Talking About Habits and Routines — Kể về thói quen trong IELTS Speaking

Tóm tắt

Loại thói quen	Cấu trúc	Ví dụ
Thói quen hiện tại — thường xuyên	usually / always / often + V	I usually wake up at 7.
Thói quen hiện tại — thỉnh thoảng	sometimes / occasionally / now and then	I occasionally cook at home.
Thói quen thường xuyên (emphasis)	tend to / make a point of	I tend to exercise in the morning.
Thói quen mới	I've started + V-ing / I've been + V-ing	I've started cycling to work.
Thói quen trong quá khứ	used to + V / would + V (past habit)	I used to watch a lot of TV.
Thói quen đang thay đổi	I'm trying to / I'm cutting down on	I'm trying to read more.

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Tại sao quan trọng

IELTS Speaking Part 1 thường hỏi về daily routines: "Do you usually cook at home?", "How often do you exercise?", "Did you read much as a child?". Người học thường trả lời quá ngắn hoặc chỉ dùng "I always..." / "I never...". Bài này giúp bạn đa dạng hóa cách nói về thói quen và mở rộng câu trả lời một cách tự nhiên.

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PHẦN 1: THÓI QUEN HIỆN TẠI — Present Simple + Frequency Adverbs

Trạng từ tần suất:

always → usually → often → sometimes → occasionally → rarely → never
(100%)                                                              (0%)

• I always have coffee in the morning — I can't function without it.
• I usually cook dinner at home, though I order takeaway on Fridays.
• I often go for a walk after work — it helps me clear my head.
• I sometimes stay up too late reading.
• I occasionally go to the cinema, maybe once a month or so.
• I rarely watch TV — I find it hard to sit still for that long.
• I hardly ever skip breakfast.
• I never exercise at night — it keeps me awake.

Vị trí: Trạng từ tần suất thường đứng trước động từ chính nhưng sau "be": - "I usually walk to work." ✅ - "I am always tired on Mondays." ✅

Cụm thời gian thay thế:

Thay vì chỉ dùng trạng từ, thêm cụm thời gian để cụ thể hơn:

• "I go to the gym three times a week."
• "I cook at home most evenings."
• "I check my phone first thing in the morning."
• "I try to read for at least half an hour before bed."
• "I meet up with friends every couple of weeks."

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PHẦN 2: TEND TO — Nói về thói quen tự nhiên hơn

"Tend to" nghe tự nhiên hơn "usually" và không quá tuyệt đối:

• "I tend to wake up quite early — usually around 6."
• "I tend to prefer mornings for anything that requires focus."
• "I tend to eat out more during the week when I'm busy."
• "I tend to be quite active — I don't like sitting still for too long."

Kết hợp với "quite" / "fairly" để mềm hóa:

• "I'm quite disciplined about exercise — I tend to go every other day."
• "I'm fairly consistent with my sleep schedule during the week."

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PHẦN 3: THÓI QUEN TRONG QUÁ KHỨ — Used to / Would

used to + bare infinitive:

Dùng để nói về thói quen hoặc trạng thái trong quá khứ, không còn đúng nữa:

• "I used to watch a lot of TV as a child, but I barely watch it now."
• "I used to cycle to school every day."
• "I didn't use to enjoy cooking — it's only something I've gotten into recently."
• "I used to be quite shy about speaking English, but I'm more confident now."

would + bare infinitive (past habits — more literary):

Dùng để kể về thói quen cụ thể trong quá khứ (thường kết hợp với bối cảnh):

• "When I was at university, I would stay up until 2am studying."
• "Growing up, we would eat dinner together as a family every evening."
• "Every summer, my family would drive to the coast for a week."

Lưu ý: "Would" không dùng cho trạng thái (state verbs như be, have, know, believe): - ❌ "I would be very shy." → ✅ "I used to be very shy."

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PHẦN 4: THÓI QUEN ĐANG THAY ĐỔI HOẶC MỚI

I've started / I've been + V-ing:

• "I've started cycling to work recently — it saves time and keeps me fit."
• "I've been trying to read more — I'm aiming for one book a month."
• "I've been making an effort to cook at home more often."

