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Hi guys, welcome back to Podcast and Chill.
I'm Leo.
And I'm Gwen.
We hope you're having a good day no matter where you are.
Maybe you're feeling a little tired or full of energy.
Either way, we're happy you're here with us.
Today, we want to talk about something very simple and familiar, our daily routines.
This might sound easy, but many English learners struggle with it.
They say things like, I wake up, I eat, I go to work, and that's it.
It's so basic, but there's so much more to say, right, Leo?
Yeah, so in this episode, we will help you talk about your daily routine with confidence.
Before we start, let's help you get ready to learn.
First, make sure you're comfortable.
Do you have some water with you?
Sitting somewhere comfortable?
You can sit, lie down, or even walk while listening.
Whatever feels good for you is perfect.
And don't worry about mistakes, pronunciation, or speed.
Just listen and let the words come into your ears naturally.
Then, you can repeat after us.
Say the words out loud.
Your mouth needs practice, too.
We'll ask you some questions during the episode.
You can answer out loud, even if you're alone.
Don't be shy.
And if you want, you can pause and think about your own daily routine while we talk.
Also, we have a special friend with us today.
Her name is Ella, and she will tell us about a normal day in her life.
Listen carefully to her story.
Then we'll talk about each part of the day together.
Ready?
Okay, Ella, the stage is yours.
Hi everyone, my name's Ella.
Today I'm going to tell you about my daily routine.
Let's start with the morning.
I usually wake up at 7 a.m.
Well, on really busy days, I sometimes have to get up earlier, at 6.30.
When I wake up, I'm always so tired.
I am not a morning person, so I never jump out of bed right away.
I just lie there for a minute, slowly stretch my arms and my shoulders, and finally get up.
I go to the bathroom.
I brush my teeth for two minutes. really slowly and gently because I don't want to hurt them.
Next, I wash my face with cold water.
It's the best way to wake me up and comb my hair to look neat.
By 7.30 a.m., I make breakfast.
Most days I just eat something like bread or cereal.
But if I have more time, I love to cook bacon and eggs.
While I'm eating, I watch the news on my phone or just listen to some relaxing music.
After breakfast, I pack my things for work.
I put on makeup and check that I have everything important.
My keys, phone, wallet.
At 8 a.m., I leave my house.
I walk to the bus stop, and I take the bus to work.
At noon, after I finish my morning work, it's lunchtime.
But before I eat, I always check my schedule for afternoon meetings.
I usually eat in the office cafeteria with my coworkers.
Sometimes I order food from outside.
When I eat, I chat with my coworkers.
We talk about our work, our families, or funny things.
After lunch, I really need to take a short nap at my desk, maybe 30 to 45 minutes to relax.
It helps my brain rest.
When I wake up, I drink a glass of water and stretch my shoulders.
Oh, and I eat a piece of chocolate for energy.
My afternoon work starts at 1.25 PM and I work until about 4 PM.
When I'm done, I always take a few minutes to clean my desk.
I like to put everything in order so it's nice and ready for the next day.
After work, I don't always go home right away.
I think it's important to have a little time to myself after a long day.
I often take a short walk in the park or I'll go into the supermarket to pick up a few things, maybe a little gift for my family.
Then I get home around 6pm.
I go upstairs to put away my work things and take a hot shower.
At 7 p.m., I come downstairs for dinner with my family.
We all eat together and talk about our days.
We share stories about work, school, you know, everything.
Those moments are my favorite.
Before bed, I have my nighttime routine.
I brush my teeth, wash my face, and change into my pajamas.
Around 10pm, I open my computer to check tomorrow's work.
I write notes about important things I need to remember.
By 10.30pm, I lie down in bed and do things I enjoy, like reading a book or listening to podcasts.
And on weekends, it's completely different.
I sleep in much later, I let myself rest, and I only do things I like that help me learn and grow.
So that's a day in my life.
It's pretty simple, but it's mine.
How about you?
What do you do in a day of your life?
Wow, Ella, thank you for sharing your day with us.
I love how simple her sentences were.
Wake up at 7.
Brush teeth.
Have breakfast.
Go to work.
Yeah.
And did you notice?
She always connected actions with time.
Like, my afternoon work starts at 1.25 p.m.
That's exactly how you should describe your daily routine, with activities and times together.
Now let's break down each part of the day, starting with the morning.
Ugh, mornings.
My greatest enemy.
But the morning is so important.
