In English, there are two main ways to use these words:

1. To talk about categories or groups of things.
2. To express uncertainty or approximation — but only with kind and sort (not type).

Watch the video below to see these expressions in action! It explains when to use kind of, sort of, and type of, and show you how kinda and sorta sound in real-life English. It’s short, clear, and full of examples you can start using right away.

1. KIND OF, SORT OF, TYPE OF — Categories or Groups

We use these expressions to describe types, kinds, or categories of things.
They always come with the preposition of.

Examples:

1. What type of music do you like?
   (Que tipo de música você gosta?)
2. What are the different kinds of spices in this cake?
   (Quais são os diferentes tipos de condimentos desse bolo?)
3. That magazine prints fake news and all sorts of other rubbish.
   (Aquela revista publica notícias falsas e todo tipo de besteira.)

💡 Tip:
In everyday English, kind of and sort of are often used interchangeably, but type of sounds a little more formal.

2. KINDA & SORTA — Expressing Uncertainty or Softening Statements

When spoken quickly, kind of and sort of often become kinda and sorta.
They can mean a little, more or less, or sort of in Portuguese (“um pouco”, “meio”, “mais ou menos”).

Examples:

1. Mm, I’m kinda cold. Could you please close the window?
   (Estou com um pouquinho de frio. Você poderia fechar a janela?)
2. Do you like tomatoes? — Mm, sorta.
   (Você gosta de tomates? — Mais ou menos.)

They are also used to soften opinions — when you’re unsure or want to sound polite:

It’s kinda expensive. → (É meio caro.)
She’s sorta shy. → (Ela é meio tímida.)

3. “KINDA-SORTA” — Modern, Playful English

This fun combination — kinda-sorta — is common in casual, spoken English, especially among younger speakers.
It can mean:

1. A little
2. A lot (ironically)
3. Indecision
4. Laziness or hesitation

Examples:

1. Who is that actor?
   — Oh, he used to be kinda-sorta famous back in the 90s.
   (Ele costumava ser um pouco famoso nos anos 90.)
2. How’s my writing paper?
   — Um… it still kinda-sorta needs some work.
   (Ainda precisa de muitas melhoras.)
3. So, are you guys, like, together?
   — Well, we’re kinda-sorta boyfriend/girlfriend.
   (Bem, somos meio que namorados.)
4. Do you wanna go out tonight?
   — Mm… kinda-sorta, not really, maybe, but yeah, okay.
   (Mais ou menos, não muito, talvez, mas tá, ok.)

🧠 Practice Time

Exercise 1 — Fill in the blanks

Complete with kind of, sort of, or type of.

1. What _______ job are you looking for?
2. It’s _______ cold today, isn’t it?
3. I don’t really like that _______ music.
4. I’m _______ tired, but I’ll help you.
5. What _______ food do they serve there?

Exercise 2 — Choose the correct option

1. She’s _______ shy.
   a) type of  b) kinda  c) sort
2. What _______ chocolate do you prefer — dark or milk?
   a) kind of  b) sorta  c) kinda-sorta
3. He’s _______ funny, but not always.
   a) type  b) kinda  c) of kind
4. They have all _______ of fruit juices here.
   a) sorts  b) kind  c) sorta

Exercise 3 — Express yourself!

Translate and complete these sentences using kind of, sort of, type of, or kinda-sorta.

1. Eu estou meio cansado hoje.
   → I’m ______________________ today.
2. Que tipo de filme você gosta?
   → What ______________________ do you like?
3. Ele é meio estranho, mas simpático.
   → He’s ______________________ weird but nice.
4. Ela é meio que minha melhor amiga.
   → She’s ______________________ my best friend.

Answer Key:

Exercise 1: 1. kind of / 2. kinda / 3. kind of / 4. kinda / 5. type of
Exercise 2: 1. b / 2. a / 3. b / 4. a
Exercise 3: (open answers)

💬 Reflection Question

In what situations do you use kind, sort, or type in your daily life?
Share your example in the comments! 👇

What do you do every day? What’s a typical day like for you?

Learning how to talk about your daily routine is super important, and we’ve already learned lots of useful words and phrases with Daily routine 1 and Daily routine 2.