I'm trying to / I'm working on:

• "I'm trying to wake up earlier, but it's a work in progress."
• "I'm working on building a better morning routine."
• "I'm cutting down on caffeine — I was drinking way too much coffee."

I've gradually / slowly:

• "I've gradually stopped watching TV and replaced it with podcasts."
• "I've slowly gotten into meditation over the past year."

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PHẦN 5: PHÁT TRIỂN CÂU TRẢ LỜI PART 1

Câu trả lời Part 1 lý tưởng: 2-4 câu — không quá ngắn, không quá dài.

Cấu trúc: Habit + Reason/Context + Detail/Contrast

[Describe habit] + [reason/context] + [extra detail or contrast].

Ví dụ Part 1:

Q: "Do you usually cook at home?"

❌ "Yes, I usually cook at home."

✅ "Yes, I tend to cook most evenings — I find it quite relaxing after a long day at work. I'm not a very adventurous cook, though. I usually stick to simple Vietnamese dishes, and I occasionally try something new at weekends."

Q: "How do you usually spend your evenings?"

✅ "It depends on the day, honestly. On weekdays, I tend to keep things quite low-key — I usually read or listen to a podcast for a bit before bed. At weekends, I'm more likely to go out, though I don't do that every week. I've been trying to spend less time on my phone in the evenings — with mixed results."

Q: "Did you watch a lot of TV when you were younger?"

✅ "Definitely — I used to watch TV for hours after school. There were a few shows I was completely obsessed with. These days, I barely watch it; I tend to stream things when I do, and I'm much more selective about what I watch."

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PHẦN 6: TỪ VỰNG BỔ SUNG

Nói về tần suất cụ thể hơn:

• "every day / every other day / every few days"
• "once a week / twice a month / a few times a year"
• "on weekdays / at weekends / on Friday evenings"
• "in the morning / last thing at night / first thing when I wake up"

Nói về độ nhất quán:

• "I'm quite consistent about it."
• "I try to do it regularly, but I'm not always disciplined."
• "It's become second nature to me."
• "It's part of my routine — I don't really think about it anymore."
• "I'm hit or miss — sometimes I stick to it, sometimes I don't."

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Lỗi thường gặp

Lỗi 1: Chỉ dùng "always" / "never" — nghe quá tuyệt đối

• ❌ "I always wake up at 6. I always have coffee. I never skip exercise."
• ✅ "I tend to wake up around 6, and I usually have coffee first thing. I try not to skip exercise, though it does happen occasionally."

Lỗi 2: Quên dùng "used to" cho thói quen quá khứ

• ❌ "When I was a child, I watched TV a lot." (đúng nhưng không phân biệt rõ với hiện tại)
• ✅ "I used to watch a lot of TV as a child, but I barely watch it now."

Lỗi 3: Dùng "would" cho trạng thái

• ❌ "I would have a lot of free time at university."
• ✅ "I used to have a lot of free time at university."

Lỗi 4: Trả lời quá ngắn

• ❌ "Yes, I usually cook." (1 câu — quá ngắn cho Part 1)
• ✅ Thêm lý do, ngữ cảnh, ví dụ, hoặc contrast (xem Phần 5)

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Tóm tắt nhanh

THÓI QUEN HIỆN TẠI:
  I always / usually / often / sometimes / rarely + V
  I tend to + V
  I make a point of + V-ing
  I try to + V

CHI TIẾT HÓA:
  three times a week / most evenings / first thing in the morning
  every other day / once a month or so

THÓI QUEN QUÁ KHỨ:
  I used to + V (thói quen & trạng thái — không còn nữa)
  I would + V (chỉ thói quen, không dùng cho state verbs)

THÓI QUEN ĐANG THAY ĐỔI:
  I've started + V-ing
  I've been trying to + V
  I'm gradually + V-ing
  I'm cutting down on + noun/V-ing

MỞ RỘNG CÂU TRẢ LỜI:
  Habit + Reason + Detail/Contrast (2-4 câu cho Part 1)