waiter
waitress
uniform
menu
customer
bottle of water
cup of coffee
glass of milk
bowl of soup
plate of salad
Habits or right now: two forms
English separates what happens again and again from what is happening now. Habits use the present simple; this moment uses am, is or are plus -ing. Many languages use one present form for both, so this is the key difference to practise. Time words are the best clue: usually, every morning and on Sundays call for the habit form; right now, at the moment and “Look!” call for -ing.
- Habit: “My mum usually drinks tea.”
- Today: “Today she is drinking coffee.”
Usually, often, rarely: saying how often
Teach frequency words as a line from “every time” to “not at all”, and place real family habits on it. The word goes before the main verb (“I usually eat eggs.”) but after am, is or are (“He is usually hungry at eleven.”). Rarely already means “not often”, so it never takes “don’t”: “We rarely eat out.” Eating out means eating at a café or restaurant.
- always: every time
- usually: most of the time
- often: many times
- sometimes: now and then
- rarely: not often
- never: not at all
Asking about habits with do and does
Habit questions use do or does: “Do you often eat at a café?” With he, she, a name or “my family”, use does and a plain verb: “What does your family usually eat?” Answers with these subjects add -s: “My brother usually eats cereal.”
Nia What does your family usually eat?
Leo We usually eat soup.
Leo Do you often eat at a café?
Nia No. We rarely eat out.
Right now and today: am, is, are + -ing
For this moment: “I am writing in my notebook.” “Today, the café is getting busy.” Watch the spelling: a silent final e drops (choose, choosing) and some short verbs double the last letter (get, getting; sit, sitting). Describing a café photo or your kitchen table is good practice: “The waiter is carrying a tray.”
Nia What are we doing right now?
Leo We are choosing salad.
Breakfast and café words
Collect the foods your family really eats: toast, beans, olive oil, noodles, corn, pancakes, coconut, chilli. At a café, children meet the menu, the customer, and the waiter or waitress in a uniform. Drinks and soup need a container: “a glass of milk”, not “a milk”. Adults often order “a coffee”, but the full phrase is always correct. Clap syllables for spelling: pan-cakes (2), co-co-nut (3).
- a bottle of water
- a cup of coffee
- a glass of milk
- a bowl of soup
- a plate of salad
Writing four connected sentences about breakfast
Aim for a short paragraph, not a list: a habit, a second habit with another frequency word, something your family rarely does, and what is different today. And, but, because and so join them into one text. Read the model, then let your child change every detail:
- “On school days, my family usually eats toast and eggs.”
- “My dad often drinks coffee, but I drink milk.”
- “We rarely eat pancakes because they take a long time.”
- “Today is Saturday, so we are making pancakes right now!”
Common mistakes and quick fixes
These are normal at A2. Repeat the sentence correctly and carry on.
- “My dad usually drink coffee.”: with he, she or a name, add -s: “My dad usually drinks coffee.”
- “I am usually eat toast.”: habits need no am, is or are: “I usually eat toast.”
- “Right now I eat a pancake.”: use -ing for this moment: “Right now I am eating a pancake.”
- “We don’t rarely eat out.”: rarely is already negative: “We rarely eat out.”
A breakfast reporter game at home
Give your child a small notebook as a breakfast journal. At breakfast, they interview one person with two habit questions, such as “What do you usually eat on Sundays?”, and one right-now question: “What are you eating right now?” Afterwards, they write four sentences from the answers. Swap roles the next day so your child practises answering too.
What comes next
Next, add the past: “We usually eat toast, but yesterday we ate pancakes.” Then your child can retell an event in order with past verbs like clapped and stopped.