Ep 11: Daily Routines (Intermediate)
Welcome everybody to another episode of B1 English Talks. I'm your host, Brandon, and this podcast is here to help you improve your English at the B1 level and feel more confident in your progress. Each episode, we'll dive into fun and real-life topics to help you sound more natural and practice your listening skills. So let's get started.
How do you structure out your day? Whether it's a busy weekday or a relaxing weekend, we all have a daily routine that helps us stay on track. So today, we're talking about how to describe your daily routine in English at the B1 level. Everything from mornings to evenings and the little moments in between.
Let's start with the morning routines. Mornings are when most people get ready for the day ahead. You might wake up early, take a quick shower, and have breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea. If you're more active, maybe you like to exercise or go for a run before heading to work or school. Personally, I like a nice, structured, powerful morning where I get up super early, have a cup of coffee, do a reflection, have some breakfast, and go for exercise all within a couple of hours to get my day going with a lot of momentum.
Afternoons, staying productive. Afternoons are when people are often at their busiest. For students, this might mean going to classes, working on (phrasal verb) homework, or preparing for exams. For people who are in the workforce, afternoons are full of meetings, finishing projects, and handling tasks. Some people like to add small breaks to their afternoon to stay focused. You might unwind with a cup of tea, take a quick walk, or even do some light stretching. (Gerund used after a preposition) This is really good if you sit a lot. Breaks are especially helpful if your routine feels overwhelming.
One of my friends always tells me, if I don't take a break in the afternoon, I get too tired to finish my work. (First conditional) For me, my afternoons are super productive. After I've gone through my morning routine, I'm locked into (phrasal verb) my afternoon routine where I am just looking at my schedule and checking off the tasks as they come up. I typically will try to squeeze in (phrasal verb) a couple little breaks to eat, but that's about it. I'm pretty much rocking and rolling all day.
During the evenings is a great time to relax and reflect on the day. Evenings are all about winding down (phrasal verb) after a busy day. This is so important. Some people cook a nice dinner and spend time with their family, or catch up (phrasal verb) with friends, or watch some TV or some sports. Reading a book or relaxing alone is a great way to also spend your evenings after a long day.
Personally, I do like to keep my evenings quiet. I'll have my dinner. I give myself just a couple of hours towards the end of the day to reflect on the day, maybe catch up with a friend or two. And then I will start watching some TV or some YouTube and just relaxing from the day. Evenings are also a great time to reflect on the day, if that's your cup of tea. What went well from your day? What could you do differently tomorrow? Taking a few minutes for this can make your next day even better. The only difference in my day is I like to reflect the following morning on the previous day. I do a reflection, but I do it the next day.
When describing your routine, it's helpful to use adverbs of frequency (grammar point) to show how often you do certain things. For example, I always wake up at 7 a.m. I usually go for a walk in the afternoon. I sometimes watch TV before bed. These words add detail and make your routine sound more natural when you share it with others.
What would you change from your routine? Sometimes our routines can get very repetitive when you get lost in that rat race of your routine. Have you ever thought about changing your routine? You can use some conditionals (grammar point) to imagine how your day could be different. For example, if I had more time, I'd try exercising every morning. (Second conditional) If my commute were shorter, I'd spend more time with my family in the evenings. This is a great way to practice describing your routine while also thinking about what might improve your day and overall mood.
My final thoughts is that your daily routine is going to be unique to you. It reflects your priorities, it reflects your habits, it reflects how you balance your productivity with relaxation. Whether it's a busy weekday or a weekend, taking the time to think about your routine and how to describe it can help you connect better with others and improve your English at the same time.
So what does your daily routine look like? Practice talking about it in English and see how it feels. Point out what is challenging and then you'll know where to make improvements in your language learning journey.
Thanks for listening to today's episode of B1 English Talks. Remember, if you're ready to connect with me, feel free to share your ideas and thoughts at my Instagram at EnglishWithBrandonH. How do you spend your mornings, afternoons, and evenings? Let me know. Have a great day and I'll see you next time.
B1 Grammar Highlights:
Adverbs of Frequency: always, usually, sometimes
Conditionals (First/Second): "If I don't take a break, I get too tired"; "If I had more time, I'd try exercising every morning."
Future Forms with Will: "we'll dive into..."
Gerunds/Infinitives: "working on homework", "doing some light stretching"
Key Vocabulary:
Routine-related: daily routine, mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekdays, weekends, schedule, tasks, relaxing, reflecting
Activities: wake up early, go for a run, exercise, cook dinner, watch TV, read a book, catching up with friends
Expressions: stay on track, winding down, squeeze in breaks, rock and roll (colloquial for continuing energetically)
This version highlights vocabulary a
