Useful Language

Your job, your day, and how often you do things — the sentences you will say hundreds of times.

Tap the speaker beside any phrase to hear it, then say it out loud. The note in italics tells you when to use it.

💼 Step 1 — Saying what you do

“I work as a sales assistant.” as + your job
Instead of: “My work is sales assistant.” ⬆️
“I work for a small furniture company.” for + your company
“I work in a warehouse.” in + your place or your area

🕗 Step 2 — Talking about your day

“I start work at eight.” the first fact of your day
“First I check the machines, then I open my emails.” first… then… — your morning in order
“I finish at five and go home.” the happy end of the day

📊 Step 3 — Saying how often

“I always check my list in the morning.” always goes BEFORE the verb
Instead of: “I check always my list.” ⬆️
“We usually have a short meeting on Mondays.” usually = most days, not all
“I never work on Sundays.” never is already negative — no extra not

❓ Step 4 — Asking about someone’s day

“What time do you start?” the do question — your best friend at A2
“Do you work on Fridays?” yes/no questions start with do
“How often do you travel for work?” how often = the frequency question

💬 Step 5 — Short natural answers

“It depends. Some days are quiet, some are crazy.” the most useful answer in English
“Not always, but most of the time.” a soft, honest answer
“Nine to five, same as you!” connect your answer to the other person

Listen: the language in action

Lucia and Ben work in the same building but have very different days. Listen for this module’s grammar: the present simple with adverbs of frequency (I always check, we usually have) and question forms (What time do you start?). The highlighted phrases show them in action.

Show transcript

Lucia: Ben, can I ask you something? What time do you start in the morning?

Ben: At six. I work the early shift, six to two.

Lucia: Six! I’m asleep at six. I start work at nine thirty.

Ben: Nine thirty? Half my day is finished at nine thirty! And what do you do first?

Lucia: First I make coffee. Then I always check my to-do list. And you?

Ben: I always check the machines first. Then we usually have a five-minute meeting. Very short, standing up.

Lucia: Standing up? Smart! Our meetings are long. Too long. Do you work on Saturdays?

Ben: Sometimes, one Saturday a month. But I never work on Sundays. Never ever.

Lucia: Same here. How often do you take a real lunch break? Not a sandwich at the desk — a real one.

Ben: Every day, twelve to twelve thirty. It’s my favourite habit. Well, that and the two o’clock coffee.

Lucia: Two o’clock? Perfect. My break is at two. Coffee together tomorrow?

Ben: Deal! You bring the biscuits. I always forget them.