1.

What is for you the most enjoyable type of holiday (camping, hotel, club, rented
accommodation, touring, sports activities, etc.) List 5 things not to forget when you go on
holiday.
2. Describe your favourite hobby. Why is it so enjoyable? When did you take it up? How
often do you do it?
3. What are the 5 most important decisions in a person's life?
4. Who is the greatest? (Ask students to add to the list.)
Who is/was the greatest leader in the world?
Who is/was the greatest athlete of all time?
What is/was the greatest movie you ever saw?
Who is/was the greatest inventor of all time?
5. Are people becoming telephone addicts?
Could you live without a telephone?
What would happen if for some reason our telephones no longer worked?
6. Why are social networks so popular nowadays? What are the positive/negative effects?
7. Do you think actors, singers, sportsmen, etc. earn too much money? Why/why not?
8. Under what circumstances would you :
walk out of a restaurant?
refuse a taxi?
call the manager of a hotel?
sleep in a train/bus station?
wear casual clothes to work?
9. If you won a lot of money, what would you do? Would you :
keep it a secret?
stop working?
go shopping?
buy a new house?
travel around the world?
give money to your family/friends?
give money to charity?
10.What is a good job?
an interesting job?
a well-paid job?
a secure job?
good working conditions?
11.If you had to move to another country because of your job (or your partner's job),
what country would you prefer if you had a choice?
what would you miss most?
what would be the most important for you?
12.What have been the most important new stories in the last year?
Are certain events given too much/too little coverage?
13.What country would you most like to visit?
Is there a place you would never visit again?

If you were only allowed to take five things to an unknown destination, what would you
take?
14.Food
What country has the best cuisine?
What is your favourite food?
What is the worst thing youve ever tasted?
Do you worry about the safety of the food you eat?
Do you buy organic food?

Beauty
If you could change one thing about your appearance, what would it be?
What do you find most attractive in people of the opposite sex?
Would you buy a Barbie Doll for your daughter?
What do you think of tattoos?
Should voluntary plastic surgery be banned?
Can aging be prevented or slowed?
Do you read beauty magazines?
Whats your opinion of beauty pageants like Miss Universe?
How have our ideas about beauty changed historically? What does this tell us?
Are people in your country fashionable?
No Make-Up Day: would this be a good idea?
How important is it for your partner to be beautiful?
What message does the media send to young people about beauty?
What message is more important to send to overweight youth: be happy with yourself or lose
weight?
Some airlines and restaurants seem to only hire attractive people. Is this discrimination? Should
it be legal?

Drugs
Should marijuana be legalized?
When youre sick, do you use medicine?
What do you think of alternative medicine?
Do you support the use of clinical marijuana?
Is drug use a big problem in your country?
Was drug use a problem in your high school?
Is alcohol worse than many illegal drugs?
Should the legal drinking age be changed?

Entertainment
Who is your favourite celebrity?
What is your favourite movie?
What genre of books or movies do you enjoy?
Do you prefer to watch TV or use the Internet?
Will TV exist in 20 years?
Do you like reality TV programs?
What do you think of rap music?
Why do many celebrities have drug and alcohol problems?
Do you read tabloid magazines?
What do you think of the paparazzi? How can they be controlled?
Whats your opinion of video games? What are the pros and cons of letting children play video
games?
Do video games make people, particularly children, violent?

English
How long have you been studying English?
Should everyone learn English?
Why are you studying English?
In your experience, what studying methods are most effective for you?
What accent do you find easiest to understand?
Are English movies in your country shown with subtitles or are they dubbed?
Should swear words be taught in English class?
If you could speak English perfectly, how would your life change?

Environment
Is global warming happening?
What has caused global warming?
Is recycling too much of a hassle?
Should developing countries be required to cut emissions as well?
What is your opinion of nuclear energy? Which kind of energy do you support?
Do you believe overpopulation is a major issue? If so, what can be done about it?
How does overpopulation affect you?
How will the world look in 100 years?

Is it okay to send our garbage into space?

What is your opinion of nuclear energy? Which kind of energy do you support?
Are the rivers and beach areas in your city or town polluted? Would you swim there?
Where do you draw the line between worrying about safety and living your life?
Could you live in an area that could have a natural disaster at any moment?

Family
What household chore do you hate the most? Should men and women share the responsibility
for housework 50/50?
Whats the best age to move out on your own?
Would you adopt a child?
If you became elderly and alone, would you rather live in a senior citizens home or with your
children?
Is it common in your country for people to live with their grandparents?
Do you come from a big family?
Is it good or bad to be a single child?
Are you more like your father or your mother?
Why do many people dislike their parents-in-law?
Were you ever left alone or lost for a long time as a child? Or have you ever lost a child?
What qualities make a good parent?
If you could choose, would you rather have a daughter or a son?
Do you plan to spend your life savings before you die or leave it for your family?
Violence: Is it ever okay to hit a child? What is the custom or law in your country?
Due to population growth and environmental problems, should families have fewer kids?
What is the ideal number of children to have?
Is it tradition in your culture for women to adopt their husbands last name? Is this fair?
In your country, are mothers allowed maternity leave (from work)? What about paternity leave
for fathers?
What is a mid-life crisis? How can one be avoided?
What is the best environment to raise a family in (e.g. apartment, village, etc)?
Is there anything funny or different about your family?
What important advice you want to pass on to your children?

