These are strange times we’re living in. Many of us are working from home and haven’t seen our friends and family for weeks. We’re all getting used to a new way of life and new routines. But this new way of life isn’t all bad. Right now, we have more time than we’re used to having each day, and you may have chosen to use this time to learn a new skill, get better at a hobby, or even just enjoy yourself at home. No matter what, now is the ideal time to learn some English vocabulary for being at home.

Personally, I really enjoy being at home. I am a bit of an introvert (enjoy time to myself, enjoy being at home), so for me, this is a nice break from hanging out with (visiting) people. Because I enjoy being at home, I know there are many activities you can do at home. There are so many things you can do while staying at home, and with this in mind (thinking of this), we’ve put together a list of English vocabulary for being at home. So while you’re at home, why not try some of these activities while learning some new English vocabulary? Try this all out and let us know if this English vocabulary for being at home helped you out!

Enjoy a spa day

Do you enjoy pampering (treating, doing something nice for) yourself? Do you like going to the sauna during the week or getting a massage? Just because you’re in your house or apartment, doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a spa day. A spa day at home may entail (contain, consist of, involve, mean) taking a bath, exfoliating (the action of scrubbing dead skin away) your body or your face, or even doing your hair nicely. Just like going to the sauna or spa with a friend, enjoying a spa day at home can be very relaxing. It will probably end up being cheaper than going out, as well!

If you decided to enjoy a spa day at home, you may want to pick one day, such as a Saturday or Sunday, where you can take several (a few, many) hours to focus on yourself and do things you enjoy to relax.

For example:

What are you doing on Sunday? I’m going to enjoy a spa day at home!
If you’re looking for ideas of things to do at home, why not enjoy a spa day? You can treat yourself to a wonderful bath!

Follow a recipe

Do you enjoy cooking? What sort of things do you like cooking? Spending time at home is a great time to brush up on (improve) your skills in the kitchen. You may want to whip out (bring out/use) a tried and true (trusted, tested, favorite) dish that you really enjoy, or you may want to try something new. If this is the case, you may have to follow a recipe. Following a recipe means reading the list of all the ingredients and doing each instruction in order to be able to cook the meal.

If there is a dish (meal) you’ve always wanted to try cooking, this is the time to do so! Find a recipe that looks tasty (yummy, tastes good), and make sure to follow the recipe. We’re sure your meal will be great!

For example:

I would like to make my own pasta. Do you have a recipe I can follow?
She made a cake for the first time. It turned out great because she followed the recipe.

Binge watch a TV series

Netflix has changed the way we watch TV. When I was younger, if there was a TV show I liked, I could only watch one episode a week on the television at the specific time. I would have to wait until a new episode came out each week to find out what happened. But now that we can watch TV online, many shows release (distribute, make available) a whole season (set of episodes from one year) on one day. This means that we can binge watch a TV series or watch many episodes in one sitting (at one time). The phrase binge watching comes from when people binge on food or eat way more than they need or maybe even want to eat at one time.

When a whole TV season is released at once, people are able to watch many episodes at once. We were not able to do this years ago, and it can be fun to watch a couple of episodes right after each other when you have the chance. So if you have some down time (time to yourself with nothing to do), feel free to binge watch a TV series.

For example:

Do you have plans for the weekend? Not really. I may binge watch a TV series.
He started the new series on Friday, but finished it all by Sunday. He binge watched the whole series over one weekend!

Chill out

Just because you have a lot of time at home doesn’t mean you have to do something. Maybe you just want to hang out at home (be at home), with nothing on your to-do list. That’s ok! If this is the case, this may be the most important English vocabulary for being at home. If you don’t want to do anything in particular, you can just chill out. To chill out means to be at home without doing anything in particular. You may watch TV, read a book, sit outside, talk to a friend, or listen to music. When you chill out, you are able to be at home and do something you like to do to relax. If you’re chilling out, you usually are not doing a big activity that takes a lot of energy.

You don’t have to chill out on your own! For example, I love chilling out with friends. When I chill out with friends, we usually sit together, talk, eat something, and just enjoy being in each other’s company. Chilling out is incredibly relaxing! What do you do to chill out?

For example:

He was invited to the movies on Friday, but he just wants to chill out at home. He had a long week and wants to relax.
On Saturday, I went to a friend’s birthday party. But on Sunday, I just chilled out. I needed some time to myself.

Start an exercise program

Do you enjoy exercising? Have you wanted to try a new type of exercise? Then now may be the time to start an exercise program. Starting an exercise program means beginning a new type of exercise routine. This may be a one-time thing or may continue for a couple of weeks or months. It all depends on your goal! There are many different types of exercise you can do at home, such as weight lifting, Pilates, or yoga. Exercising can help you feel better and give you more energy, especially during these quarantine weeks, so now is a great time to start an exercise program.

For example:

She started a new exercise program a couple of weeks ago. She loves it! She’s done it every day so far!
Would you like to start a new exercise program with me? I want to go to this class, but I don’t want to go alone.

Just because you are at home, doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of activities to do! This is even a great time to start learning a new language!

Is there something you like to do at home? Do you know some vocabulary for being at home you’d like to share? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Erin Duffin lives in Hamburg, is an English teacher, blogger, yoga instructor, and enjoys treating herself to a spa day. Her favorite type of vocabulary is English vocabulary for being at home!