Lesson 02

Daily Routine

Describing a normal day naturally, in order, without translating sentence by sentence.

Adult Speaking English · Arc 1: Foundation

By the end of this lesson

Today's Goals

You will be able to:

The student can describe their typical weekday from morning to night using natural time and sequence expressions.
The student can correctly distinguish and use "usually" vs. "sometimes" vs. "normally" when talking about habits.
The student can use sequencing words (first, then, after that, before) to connect actions instead of listing short disconnected sentences.
The student can ask a partner about their daily routine and respond naturally to their answers.
The student can talk about their day for 30–60 seconds without long pauses or heavy hesitation.

Lesson flow — 45 min

Warm-up5 min

Input8 min

Controlled Practice8 min

Listening7 min

Role-play10 min

Free Speaking5 min

Review/Homework2 min

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine3

Stage 1

Warm-up

55 min

Goal

Get the student talking loosely about "today" or "yesterday" to surface existing routine vocabulary.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine4

Authentic input

Video — A Real Daily Routine

Unscripted, real speakers — not a textbook recording.

Listen for how they sequence the day: first, then, after that.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine5

High-frequency words

Key Vocabulary

Press C to show or hide the Chinese.

wake up

醒来

I wake up at 7 every morning.

get up

起床

I wake up at 7, but I don't get up until 7:15.

get ready

准备好，收拾

It takes me 20 minutes to get ready.

commute

通勤

My commute takes about 40 minutes.

lunch break

午休

We have a one-hour lunch break.

get off work

下班

I usually get off work around 6.

chores

家务

I usually do a few chores after dinner.

wind down / relax

放松

I like to wind down with a show.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine6

High-frequency words

Key Vocabulary (cont.)

Press C to show or hide the Chinese.

routine

日常安排，惯例

My routine doesn't change much on weekdays.

exhausted

精疲力尽

By the time I get home, I'm exhausted.

day off

休息日

Sunday is my only real day off.

in a rush

匆忙

Mornings are always a bit of a rush.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine7

2 of 8 patterns

Core Expressions 1–2

I usually...

我通常...（高频习惯）

I usually wake up around 7 on weekdays.

I usually eat lunch with my co-workers.

Your turn: Say one thing you usually do every single weekday, no exceptions.

I normally...

我一般...（和usually接近，语气略正式/客观）

I normally take the subway to work.

I normally finish work around 6 pm.

Your turn: Describe how you normally get to work or school.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine8

4 of 8 patterns

Core Expressions 3–4

I start work at... / I get off work at...

我...点开始上班/下班

I start work at 9 and get off work at 6.

I start work pretty early, around 8 am.

Your turn: Give your real start and end time — or study time, if you're a student.

After work, I...

下班后，我...

After work, I usually go straight home.

After work, I sometimes go to the gym before dinner.

Your turn: Say what you actually do right after work most days.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine9

6 of 8 patterns

Core Expressions 5–6

In the evening, I...

晚上，我...

In the evening, I usually cook dinner and watch TV.

In the evening, I try to read for at least 20 minutes.

Your turn: Describe your typical evening routine in one or two sentences.

First... / Then... / After that... / Before...

首先...然后...在那之后...在...之前

First I check my phone, then I get up and brush my teeth.

Before I leave the house, I always have a quick breakfast.

Your turn: Use two of these sequencing words to describe your actual morning routine.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine10

8 of 8 patterns

Core Expressions 7–8

usually vs. sometimes

通常 vs. 有时候（频率不同）

I usually cook dinner, but sometimes I order takeout.

I sometimes work late, but I usually leave on time.

Your turn: Give one "usually" habit and one "sometimes" exception in the same sentence.

What's your day like? / What about you?

你的一天是怎样的？/ 那你呢？

My days are pretty busy. What's your day like?

I get up early for work. What about you, what time do you start?

Your turn: Practice asking your teacher or a partner about their weekday routine.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine11

Stage 4

Listening

77 min

Hi, so you asked about my typical weekday — honestly, it's pretty routine. I usually wake up around 6:30, but I don't get up right away, I check my phone for like ten minutes first. Then I get ready pretty quickly — shower, get dressed, grab some breakfast, usually just toast or something fast because I'm always a bit in a rush in the mornings. I start work at 9, so I leave the house around 8:15 to catch the bus. My commute takes about 30 minutes, which isn't bad.