Food
Have you ever had food poisoning?

What do you think of custom of giving an 15-18% tip in North America?

What is the worst thing youve eaten?
What do you think of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms)?
Does your country have any strange food?
Is the tap water safe to drink in your country? Or do you prefer bottled water?
Do you buy organic food?
Do you eat junk food?
Are you a picky eater?
Should children be raised to eat everything on their plates?
What was your worst restaurant experience?

Health
Are you addicted to anything, such as coffee, tobacco?
Are you afraid of the dentist?
What is the best cure for a hangover?
What is the ideal amount of sleep to get per night? Are you getting it?
Is your country smoker-friendly?
Would you rather be anorexic or obese?
What would you do if the doctor told you that you only had a month to live?
Do schools in your countries have cafeterias? Do they serve healthy food?
Does anything run in your family?
Whats the best way to lose weight?
Is your countrys cuisine healthy?
How are the health services in your country?
Do you support the idea of universal health care?
If you found an elixir that, once drank, would allow you to live forever, would you drink it?
Do you worry about the safety of the food you eat? What wont you buy?
Is it expensive to get medicine and treatment from a doctor in your country?
Would you like to be a doctor? Why or why not?
Are you a hypochondriac?
What is something you are not spending enough time doing?
What do you think of vegetarianism? Veganism?
What do you think of your countrys health care system?

Do you have any allergies?

Does everyone have a right to free basic health care?
What would you do if you found an unconscious person lying on the street and there were no
telephones nearby?
Do you know the steps of CPR?
Have you ever given or been given the Heimlich manoeuvre?
Do you believe people of the same blood-type have similar characters?
Have you ever donated blood? Do you think technology will help humans live longer and
longer?
What is the key to long life?
Should some vaccinations be mandatory? Without exemptions?
Would you rather be blind or deaf?
Would you rather be quite short or quite tall? Why?

Holiday
How is New Years celebrated in your culture?
What is your favourite holiday and why?
Does your country have any special holidays or festivals?
Is Christmas celebrated in your country? If so, how is it celebrated?
What are the best and worst gifts you have ever received?
Do you become a better person every year?
What is the best Christmas movie?
What food is associated with Christmas?
Real or Fake: What makes the best Christmas tree?
Do you have any funny Christmas stories?
Is it okay to give money as a gift?
Do you make a New Years resolution every year?

Internet
Are you comfortable with shopping online?
Are the Internet and websites such as Facebook bringing people closer together or further
apart?
Should young children be able to access the Internet freely?
Which is worse for children: the Internet or TV?
Are you a pirate? Do you pay for music, movies, software, and textbooks?

What do you think of dating online? Have you ever done it?
Has the Internet made us smarter or more stupid?
What does it mean if someone is a troll on an online message board?
Why is there so much hatred on online message boards?

Money
Do you give money to beggars or homeless people?
Whats the best way to invest in your future?
Do you give to charity? Why or why not?
What qualities make a good salesman?
Do you have any customer service horror stories?
Have you worked in sales before?
Have you ever found a large amount of money on the street? If not, what would you do if you
did?
Why do we use money?
If you were rich, what would you change about your life?
Should the rich pay higher taxes?
Does everything have a price?

Philosophy
Do you believe you make real choices in life? Or are all your choices determined by previous
conditions?
Why should we care about others?
Is truth just a matter of opinion?
Do you believe in fate or destiny?
If God exists, why are there so many problems in the world?
Does a persons love for his/her partner differ from his/her love for a friend, child, or car? How
so?
Would your view on life change if you were severely handicapped?
Everything is for sale. What do you think of this statement?
Are there products you wont buy for ethical reasons? If so, what are they?
Is life absurd?
What makes your happy?
Are human beings naturally selfish?

Do you believe in karma?

Whats the best advice youve ever been given?

Political
Have you ever been involved in a protest?
Is Democracy the best political system?
If you had your own island to populate, what rules would you make for the people that live
there?
Should the right to protest be a universal right?
Can democracy work in the Arab world?
What causes war?
Were there any problems with most recent elections in your country?
Are there many refugees living in your country?
Do all countries have the right to have nuclear arms?
Should a countrys leader be limited in serving for only one or two terms?
Do you think countries should share the responsibility of accepting refugees?
What are the flaws of democracy?
What is the best way to protest a government?
If you could rebuild your country, what would you change?
What is your top complaint about your countrys government?
Could anarchism work?
History Repeats Itself do you believe this? If so, can you give examples?
What are the major parties in your country?
Do the majority of adults vote in your country?

Punishment
What is the purpose of punishment?
What was the worst thing you did as a child? Did you get caught?
How did your parents punish you when you were a child?
How should teachers punish bad students?
What was the worst punishment you received as a child? Was it fair?
Would you rather be dead than spend life in jail?
Should prisoners be required to work?
Can you think of any people who were punished for a crime they didnt commit?

