clean the dishes.
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I hate leaving dirty dishes in the sink.
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So I washed them right away.
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Same here clean kitchen, happy mind.
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Exactly.
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Then I have my free time.
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This is my relaxation time.
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Sometimes I watch a TV show.
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Sometimes I read a book.
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Sometimes I call my friends or family.
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What kind of shows do you like?
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I like comedy shows and dramas.
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Nothing too stressful.
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I want to laugh and relax, not think too much.
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What about you?
463
What do you do in the evening?
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I usually watch one or two episodes of a series.
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Right now, I'm watching a detective series, It's so interesting.
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Is that the book you were reading?
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The mystery novel?
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No, no. Different story.
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But I love mysteries.
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After I watch TV, I sometimes play video games for 30 minutes.
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Oh, what games?
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Puzzle games mostly.
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Games that make me think but also relax me.
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That sounds fun!
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I don't play video games.
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Instead, I sometimes do yoga or stretching before bed.
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It helps me sleep better.
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That's healthy.
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I should try that.
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How long do you do yoga?
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Just 15 or 20 minutes.
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Nothing intense.
483
Just gentle stretching.
484
I might try that.
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I think it would help with my back pain from sitting all day.
486
Okay, now we're at the end of the day.
487
Bedtime.
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What time do you usually go to bed, Tom?
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I try to go to bed at 11 o 'clock, but sometimes it's 11 :30 or midnight.
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I'm terrible at going to bed on time.
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Me too.
492
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.
493
What do you do before bed?
494
My bedtime routine is pretty simple.
495
First, I brush my teeth.
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Then I wash my face and put on some lotion.
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Then I put on my pajamas.
498
Do you take a shower at night?
499
No, I take my shower in the morning, remember?
500
But some people prefer nighttime showers.
501
Right.
502
I take a quick shower at night.
503
Just 5 minutes.
504
It helps me feel clean and fresh before bed.
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After I'm in my pajamas, I get into bed and I read.
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I read for at least 20 minutes before I turn off the light.
507
What are you reading now?
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A self -help book about productivity.
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It's quite interesting.
510
What about you?
511
Do you read before bed?
512
Not usually.
513
I scroll on my phone for a few minutes.
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I check social media.
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I look at some memes, and then I put my phone on my nightstand, Do you set an alarm for the next morning?
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Yes, always.
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I set my alarm for 6 :30. And you?
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I set mine for seven o 'clock.
519
And then I close my eyes and try to fall asleep.
520
How long does it take you to fall asleep?
521
usually about 10 or 15 minutes.
522
I'm a pretty fast sleeper.
523
What about you?
524
Me too.
525
I'm asleep in about 10 minutes.
526
My head hits the pillow and boom, I'm gone.
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Wow, Tom.
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We just talk through an entire day.
529
From waking up to falling asleep.
530
We really did!
531
I hope everyone learns some new phrases and feels more confident talking about their own daily routines.
532
Let's do a quick summary.
533
Today we talked about how to describe your daily routine in English.
534
We covered morning routines, work time, evening activities, and bedtime habits.
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and we learned four important vocabulary words: routine, Habit schedule, and commute.
536
Now it's your turn to practice.
537
We have a question for you today.
538
Today's question is: What time do you usually wake up, and what's the first thing you do in the morning?
539
Please write your answer in the comments below.
540
We read every single comment and we love hearing from you.
541
Don't worry if you make mistakes, just try your best.
542
For example, you can write: I usually wake up at 7 :00.
543
The first thing I do is drink water.
544
Perfect.
545
That's great practice.
546
And if you want, you can tell us about your whole morning routine.
547
We'd love to read about it.
548
Before we go, please remember to like this video if you found it helpful.
549
It really helps us reach more English learners.
550
And if you haven't subscribed yet, please hit that subscribe button and turn on notifications.
551
We post new videos every week with real English conversations.
552
Learning English is about practicing every day, just like your daily routine.
553
Thank you so much for learning with us today.
554
We'll see you in the next video.
555
Take care everyone.
556
Bye!
557
Goodbye!
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Practicing your daily routine conversations through our video on IELTS speaking practice enables you to develop fluency and confidence in English. This is crucial for learners at the A1-A2 level, as it provides a friendly, relatable context to use in your daily life. By engaging with the real exchange between Tom and Lily, you get to hear authentic dialogue about familiar subjects—something everyone can relate to. The conversational nature of the video encourages active participation, allowing you to improve your speaking skills as you repeat the phrases and mimic the flow of conversation. Don't forget to practice shadow speech alongside the video; it’s a fantastic method to enhance your pronunciation and fluency!
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Understanding how to express your daily routine in English requires familiarity with certain grammatical structures and expressions. Here are a few key phrases and their contexts from the video:
- "I usually wake up at..." – This phrase sets the routine and helps emphasize the frequency of an action, which is a vital part of speaking about daily habits.
- "I always hit the snooze button." – Using 'always' denotes a habit, a critical structure when sharing your daily activities.
- "I like to start early." – This sentence illustrates personal preferences, which can enrich your conversations by sharing insights into your character.
- "I was reading a book." – This use of the past continuous tense shows an action in progress and is effective when discussing past activities that relate to your current situation.
These structures can enhance your vocabulary and help you convey more complex ideas in conversations, particularly during the speaking sections of the IELTS.
Common Pronunciation Traps
While practicing your speaking skills, be mindful of pronunciation traps that can arise in daily conversations. Here are a few to watch:
- "Snooze" – Make sure to pronounce the 'oo' sound correctly, as it can be easily confused with similar-sounding words.
- "Alarm" – Pay attention to the initial 'a' sound, which is often pronounced differently by non-native speakers.
- "Wake up" – This phrasal verb can sometimes trip learners up; ensure you practice the rhythm and intonation to sound natural.
Utilizing a shadowing app or practicing shadow speech with these tricky words can enhance your pronunciation skills, allowing you to speak more confidently and clearly. Overall, integrating these elements into your learning journey through videos helps you to learn English with YouTube effectively!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've decided · We've finished · haven't subscribed |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | Should I wear · should do · should set |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | stop working · love ordering · hate leaving |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the best · your best |
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.