During the day, I have a one-hour lunch break around noon, and I normally eat with a couple of co-workers. I get off work at 6, and after that, I usually go straight home — sometimes I stop by the gym first, but only two or three times a week. In the evening, I cook something simple, do a few chores, and then just relax, watch something, maybe read a little before bed. I'm usually pretty exhausted by 11, so I try to sleep around then.

Weekends are totally different, though. I don't set an alarm, I sleep in, and I don't really follow a routine at all — Sunday is basically my only real day off, so I try to keep it relaxed.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine12

Comprehension & discussion

Listening Check

Before listening

Do you think this person's weekday sounds busy or relaxed? Guess before you listen.
What do you think they'll say is different about their weekend?

While listening

Listen and write down the three main times mentioned: wake-up time, start work time, get off work time.
Listen and check: does this person go to the gym every day, sometimes, or never?
Listen for how they describe their weekend — is it the same as their weekday?
Listen for one sequencing word they use in the morning part of the story.

After listening

In your own words, describe this person's morning in 2–3 sentences.
Is your weekday routine similar to this person's, or very different? How?
What's one thing you would change about their routine if it were yours?

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine13

Stage 5

Controlled Practice

88 min

Model

Teacher gives a full example: "I usually wake up at 7, get ready quickly, and start work at 9. After work, I go home and cook dinner."

Repeat

Student repeats the full sentence chain 2–3 times for rhythm and sequencing flow.

Substitute

Teacher gives new time/action slots, student swaps them in:

"I start work at ___." (8, 8:30, 9:30...)
"After work, I usually ___." (go to the gym, cook, meet friends...)
"In the evening, I ___." (relax, study, do chores...)

Personalize

Student answers all core patterns with their real schedule, one at a time.

Remove prompts

Teacher only asks natural questions ("What time do you usually get up?" / "What do you do after work?"), student answers unprompted using full patterns and at least one sequencing word.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine14

Stage 6

Role-play

1010 min

Situation

You're chatting with a new colleague or classmate during a coffee break, comparing your daily routines.

Teacher

Play the colleague. Describe your own routine first (make it slightly different from the student's, e.g. an early riser vs. a night person), then ask the student questions and react to what's similar or different.

Student

Describe your typical weekday routine, ask the "colleague" about theirs, and comment on differences ("Oh, I get up much later than you!").

Useful language

I usually... / I normally...

I start work at... / After work, I...

In the evening, I...

First... then... after that...

usually vs. sometimes

What's your day like?

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine15

Make it unpredictable

Challenge Cards

Drop one of these in mid-role-play.

The night-shift twist

The teacher reveals they work a night shift and their "morning" starts at 8 pm — student must adjust and ask follow-up questions about this unusual routine.

The sudden change

The teacher says "Actually, that's my routine on weekdays — but this week is different because..." and gives a reason (business trip, sick kid, etc.) — student must respond and ask why.

The comparison challenge

The teacher directly asks, "Whose routine is healthier, yours or mine?" — student must compare and justify their opinion, not just answer yes/no.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine16

Stage 7

Free Speaking

55 min

Task: "Describe your typical day." Without looking at notes, the student speaks for 30–60 seconds describing their day from waking up to going to bed, using at least two sequencing words and both "usually" and "sometimes" naturally. Teacher then asks one spontaneous follow-up question based on something specific the student mentioned.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine17

Error correction

Review & Common Mistakes

Correct immediately

Errors that block understanding (wrong tense making the timeline confusing, wrong time expression).
Misuse of this lesson's core patterns (e.g. dropping "at" — "I start work 9" instead of "I start work at 9").
Confusing "usually" and "sometimes" in a way that changes the real meaning of the routine.

Note & correct later

Minor preposition slips that don't block meaning (e.g. "in the morning" vs "on the morning" errors elsewhere in the sentence).
Small pronunciation issues with time words (e.g. "thirty" vs "thirteen") if the number is still clear from context.
Slightly unnatural but understandable phrasing — log and address briefly at the end.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine18

Before next lesson

Homework

22 min

Speaking

Record a 45–60 second voice memo describing your typical weekday, from waking up to going to bed, using at least two sequencing words.

Review

Review the 7 core patterns from this lesson and practice saying your own routine out loud twice before the next class.

Real life

This week, ask one real person (a friend, colleague, or English-speaking contact) "What's your day like?" and try to understand their answer without translating in your head.

Lesson 02 — Daily Routine19

Lesson 02 complete

Nice work.

Next up: Lesson 03

Adult Speaking English