Maya’s Lucky Monday:Everyday English Expressions Through Fun Stories

Rose Sensei
Apr 15
3 min read

Updated: Oct 27

Enjoy this feel-good English story for listening practice!

This short, beginner-friendly story is perfect for Pre-Intermediate ESL students.

Improve your vocabulary, listening, and everyday expressions with Maya’s story.

📝 Vocabulary: set an alarm, in a rush, free ride, on me, feel relaxed

💡 Great for classroom listening, self-study, and feel-good motivation!

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Two anime-style characters: one stressed with "Late for work?!" text, the other happy with coffee. Text: Learn English, Maya's Lucky Monday.

🎥 Check out the YouTube video for listening & pronunciation practice:

👉Maya's Lucky Monday: Learn Everyday English Expressions Through Stories:

Vocabulary Focus:

daily routine, emotions, time expressions, common phrasal verbs

📚Learn Everyday English Expressions Through Stories

🌤 Maya’s Lucky Monday

Maya woke up late on Monday morning.“Oh no!” she said. “I forgot to set my alarm!” She jumped out of bed, brushed her teeth quickly, and got dressed in a rush.

She didn’t have time for breakfast.

On the way to the bus stop, it started to rain. Maya had no umbrella.

“This day is not going well,” she thought.

But when she arrived at the bus stop, something unexpected happened.

The bus driver smiled and said,“Good morning! Today is a free ride day. No need to pay!”

Maya was surprised. “Really? That’s great!” she said, feeling a little better.

She got to work only five minutes late. Her manager didn’t look upset.

Instead, he said,“Maya, you look like you need a hot coffee. Come, it’s on me.”

Maya smiled. The warm drink made her feel relaxed.Then, she checked her email.

There was a message from a happy client.“You helped me so much last week,” it said. “Thank you!”

Maya’s bad day slowly turned into a good one. She remembered something her grandmother always said:“Sometimes, a bad morning can turn into a beautiful day.”

🌟 Useful Everyday Expressions - Daily Routine Vocabulary:

Word / Phrase	Meaning
set an alarm	program a clock to wake you up
in a rush	doing things quickly because of little time
bus stop	a place where you wait for the bus
free ride	a trip you don’t have to pay for
on me	someone offers to pay for you
feel relaxed	feel calm and peaceful
turned into	changed into something else

📘 Follow-Up Questions for ESL Learners:

What happened to Maya in the morning? ____________________________
What small good things happened to her later?________________________

Have you ever had a day that started badly but ended well?______________
What is something small that can make your day better? _______________

🌟 How to Use Real-World Vocabulary + Example Sentences

Vocabulary	Example Sentence
set an alarm	I always set an alarm before I go to bed so I won’t be late for work.
in a rush	She didn’t eat breakfast because she was in a rush to catch the train.
bus stop	I waited at the bus stop for 15 minutes, but the bus never came.
free ride	The museum is giving everyone a free ride on the shuttle bus this weekend.
on me	“Don’t worry about paying,” he smiled. “Lunch is on me today.”
feel relaxed	After the yoga class, I felt relaxed and calm.
turned into	The small party turned into a big celebration with music and dancing.

Below is a set of Common Daily Expressions You Can Use:

🌟 Useful Vocabulary (2) + Real-World Example Sentences

Word/Phrase	Example Sentence
alarm didn’t ring	I was late for work because my alarm didn’t ring this morning.
rush out	She had to rush out of the house to catch the bus.
forget to	Don’t forget to bring your umbrella—it might rain!
pouring rain	It was pouring rain, so I waited under a tree.
miss the bus	If you don’t hurry, you’ll miss the bus again.
wet and cold	I forgot my jacket and felt wet and cold all day.
manager	Her manager was kind and helped her finish the report.
coffee’s on me	“You look tired,” he said. “Coffee’s on me today.”
unexpected email	She got an unexpected email saying she had won a prize.
good review	The restaurant got a good review online, so we went there for dinner.
turn around	Her day started badly but began to turn around after lunch.