Talking about daily routines is a common topic of discussion. When people talk about their daily or weekly routines they will be using time expressions. Guest may sometimes ask hotel staff the general routine of the location they are visiting (for example when do local shops usually open and close, or the months of high or low season, or what time it gets dark and light outside, or the times that local people usually eat meals). When talking about daily schedules and routines adverbs of frequency are used to indicate how frequently you do things.

100%	80%	50%	20%	0%
always	usually	sometimes	seldom	never
all of the time	most of the time	occasionally	rarely	not at all

Dialogue- Talking about Daily Routines

Guest: What time do the local shops usually open?
Staff: They usually open between 9:00 and 10:00.
Guest: Do they usually open at the same time on weekends as well?
Staff: Yes, most of the shops open at the same time on the weekends.

Guest: When do Thai people usually eat dinner?
Staff: Most people eat dinner between 6 and 7 PM.
Guest: Is lunch usually between noon and 1:00 PM or between 1:00 and 2:00.
Staff: Lunch is usually between noon and 1:00.

Guest: How often do they change movies at the local cinema?
Staff: Movies are usually changed once a week.
Guest: Do they show a lot of English language movies?
Staff: Many of the movies are the latest Hollywood block busters, which are captioned in Thai.

Guest: How many times a week does the hotel clean the pool?
Staff: The pool is cleaned every day, sometimes twice a day, depending on the circumstances.
Guest: What time are they usually cleaned.
Staff: Usually early in the morning, before the guests wake up.

Practice Conversation Activities

1. Paired Conversation

Using the adverbs of frequency above, tell your partner what your daily schedule is like. Be specific and detailed. Discuss what you do from the time you wake up until you go to bed, both during the week and on weekends (or your days off).

2. Paired Conversation

Do you ever play tennis? Ask your partner if they ever do any of the activities listed below. Ask other questions to get more information about when, where, how often, with who, cost, etc.

Swim in the ocean	Go on double dates	Write poetry
Study all night	Ride a motorcycle	Go camping
Sing karaoke	Wake up late	Cook pizza
Sky or scuba dive	Ride the subway	Go bowling
Watch foreign movies	Play board games	Lift weights
Argue with parents	Buy expensive clothes	Knit
Ride a roller coaster	Go to the theater	Go to zoo

Other Links
Telling Time
Dates & Months
Days & Time