In this lesson, you’ll learn different ways to talk about:
✅ how you work
✅ your free time and hobbies
✅ meals and eating habits
✅ activities and sleep habits

Listen carefully to the pronunciation, and remember — you can slow down the playback speed by clicking the Settings icon if you need to.

Talking About Your Work Routine

🕒 Talking about your work schedule

✅ I start work at [time], and I finish at [time].

✅ I work from [time] to [time].

✅ I usually finish work by [time] at the latest.

✅ I finish at [time] at the earliest.

✅ I’m at the office from [time] till [time].

✅ I work different hours every day. (To freelancers)

🏃‍♂️ Talking about flexible schedules or set routines

✅ I like to get an early start.

✅ I take a long lunch break.
.

✅ I take a short lunch break.

✅ I try to leave on time.

✅ I never stay late or do overtime.

⏰ Talking about working long hours or staying late

✅ I often have to stay late at work.

✅ Sometimes I stay late if there’s something I need to finish.

✅ I work long hours.

🚗 Talking about commuting

✅ My commute takes around [time].

✅ I don’t miss commuting every day.

✅ I have to leave the house at [time] at the latest.

🌟 Bonus expressions to help you sound more natural

✅ It suits me.

✅ It’s not all fun and games.

✅ It sucks!

📚 Vocabulary tip

• at the earliest
• at the latest

Talking About Free Time Habits

🛋️ If you prefer to relax at home

✅ I just crash on the sofa and watch TV.

✅ I don’t have the energy to do much after work.

✅ During the work week, there just isn’t the time to do much.

🏃‍♂️ If you’re more active and like to go out

✅ I like to get out of the house when I can.

✅ I try to arrange something most evenings.

✅ I prefer to stay busy.

🏀 Talking about specific activities

✅ I’ve started going to a boxing class twice a week.
✅ I play tennis on Wednesdays.
✅ I also play basketball every Thursday.
✅ I go out with friends for a coffee or a drink once or twice a week.

🕰️ Adverbs of Frequency

✅ often
✅ generally
✅ sometimes
✅ occasionally

I generally go running around the park after I get home.

Talking About Eating Habits

🍽️ Useful expressions

✅ My meal habits are all over the place.
Sometimes I eat dinner at 7:30, sometimes at 11!

✅ Sometimes I skip meals.
If I’m busy, I might skip lunch.

✅ Me and my boyfriend take turns cooking.*
We take turns cooking dinner during the week.

✅ I’ll cook a big batch of something, then freeze it.
That way I have food ready for several days.

* NOTE:

The sentence “Me and my boyfriend take turns cooking” is commonly used in informal speech, but it’s not grammatically correct in standard English. The correct form would be:

“My boyfriend and I take turns cooking.”

In English, it’s considered more polite and grammatically correct to put yourself last when mentioning others (i.e., “I” after “my boyfriend”).

⏰ Meal times

✅ Do you eat at the same times every day?

✅ I have to eat at the same time every day.
Because that’s the only time I have free.

✅ I might eat dinner at seven-thirty, or I might not eat until eleven.

🥗 Meal prep and lunchboxes

✅ If I’m organised, I’ll cook at the weekends so I can take food with me to work.

✅ Otherwise, I’ll buy a sandwich or something from the bakery.

🍕 Takeaway and delivery

✅ We generally get a takeaway on Friday evening.

✅ I try not to waste money on takeaways and eating out.

🌞🌙 Morning Person or Night Owl?

🌅 Morning Person

✅ I like to get some stuff finished early in the day.

✅ It helps me feel more productive.

✅ I try to go to bed by eleven.

🌙 Night Owl

✅ I’m a total night owl.

✅ I stay up late on weekends.

✅ I often go to bed quite late.

✅ I really struggle to get moving in the morning.

😴 Phrases about sleep and daily routines

✅ Sometimes I take a nap in the afternoon.

✅ If I don’t get seven or eight hours of sleep, I find it hard to focus at work.

✅ I don’t think I sleep that much.

QUIZ:

Test your understanding of the vocabulary and ideas you saw in this lesson by clicking here.