Free Time

What are some things you like to do in your free time?

Do you have more free time now than when you were a kid?

What would you do if you had more free time?

How do free time activities differ now compared with the past?

Do you think people had more or less free time in the past?

What is the most worthwhile thing a person can do with their free time?

What does the idiom “Time is money.” mean? Do you agree with it?

Is there something you wish you could do with your free time but can’t?

Do you think a four day work week would be a good idea?

Advice
What three pieces of advice will you give your children?

Whose advice do you follow more, your parents’ or your friends’ advice?

If you could give the leader of your country some advice, what would it be?

If you could go back in time and give yourself some advice, what would you
tell your younger self?

Who was the wisest person in your country’s history? What kind of advice did they give?

Where do you go to get good advice?

Now it’s your turn to give some advice:

What are some things students should do to improve their English?

What should I do to make more money?

How can I get more free time?

What should people do when first meeting their boyfriend/girlfriend’s parents?

What should someone do to be happy?

Do you think humans will ever be able to stop aging?

Is aging more difficult for men or women? Why?

Which celebrities have aged well?

Are older people actually wiser?

What kind of support should children give their aging parents?

How long do you want to live?

Who is the oldest person you know? How is their view of the world different than yours?

How are older people viewed in your country?

How well do you relate to people who are 5 years younger than you? How about 10 years
younger?

Animals
What animal best represents you? Why?

What creature scares you? Why?

Except for food, do humans need other animals? Why or why not?

What is the most effective way to save endangered species?

What are some examples of useful traits that help animals survive? (i.e. a giraffe’s long neck)

What is Darwin famous for?

What traits have made humans a successful species?

What are some animals you don’t know much about?

What is the cutest animal you can think of? How about the ugliest?

Why do humans have pets? Do you have a pet? Why or why not?

Are there any animals that we should try to kill off completely?
Beauty
Do you think beauty is the same for every person?

Do you think that different cultures think about beauty differently?

What do you think of plastic surgery?

What is the most common plastic surgery in your country?

What does “Beauty is only skin deep.” mean?

What kind of beauty contests are popular in your country? Do they have beauty contests for men
too?

What celebrities do you know of that have gotten plastic surgery?

Who is the most beautiful/handsome celebrity in your country?

What makes someone beautiful?

Do you think science can measure beauty?

Birthdays
What was your most memorable birthday?

What do you usually do to celebrate your birthday?

Do you think that the person having the birthday should pay for the birthday party or should their
friends and family pay for the party? Why?

Where is the best place to have a birthday party?

What gifts do you like to receive on your birthday?

What is the most heart warming birthday wish you can give someone?

What is the best birthday party for someone else you’ve been to? How about the worst?

What were your birthdays like when you were growing up?

What birthday traditions are unique to your culture?

At what ages do people have a massive birthday party in your culture?

What flavor cake or what type of food do you like to eat on your birthday?

How have birthdays changed from generation to generation in your culture?

How often do you read books?

Did your parents read to you when you were a child?

What are some of the advantages of books vs. movies? How about the disadvantages of books
vs. movies?

What was the last book you read about?

Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction books?

Do you think people don’t read enough books these days?

If you could only read one more book for your entire life, what would it be?

Can a book change the world?

Who is an author that you like? Why do you like their books?

What is one example of traditional literature in your country? Did you have to read it in school?

Do you like reading the traditional literature of your country?

Family
How do members of a family support each other?

Who do you think has the most power in the family? Why?

Do you agree with the saying “Children should be seen and not heard”? Why do you agree or
disagree?

Are good family members or good friends more important? Why?

What problems do parents have to solve as their children grow up?

How close are you to your extended family? (cousins, aunts, great uncles etc.)

What is the perfect number of children a family should have?

What do you think of people who marry and decide not to have children?

How do you think western families and eastern families differ?

What do you think is the most important thing to make a happy family?
Is it better for mothers to stay at home with kids or go to work to earn more money for the family?

Many families send their children to private institutes or daycares for most of the day. Is this good
or bad?

How do you define the word “home”? Is it where you live? Where your family lives or where you
grew up?

When married people talk about having children they talk about “starting a family”. Can two
married people be a family if they don’t have kids?

How do you think family life is changing in your country? (example: wife working, husband
cleaning, kids at institutes) Is this change good or bad?

What do you think of gay marriage?

Is spanking or hitting a good way to discipline children? Why or why not?

What age is too young to get married?

Why do people get married?

If you were offered an excellent job abroad could you leave your family and country for 5 years?

Food
What is your favorite snack?

What unhealthy food do you love?

What food did your mother always tell you to eat and not to eat?

What food helps with which health problem?

What is the future of food in your country?

What kinds of food did you eat when you were a child? Do you eat the same things now?

What is the best food to eat when you are sick?

What is your favorite food that your mother/father cooks?

Do you prefer to eat unhealthy or healthy food?

How often do you eat out?

If you could have any food right now, what would it be?

How would you describe your country’s food?

What is your favorite food? What is in it?

Can you think of any of your country’s cuisine that other countries influenced?

What is your favorite foreign food? How is it different from your country’s cuisine?

How often do you eat foreign food and how often do you eat your country’s cuisine?

Where is the best place to eat in your town? Why is it so good?

Do you eat a healthy diet? Why or why not?

What could you do to improve your diet?

Have you ever gone on a diet to improve your health or lose weight? How well did it work?

Describe your favorite food. What ingredients are in it? Why is it your favorite?

Do you eat different foods depending on the season or weather? Give some examples.

What kinds of food can you cook? Would you like to learn how to cook more types of food?

Jobs
What are some of the worst jobs you can think of?

What are some of the best jobs you can think of?

How long do you want to work?

Is it better to be a boss or an employee? Why?

What would be the most satisfying job for you?

What is one of the most exciting jobs you can think of? How about one of the most boring jobs?

What kind of job do you want to get in the future? What kind of tasks will you have to do?

Do you think what job someone has determines who they are?

What is the most dangerous job?

How difficult is it to get a job in your country?

What company is the best to work for?

The Internet
How much time do you spend on the Internet?

What are some of the benefits of the Internet?

What are some of the dangers of the Internet?

How much time should children spend on the Internet?

How has the Internet changed the world?

What will the Internet be like in 10 years?

Are you part of any social networks like Facebook or Google+?

When did you get your first email address?

What is your favorite website?

Should the Internet be regulated or censored?

Tell your partner/group about one website you really like.

Travel
Where do you like to go on vacation?

Where would you like to go on vacation?

Tell your partner about your best travel story.

What are some things you always take with you on a trip?

Do you prefer package tours or making your own trip?

Where did you spend your last vacation? What did you do?

What are some of the benefits of traveling alone?

What are some of the benefits of traveling with a group?

What is the longest journey you have ever made?

What’s the best way to travel? (By plane, ship, train, car, etc.)

Where is the most amazing place you have been?

Where are the best places for:

Adventure vacations?

Historical vacations?
Shopping vacations?

Party vacations?

Relaxing vacations?

What is the best and worst thing about traveling to a new country?

Where do you prefer to stay when you go on vacation? (Hotel, hostel, Airbnb house / room, etc.)

What are your best travel tips?

What is the strangest food you’ve seen or eaten while on vacation?

What do you like to do while you are traveling? (i.e. relax, shop, sight see, experience local
culture…)

How often do you travel?

What souvenirs have you brought back from traveling?

Where are you going for your next trip?

Where are the best places to go on vacation in your country?

Who in your family travels the most?

What popular travel destination do you want to avoid?

How adventurous are you when you travel?

Do you try to learn some of the local language before you travel to a new country? What phrases
do you try to learn?

What is the longest trip you’ve taken?

How much vacation time do you get a year?

What do you usually forget to bring when you go on vacation?

What do you miss most when you are traveling?

What was the worst flight that you have taken?

What is the ideal length for a vacation?

What is the most interesting tourist attraction you’ve traveled to in your own country?