Today, we're going to talk about a very common topic of conversation: talking about your routine at work. I'll show you how you can talk about everything you do in detail if you work in an office, explaining your tasks, your breaks and your organization throughout the day. You will learn a lot of vocabulary and at the end, we will do a little QUIZ to check if you have understood correctly.
Before we start, don't forget to subscribe and let's get started. In this fictional story, I will focus on activities in general and not a specific job. Luc's work routine.
My name is Luc and I work in a large French company. Every day I wake up at 7am. I take about an hour to get ready and then I go to work.
8:00 a. m. - Leave for work I can get to work in different ways.
Sometimes I take my car from the parking lot. I open the door, start the car and drive to work. I usually get there in just 20 minutes, but when there's traffic, I stay in my car for an hour.
These are traffic jams. It's when there are a lot of cars and you're not moving very quickly on the road. Fortunately, I like listening to the radio and singing my favorite songs.
My second option is to take public transportation. I usually take the metro, and the journey takes about 45 minutes. During this time, I take the opportunity to listen to podcasts or read a book.
There's no stress of driving, but sometimes it doesn't smell like roses. It's an expression to say that there is a rather unpleasant smell. When the weather is nice, but not too cold, I sometimes take my bike or my electric scooter.
It's cool, but it's a little dangerous when the cars aren't paying attention. So I have to put on my helmet. 8:30 a.
m. - Arrive at the office When I arrive at the office, I have to clock in. This means using your badge to record the time of your arrival at the company.
We can also say: Then, I greet everyone, that is to say I say hello to everyone. I shake hands with men and kiss women. My boss is a little rigid, so when I pass his door, I just say: Hello Mr Grumpy.
It's strange because his last name "grumpy" means: always in a bad mood and complaining all the time. This name suits him very well. Afterwards, I head to my office.
I always start by checking my emails to see if there are any urgent messages. In French, we have many ways to say an e-mail. We can say: or quite simply: Afterwards, I consult and organize my schedule to check my appointments and my tasks for the day.
A schedule is the distribution of things we do during the day or during the week. I usually plan my day around these elements to make sure I don't forget anything. 9:00 a.
m. - Meeting with the team In the morning, I often have a meeting with my team to discuss current projects. This meeting can last a quarter of an hour, half an hour or three quarters of an hour.
This means it can last 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 45 minutes. Everyone gives news about their project, asks questions or suggests solutions to solve problems. I like to participate actively, but I also listen a lot to others, because their ideas are often very interesting, except those of Xavier who often speaks without saying anything.
10:00 - Individual work After the meeting, I focus on my individual tasks. Sometimes I need to respond to other emails or write important documents, such as reports or minutes. A report is a detailed document that presents an analysis or result, often accompanied by recommendations or conclusions.
It is long and structured. A report is a concise summary of a meeting or event, which reports the main points, decisions and actions to be taken. It is shorter and factual.
My work is mainly administrative, but I also manage complex projects with other departments. I take notes so I don't forget anything. These tasks require a lot of concentration, so I try not to be disturbed.
To help me stay focused, I sometimes play instrumental music in the background because I also have to prepare Excel tables for my projects. For my presentations, I always try to make beautiful slides. These are slides, that is to say images accompanied by text which illustrate what I want to say.
One of my most important tasks is to update all my files. It means “update”. However, you also have to make phone calls.
I have to talk with customers, with suppliers and with colleagues. Normally, I work alone on my projects, but I also sometimes work in a team. It allows me to interact with my colleagues and strengthen team spirit.
12:00 - Lunch break At noon I have a two-hour lunch break. I often eat there. I go into the company kitchen to heat up my bowl in the microwave.
A bowl is a container in which you put your meal. My colleagues always complain when I bring fish because they say it stinks. It means smelling very bad or very strong.
From time to time, I go out with a few colleagues to go to a restaurant nearby. We talk a little about everything, but we also try to discuss professional projects to stay productive even during the break. It's a nice moment.
Sometimes, when I have a little time left, I use an app to learn Italian on my phone. It's fun and I can progress while having fun. Before you see what Luc does after lunch, don't forget to give me a "like" to support me.
Here we go again! 2:00 p. m.
- Back to work In the afternoon, I get back to work despite my big setback. It's sudden fatigue. Yes, digestion makes you want to sleep.
But for an hour, I still use my keyboard, mouse and screen to work. At 3 p. m.
, I often have a meeting with colleagues. Generally, we do a video. It is a videoconference, that is to say a virtual meeting.
It's better than a face-to-face meeting which requires you to be physically present. Making a video avoids unnecessary travel and is therefore much faster. You just need to have a good connection.
Fortunately, the Internet network at the company where I work is excellent. After my online meetings, =I go see my boss to discuss the progress of the projects and short-term objectives. It's important to take stock regularly.
Taking stock means examining a situation, taking stock of it to clarify the current elements and determine the actions to follow. 4:00 p. m.
- Coffee break At 4 p. m. , I take a short coffee break.
It's a time to chat with my colleagues about more casual topics, like our weekends, our vacations or the latest news. It feels good to chat. It's talking about everything and nothing.
This means that we are discussing subjects that are not very important. Instead of saying “chat”, you can also say “chat”. This little moment allows me to breathe a little.
4:30 p. m. - Review tasks and plan for the next day Before leaving, I take about 30 minutes to review what I accomplished during the day, to tidy my desk and to plan the tasks for the next day.
The next day is the day after that. It is the opposite of the day before which represents the day before. This half hour allows me to leave with peace of mind.
Yes, I am a very organized person. 5:00 p. m.
- End of the working day I always leave the office around 5 p. m. , which is more or less 5 p.
m. I have to badge before leaving. When I'm in the car, sometimes I bring my colleague Benjamin who lives in the same neighborhood as me.
Sometimes he's the one who takes me back. We call it carpooling. So !
This was Luc's work routine. Now you have all the information you need for our quiz. Here we go.
Number 1: When there are a lot of cars and we're not moving very fast on the road, we say what's the matter? We can also say traffic jams. Number 2: What does Luc do during his metro ride?
When Luc takes the metro, he takes the opportunity to read or listen to podcasts. Be careful, he learns Italian on his cell phone during the lunch break. He sings in his car, not in the subway.
Otherwise it would be a bit weird. Number 3: What does the word "grumpy" mean? Remember.
“Grincheux” is the last name of Luc’s boss. It means "always in a bad mood and complaining all the time. " It's also the name of the dwarf who is always unhappy in the story of Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs.
Number 4: Which verb means “to smell very bad”? It's the verb "to stink". It means smelling bad.
We can also say “stink”. On the other hand, the other three words do not exist. Number 5: A bowl is a container in which you put your meal.
Number 6: Which expression means to examine the situation to clarify things. The right expression is “take stock” that is, take stock of the situation. Number 7: What does Luc do during the lunch break?
The correct answer is: he chats. That means he talks about everything and nothing. He chats with his colleagues.
Be careful not to confuse this verb with the others. It's chatting. It's moving.
It's moving in the water. It's using an electronic cigarette. It has nothing to do with it.
Luc chats. So ! This was Luc's routine at work.
I hope you learned a lot of vocabulary and can talk about your routine too. Don't forget I also made a video about my routine. The link is in the description.
You can also see the transcription of this lesson on my website www. professeurfrancais. com.
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