Is capital punishment (the death penalty) practiced in your country?

Who are some famous people who were executed?
Is it ever okay to hit (or spank) your child?
Do you believe capital punishment makes the public not want to commit crimes?
Should executions be done in public?
Whats the difference, morally, between capital punishment and torture?

Relationship / Love
What is the best age to begin dating?
How long should a couple date before they move in together?
Why is the divorce rate so high in many countries?
What is the best number of children to have?
Should people have fewer children, considering the worlds population and environmental
problems?
Have you ever been on a blind date?
Generally speaking, how do you think the men and women of you country are viewed by
foreigners?
What is chivalry? Is it dead?
Do opposites attract? Or do similar people tend to fall in love?
Would you like to know the gender of your child before it is born?
What is a wedding ceremony like in your country?
How has the idea of marriage changed throughout history?
What is your experience with divorce?
What do people commonly do on dates in your country?
Do you watch romantic comedies?
Do fairy tales create unrealistic expectations for people?
Have you ever had a long distance relationship?
What was the worst date youve ever had?
Have you ever tried to set up a friend with someone? Did it work out?
What do you think about meeting someone through a dating agency or dating website?
Do you think it is okay to date a co-worker?
Jealousy: is it possible to control this emotion?
Is society becoming more promiscuous? If so, what factors have caused this?

Do you believe in the one (does everyone have a perfect match)?

What are the pros and cons of going out with an older woman (or man)?
What do you think of polygamy?
Should the man pay on a date?

Technology
What technology couldnt you live without?
How has technology changed education methods?
Is there a difference between a machine, like a microwave, and a robot? How would you define
robot?
Is it possible to give Artificial Intelligence (AI) to robots?
Could a robot do your job?
How are people different from computers?
Are you scared of how much information Internet companies such as Google have about you?
Do you think humans will one day inhabit other planets?
Do you support investing large amounts of money into space exploration?
Has a computer virus ever caused problems for you? What steps do you take to protect your
data and privacy?
What are some of the greatest achievements and inventions of mankind? Make a list with your
classmates.

Travel
Where would you like to go on your next holiday?
Whats the best way to find deals on travel?
If you had to immigrate to another country, where would you go? Why?
What is the stereotype of your nations citizens?
Do you prefer active or relaxing holidays?
If you had more money, where would you go?
Do you like packaged holiday tours?
What was your best holiday?
What was your worst holiday?
Do you have any horrible or funny travel stories?
When in Rome, do as the Romans do you agree with this idea?
Does your country have many tourists? What do you think of them?
What are the best places to visit in your city or town?

If you could only pack five things for a trip to an unknown place, what would you take?
Is there a place that youd never visit again?
Who are the worst tourists?
What has been your worst experience at a hotel?

Work
What was your first job?
What is the worst job you have ever had?
When you were a child, what did you want to be?
What is your dream job?
How long should women get for maternity leave?
Do you think human beings need to work to be happy?
What are the minimum things you need to do your work effectively? Do you have them?
Do people commonly work from home in your company? What do you think of this?
Do you think 40 hours a week is too much for humans?
When do you plan to retire?
What do you see yourself doing in your retirement?
What would make you quit your job?
What motivates you to work hard?
How do you balance work and your personal life?
Other than increasing salaries, what can employers do to make their workers happy?
Do women often face discrimination in the workplace in your country?
Are you a supporter of labour unions?
Have you experienced sexual harassment in the workplace?
What industries are strong in your country?
What is your best achievement?
How would you define success?
Do you get any perks (or fringe benefits) from your employer?
Do you and your boss get along?
What is the retirement age in your country?
What is the worst job in the world?
Is it true that no job is perfect?
Have you ever had a manager or co-worker that you couldnt get along with?

What would you do if you were fired from your job?

How is the economic recession affecting your field?
If you could go back in time, would you study something different?
Would you ever date a co-worker? boss?
Do you have any interesting job interview stories?
Should interviewers be prohibited from asking about age, marital status, residency, etc?
What companies/brands do you like? Why?
Do you know companies that have bad reputations? What for?
What companies do you feel overcharge or abuse their customers?
What are the values of the company you work for?
If you had your own company, what type of policies, dress code, workspace, etc would you
have?
How can a person make a good first impression?
What are some things you should and should not do if you are organizing a business dinner?
What are some important factors to consider for starting a small business?
If you had your own business, what kind of business would it be and how would you run it?

Other
Do you have any embarrassing stories?
Which of your possessions could you not live without?
What is the stupidest thing you have ever done?
Do you have any regrets?
If you could travel in time, to what time would you go and why?
Who was your hero as a child?
What are some things you would like to accomplish before death?
What pisses you off?
If you had the power to make a new law, what law would you enact?
Have you ever used Groupon? What do you think of it?
What is the riskiest thing you have ever done?
Why do people sing in the shower?
What makes you feel better when youre angry or depressed?
What cant you live without?
If you could be a child again for a day, what would you do?

What motivates you to get up in the morning?