Mixer #25 | Intermediate B1

Morning Routine

Hear six people share how they typically start the day.

Script
Quiz
Vocab

Akane, Canada
What is a typical morning for you? A typical morning for me involves getting up with the alarm clock, turning on the news, taking a shower, and I make toast everyday, but I don't have a toaster so I have to toast my toast on the frying pan and then flip it over to the other side and then I put margarin on it and a slice of cheese and I have that with a cup of tea every morning.

Martin, United States
A typical morning for me is generally getting up, turning on the computer and reading the news. After that I take a shower like everybody else, shave, and then have to have my coffee and my yogurt, and then maybe a quick 5, 10 minute workout and off to work I go.

Naomi, Australia
Usually in the morning, I'll wake up at about 7:30 and I'll put the kettle on and make myself a cup of coffee. Often also, I'll toast myself some bread with butter and Veggiemite. After this, after breakfast, I will brush my teeth and get ready for classes.

Jeyong, South Korea
A typical morning for me would be getting up at 7 o'clock in the morning. Open up the window and go to the bathroom, take a shower, get my hair dried, put my clothes on and have a breakfast. That would be a typical morning for me.

Mark, United States
A typcial morning for me? I guess like anyone else, I wake up. I usually don't eat breakfast right away, but I get a shower and get dressed for work and usually grab a quick breakfast on my way out the door. That's typical morning on the week. On the weekend, I used to sleep in but actually these day, I like to get up earlier on the weekend, than during the week because I feel that's my one free day, so I get up pretty early and usually go do something on that Saturday or Sunday.

Jeanie, United States
OK, a typical morning for me is pretty hectic. It usually involves squeezing too many things in too little time. Ah, usually I wake up and I go running. After which, I have to take a shower and prepare myself for classes I'll be teaching, not just for one day, but mostly for the whole week, reviewing things that have gone wrong, and things that can maybe be improved.

Answer these questions about the interview.

Learn vocabulary from the lesson!

flip ... over

I fry my toast on one side and then flip it over.

When we 'flip something' it means we turn it over quickly. You usually flip food when it is cooking. Notice the following:

Flip the burger before it burns!
When I cooked my first egg, I was afraid to flip it over.

like everybody else

I take a shower like everybody else.

We use the phrase 'like everybody else' to talk about things that most people do the same way. Notice the following:

I hate homework like everybody else.
Like everybody else, I'd like to get a good job after graduation.

off to [work]

I eat breakfast and then off to work I go.

'Off to' a place is simply an idiom that means to go somewhere. Notice the following:

After school, I'm off to the gym.
Dad's off to work by 7:30 every morning.

on [my] way out the door

I grab a quick breakfast on my way out the door.

When you are 'on your way out the door' it means that you are leaving a place. This means that Mark doesn't sit down and have a leisurely breakfast, instead he either takes it and eats it while he is traveling or he eats it very quickly before leaving. Notice the following:

I'm on my way out the door so I'll call you later.
Don't forget to turn off the lights on your way out the door.

squeeze

My day usually involves squeezing too many things into little time.

Here, 'squeeze' means to do something when we have very little time. When you squeeze something into your schedule it usually means that you give it less time than it deserves. Notice the following: