Talking about habits

Mission 1 Listen and learn.

Phillip: A little bird told me that you're a little bit of a messy person. Am I
right?
Isabel: Who? Me?
Phillip: Yes!
Isabel: How dare you? No, no, I'm sorry but that's utter rubbish.
Phillip: Oh, okay, you do have some good habits for example um you send
people flowers on their birthdays which is very thoughtful and you make me
brunch on Sundays which is wonderful.
TRANSCRIPT

Isabel: That’s true, okay that's a bit better. Well Phillip you often tend to bite
your nails and I find that extremely annoying just for your information
Phillip:Yes. Okay yeah it's a very common bad habit to bite your nails. I'm
sorry, I didn't realise you were so sensitive.
Isabel: Yes, I'm sensitive to nails.
Phillip: Okay, I'll try and stop but something you do Isabel is you often tend to
use your mobile phone while I'm having a conversation with you. You send
messages, yes.
Isabel: Now tell me about something that you can help doing.
Phillip: um what can't I help doing? I can't help squeezing avocados when I go
to the supermarket.
Isabel: Oh my goodness! I do the same, I think everybody does do you also
squeeze avocados at the supermarket? Let me know in the comments.
Phillip: So Isabel what can't you help doing?
Isabel: Well something that I can't help doing, something that I can seem to
stop doing is snoozing in the mornings.
Isabel: I’ve tried several things, I've tried putting my phone on the other side
of the house it's not like we have a really big house but well this way I have to
get up I have to walk, I have to snooze go back to bed so
Phillip: Bad habit, bad habit, yes, you snooze and if I want to have a lion I
have to listen to your alarm for an hour.
Isabel: So annoying, isn't it?

Amigos Ingleses
 Talking about habits
Mission 1 Listen and learn.

Phillip: Isabel I've got a bone to pick with you oh you keep forgetting to take
the clothes out of the washing machine and hang them out to dry so if you're
going to do the laundry you should do the whole job okay.
Isabel: All right I'll try my best okay Well you keep forgetting to put the milk
back in the fridge every time you make a cup of tea.
Phillip: Oh!
Isabel: it’s not a big deal for you but when I want to make a coffee I'm not
able to get the same level of frothiness.
TRANSCRIPT

Phillip: Frothy.
Isabel: that means that there's foam at the top.
Phillip: Isabel tell us about some weird habits, do you have any weird habits?
Isabel: oh well uh yeah I do, I could be here all day actually yeah you are quite
weird. Okay I'll share one with you so the thing is that I can't stand the smell
of cigarettes so you always find me holding my breath and overtaking people
who are smoking in front of me so I'm just not able to walk behind the person
that is smoking.
Phillip: I know, I know it's quite funny because when I'm walking in the street
with Isabel she will sometimes whisper to me smoker alert and this is the
signal to hold your breath for at least 10 seconds until we overtake that
person
Isabel: now Philip is there anything strange or funny that you do anything
weird and you will have it to share.
Phillip: Oh there is one thing maybe that some people might consider to be a
little bit weird you will always find me lying on the floor on the hard cold
wooden floor.
Isabel: I find that really weird because we have a sofa, chairs.
Phillip:It’s not very comfy but it's a good way to cool down in the summer am
I alone in doing this? does anyone else lie on the floor?
Isabel:yeah our dog lies on the floor. Okay now let's talk about good habits,
shall we? Yes.
Isabel: So Philip can you tell us about some recent good habits that you have
got into?

Amigos Ingleses
 Talking about habits
Mission 1 Listen and learn.

Phillip: Um let me think um well recently I've acquired some really good
eating habits, well I usually eat pretty healthily but I realised I was eating a
little bit too much because I was feeling so drowsy after lunch so I've got into
the habit of using a small plate instead of a large plate and it works wonders.
Isabel: That’s a great idea.
Phillip: I’m telling you you should try it. It's a total game changer before I felt
like I needed to have an hour nap after lunch but now I feel like I could go for
a run, so Isabel tell me about some good habits that you're working on right,
TRANSCRIPT

now but you're not quite there yet.

Isabel: So I really really want to get into the habit of running after work.
Phillip: Oh yes.
Isabel: So I'm doing a 30 day running challenge at the moment.
Phillip: what? that sounds like a great idea, have you been keeping it up?
Isabel: Well so far so good I mean I have failed a couple of days but as I'm
committed to going every single day then I can allow myself to fail a few
times a week and I still go like four or five times it works like a charm, let's
see! Now Philip can you tell us about a habit that is a big part of your life?
Phillip: Oh well, uh well, I'm a British man so drinking tea is a big part of my
life you'll always find me in the kitchen next to the kettle.
Isabel: I’m well aware of that yeah, how many cups of tea do you drink a day?
Phillip: uh four or five, drinking tea is second nature to me.
Isabel: Now Phillip what is that thing that you always do when you have
some time off?
Phillip: Oh when I have some time off let me see ah whenever I get the
chance I love to take my electric skateboard and go for a nice long ride along
the beach, what about you?
Isabel: Sounds good well I'm not that adventurous so whenever I have a
chance I like stopping by my favourite cafe in town and ordering a slice of
carrot cake.
Phillip: Oh carrot cake!
Isabel: Just after my run.

Amigos Ingleses
 Talking about habits
Mission 1 Listen and learn.

Phillip: That’s not healthy!

Something that really amazes me about Isabel is that she will always wake
up early even if she went to bed really late the night before, I don't know how
you do it.
Isabel: I know well you're a night owl I'm an early bird it's second nature to
me and I like feeling ahead of the day you know if I get up at 10 or 11 then
it's not gonna be a good day so yeah I like that feeling in the morning when
everyone's still asleep and it's so quiet yeah it's brilliant! I love it!
TRANSCRIPT

Phillip: Now one of my habits that's always surprised you is that I will always
want a warm dinner even in the summer.
Isabel: Oh my goodness yes and you will always want to warm up your plate
as well.
Phillip: Of course! yeah you need to have a warm plate I've tried to get into
the habit of having salad for dinner but I just can't bring myself to do it.
Isabel: Now let's go back in time, is there anything that you remember doing
often when you were a child?
Phillip: um yes, I was quite an active child and at the weekends on a Saturday
my father would pick me up and take me fishing.
Isabel: Oh how entertaining! and did you have your fish for dinner?
Phillip: No, we wouldn't eat the fish, we would put the fish back in the river or
the lake.
Isabel: Oh how kind!
Phillip: On a Saturday we would order a takeaway maybe a curry or a
Chinese and then we would watch a film or play board games.

Amigos Ingleses
 Talking about habits

Key vocabulary

messy - desordenado
utter rubbish - absoluta estupidez, disparate
thoughtful - atento, considerado
sensitive - sensible
to squeeze - exprimir, estrujar
VOCABULARY

to snooze - dormitar
to have a bone to pick with sb - tener un asunto pendiente
laundry - colada
frothy - espumoso
foam - espuma
weird - extraño, raro
to overtake - adelantar
to whisper - susurrar
drowsy - somnoliento
to work wonders - hacer milagros
to keep something up - mantener, ser constante con un hábito
to work like a charm - funcionar de maravilla
kettle - hervidor eléctrico
to feel ahead of the day - sentir que le llevas ventaja al día
to warm up - calentar
board game - juego de mesa

Amigos Ingleses
 Talking about habits
Mission 2 Fill in the gaps using the words below.

usually keep help got into life

tend nature find seem chance

PRACTICE TIME!

1) You often _________ to bite your nails while I’m having breakfast.

2) I can’t _________ squeezing avocados every time I go to buy my

groceries.

3) I can’t _________ to stop doing is snoozing in the mornings.

4) You _________ forgetting to hang the clothes out to dry.

5) You’ll always _________ me studying in the library.

6) I _________ eat very healthily, at least during the week.

7) I’ve _________ the habit of skipping breakfast.

8) Drinking tea is a big part of my _________.

9) Whenever I get the _________, I love watching English series on

Netflix.

10) Getting up early is second _________ to me.

My score: /10 Amigos Ingleses

 Talking about habits

Mission 3 Are these sentences correct or incorrect?

1) I go usual go for a run before work.

2) You can often find her working in the library.

PRACTICE TIME!

3) I’m British so driving on the left is first nature to me.

4) Competing in swimming competitions has always been

a big piece of my life.

5) He keeps to asking me to have dinner with him

this weekend.

6) Why don’t you try to get on the habit of reading 20

pages every night?

7) She was so nervous to speak in front of everyone but

they didn’t seem notice.

8) I can’t help to feel annoyed when they make me work

overtime.

9) When I get the chance, I like to read books about starting

your own business.

10) I tend drink about 5 coffees a day.

My score: /10 Amigos Ingleses

Check your answers!

Mission 2
1. You often tend to bite your nails while I’m having breakfast.
2. I can’t help squeezing avocados every time I go to buy my groceries.
3. I can’t seem to stop doing is snoozing in the mornings.
4. You keep forgetting to hang the clothes out to dry!
5. You’ll always find Sarah studying in the library.
6. I usually eat very healthily, at least during the week.
7. I’ve got into the habit of skipping breakfast.
8. Drinking tea is a big part of my life.
9. Whenever I get the chance, I love watching English series on
Netflix.
10. Getting up early is second nature to me.
Mission 3
1. I usually go for a run before work.
2. Correct
3. I’m British so driving on the left is second nature to me.
4. Competing in swimming competitions has always been a big piece
of my life.
5. He keeps asking me to have dinner with him this weekend.
6. Why don’t you try to get into the habit of reading 20 pages every
night?
7. She was so nervous to speak in front of everyone but they didn’t
seem to notice.
8. I can’t help feeling annoyed when they make me work overtime.
9. Correct
10. I tend to drink about 5 coffees a day.

You got this!