How you feel in the morning can decide how you feel for the rest of the day.
Haha, fine.
I admit mornings are important, but they are also simple.
There are some basic actions that many people do.
Wake up, wash your face, brush your teeth, comb your hair, make breakfast.
Those are very common verbs.
And if you want to make your English clearer, you can add the time.
Like, I wake up at 7.
I eat breakfast at half past 7.
Gwen, what time do you usually wake up?
Usually around 6 a.m.
I like to have enough time for my morning routine.
Wow, 6 o'clock.
I wake up at 7.15 a.m.
I need that extra 15 minutes because I'm always slow in the morning.
That's so true.
You're like a sleepy bear every morning.
Everyone has their own morning speed.
Some people are fast, some people are slow.
Both are okay.
Sure.
What about breakfast?
What do you like to eat in the morning, Leo?
Hey, I just eat bread with peanut butter and one cup of coffee.
That's it.
Coffee and bread only?
Come on, Leo.
That's a snack, not breakfast.
It works for me.
It's fast and easy.
What about you, Miss I-like-to-have-enough-time?
What's your perfect breakfast?
Oh, I love a big bowl of yogurt with fresh fruit.
Sometimes I make scrambled eggs.
It gives me energy for the whole morning.
Wow, that sounds delicious and healthy.
After breakfast, how do you get to work?
I drive my car to work.
It's faster for me.
You?
I take the bus.
I can read a book or just look at the city and relax.
I miss taking the bus and relaxing like you.
Sometimes the traffic is crazy.
See, there are good things about my slow mornings.
And when we get to the office, what's the first thing you do?
I say hello to you, of course.
Yeah, right.
Oh, let me tell you guys something.
When Gwen arrives at the office, she sometimes wears a beautiful dress.
She looks so pretty.
Oh, stop it.
Other days she wears normal clothes, but still stylish.
I don't understand how she does that.
Oh my gosh, Leo.
You're too kind.
And you always wear your favorite blue shirt.
It's comfortable.
Anyway, when I get to work, I check my schedule, my emails and prepare any reports or documents I need for the day.
Same here.
I need to know what meetings I have.
And that's the end of our morning.
Leo, I think our listeners now know words like wake up, have breakfast, go to work.
That's right.
So, listeners, can you try to put these activities together?
Can you talk about your morning routine?
If it's too hard, just try to answer these questions.
What time do you wake up?
Do you wash your face first or brush your teeth first?
What do you usually have for breakfast?
And how do you get to work or school?
Don't worry about making long, perfect sentences.
Just one short answer for each question is great.
You can say, I wake up at 7.
I brush my teeth first.
I eat bread.
I take the bus.
Yeah, just like that.
You can pause the podcast now to think about your answers.
Now you know how to talk about your morning in English.
Let's move on to the next part of the day.
Ah, lunchtime.
My second favorite time of the day right after, well, going home time.
Of course it is.
For me, lunch is so important.
It's not just about eating.
It's a chance to relax from a tiring morning.
Yeah, it's a nice break.
Gwen and I often eat lunch together with some other co-workers in the cafeteria.
We talk about everything, work, movies, our plans for the weekend.
It's a fun time.
Eating alone sometimes is a little boring.
After we finish eating, I usually go back to my desk and quickly check my schedule again.
I look at my afternoon meetings and my to-do list to see what's next.
Don't forget the most important thing.
A short nap.
Just like Ella, I take a nap for 15 or 20 minutes.
It makes a huge difference.
You're lucky you can sleep that fast.
I just relax at my desk and listen to some music.
But I agree, resting is necessary.
So now, we have a very important message for all of you.
Yes, listen carefully, even if you are very busy with work or with studying.
Do not skip lunch and your rest.
Pretty please.
This is not just advice, it's a rule.
From Dr. Leo and Dr. Gwen.
Lunch and rest are not a waste of time.
They are the energy you need to recharge your body and your brain after a long morning.
It's the fuel that gives you power for the afternoon.
You can't drive a car with an empty tank, right?
Right.
So, our break is over.
We've had lunch.
We've rested.
Now it's time for the afternoon work.
The afternoon is when we get a lot of our creative work done.
Gwen and I read podcast scripts and record episodes for you, our listeners.
Yeah, thinking about how to make useful and interesting content for all of you.
It's my favorite part of the job.
But some days are different.
Some days we have important meetings.
We have to prepare documents and reports very carefully.
On other days, we're not working at all.
Instead, we go to class to learn new things and develop ourselves.
Learning never really stops, right, Leo?
Absolutely.
It's so important to keep learning, especially a new language like you are all doing right now.
After we finish all the work or classes, it's finally time to finish work.
So, Leo, after you finish work, do you go home immediately?
Well, kind of.
I'd go straight home to put away my things.
Then I go for a run in the park near my house.
Oh, you're so healthy.
I try.
I put on my headphones, listen to music or a podcast, and just run.
The sweat makes me feel relaxed and happy.
It helps me forget all the stress from work.
I'm a lot like Ella.
I often don't go home right away.
Sometimes I go shopping a little, just window shopping or buying small things.
Ah, yes.
Shopping break.
I get it.
It helps.
Our afternoons can be very different, but they all end with us going home eventually.
I'm curious, listeners.
What do you do after work?
Do you go home right away, or do you like to do something fun before going home?
Remember, you can keep the answer simple, I go home, or I walk in the park.
That's enough.
Simple English is still good English.
Alright, afternoon is done.
Now, let's move to the evening, the family time.
Yes, dinner time.
My stomach is already happy.
The evening is the time to finally feel at peace.
It's for relaxing and enjoying happy moments with family.
Yeah.
People can do simple things like take a shower, set the table, have dinner, talk to family members.
When I get home, the first thing I do is take a shower.
It feels amazing.
Ooh, I know that feeling.
After the shower, you change into something super comfortable and have dinner with family.
Sometimes, if we feel bored, we go out to eat, just to change the mood.
I totally agree.
Going out is a nice change, but eating at home… there's just a special feeling about it.
Oh, I know.
Home is where we return to feel that warm, right?
Yeah, it's a safe place for all of us.
A place where everyone gathers together and shares about what happened during the day.
Nothing feels better than that.
After dinner, I try to help a bit, like washing the dishes or cleaning the table.
My family does it together.
It's our little rule.
No one gets left with all the cleaning alone.
Huh, teamwork.
After that, we might just sit together, watch the news, and keep talking.
What do you like to watch, Leo?
Sometimes I watch football with my younger brother and my dad.
We get so excited.
Those moments seem simple, but they are so hard to find again.
That sounds so nice, Leo.
Simple moments with family are really special.
After all the evening activities, we move to our bedtime routine.
And let me tell you, it's the best time of the day.
Haha, obviously.
And why's that, Leo?
Because it's quiet.
Even if it's only one or two hours, I can spend time on my hobbies.
Your little peaceful world.
But before I do my hobbies, I have to do the boring stuff first.
I brush my teeth, wash my face, and get my stuff ready for tomorrow.
I put my clothes out and check my bag.
Well, I do the same.
It makes the next morning easier and less stressful.
Yeah fair, less morning stress.
After all that is done, i decide to read a book, or just lie in bed and do nothing, just silence.
It's perfect.
Hmm, a very interesting hobby, but if you really want to rest well, don't keep your phone next to your head.
It can disturb your brain.
Put it far away and let your brain have a real rest.
Good advice, Gwen.
Then you finally go to sleep.
A good sleep ends a good day.
And a good tomorrow starts with a good sleep.
That's the end of the day.
From morning until night.
So, let's do a super quick review, everyone.
From morning to night, we have... Morning.
Wake up, brush your teeth, have breakfast, go to work.
Noon.
Have lunch, chat with co-workers, take a nap, check your schedule.
Afternoon, get back to work, have meetings, finish work, and go for a walk before going home.
Evening, go home, have dinner with family, relax, watch TV.
At night, brush your teeth, prepare things for tomorrow, read a book, and go to sleep.
So tell us, after listening to this whole podcast, do you feel more confident to talk about your day in English?
We really, really hope so.
And the best way to practice is to actually do it.
Yes, your homework is to leave us a comment.
Tell us about your day.
You can answer simple questions like, what do you do in the morning?
What do you have for lunch?
What do you do after work or study?
Remember, your English doesn't have to be perfect.
Short sentences are absolutely great.
We just want to hear from you.
Sharing your story helps you learn, and it helps our community grow.
Thank you so much for chilling with us today.
Keep learning, keep practicing, and remember to be kind to yourself.
This is Podcast and Chill.
I'm Leo.
And I'm Gwen.
We'll see you next time on Podcast and Chill.
ACAST powers the world's best podcasts.
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