1.

Hobbies
 What are your hobbies?
 Why do you like your hobbies so much?
 How often do you do these hobbies?
 How long have you been doing these hobbies, and how did you get started?
 What hobbies did you used to have, but now do not?
 Is it important to have hobbies? Why/why not?
2. Time
 How much free time do you usually have?
 How important is time to you?
 If you had more free time, what would you do?
 “Time is money.” Do you agree or disagree? Why?
 How do you feel about time that is wasted?
3. Sleep
 How much sleep do you usually get?
 Why do some people sleep well while other people do not sleep well?
 What do you do when you have trouble sleeping?
 What time do you usually go to sleep? What time do you usually get up?
 Have you ever slept in a strange place that was not a bed?
4. Music
 What types of music do you like/dislike?
 How do certain kinds of music make you feel?
 What types of music come from your country?
 What’s your favorite song/album/artist?
 What music is popular in your country right now?
6. Work
 What work do/did you do?
 How do/did you like the work?
 What is your dream job?
 What work is common in your city/area/country?
 What is your general view about work? Why?
7. Risk
 What is your definition of risk?
 Are you a risk taker? Why/why not?
 What are the advantages/disadvantages of taking risks?
 What risks do you come across in your work/life?
 What risks have you taken in your life?
8. Food
 What is your favorite food? Why?
 What food comes from your country?
 How do you feel when you eat food?
 What foods do you dislike? Why?
 Where do you usually get food from?
9. Motivation
 How motivated are you in general?
 What motivates you to do things?
 What is the best motivator to succeed?
 What do you do when you feel demotivated?
 What is a good way to motivate others?
10. Beauty
 What is “beauty”?
 What/who do you consider beautiful?
 What does “inner beauty” mean to you?
 Do you consider artificial beauty (cosmetic surgery) to still be beauty? Why/why not?
 How do you feel about the emphasis that people put on beauty these days?
 What would you tell your children about beauty?
11. Crime
 Is crime a big problem in your city/country?
 Have you ever been a victim of crime?
 What crime is common in your city/country?
 What would you do if you noticed a crime being committed?
 How is the law enforcement in your city/country?
12. Love
 What is love?
 Who/what do you love?
 What good/bad experiences have you had with love?
 Can you be too young to be in love? Why/why not?
 How do you feel about love?
13. Goals
 What are your current goals in life?
 How do you plan to reach your goals?
 How often do you set goals for yourself?
 What goals have you set and achieved in the past?
 How do you feel when you reach your goals?
14. Dreams
 What kinds of dreams do you have?
 What do you think dreams mean?
 How much of your dreams do you remember? Why?
 What is your opinion on premonitions? Are they real?
 What are examples of memorable dreams you have had?
15. Restaurants
 How often do you go to restaurants?
 What is your favorite restaurant? Why?
 What do you usually order at a restaurant?
 What is the restaurant experience like in your country?
 Have you ever worked in a restaurant?
  If you owned a restaurant, what kinds of food would you serve?
16. Cooking
 In your home, who usually cooks?
 How often do you cook?
 How well do you cook? What can you cook well?
 What are the advantages/disadvantages of cooking?
 What food would you like to learn how to cook?

17. Money
 How well do you manage your money?
 Why do some people have money problems?
 What are some good ways to make money?
 What would you do if I gave you $20/$2,000/$2,000,000?
 How often do you save money? Why?
18. Shopping
 Do you enjoy shopping? Why/why not?
 What is your favorite shop? Why?
 In your city, where is a good place to go shopping?
 How do you feel about online shopping?
 How do you think shopping will be like in the future?
19. Plans
 How often do you plan things? Why?
 What are your plans for (________)?
 What are your plans for your English?
 What do you think of this quote? “Having no plan is a plan to fail.”
 Do you have any back-up plans?
20. Books
 Do you like books/reading? Why/why not?
 What kind of books do/did you like?
 What is your favorite book? Why?
 What was the last book you read?
 Do you believe reading books/literature is more important than reading stuff online?
Why/why not?
21. Sports
 Do you like sports? Why/why not?
 How often do you exercise/play sports?
 Did you play any sports as a child?
 What sport/physical activity is popular in your country?
 What is your opinion on professional sports?
22. Life
 What is the meaning of life?
 How is your life going up to this point?
 What do you think happens after life?
  What important life lessons have you learned?
 If tomorrow was your last day to live, what would you do?
23. Television
 How often do you watch TV?
 Should everyone have a television in their home?
 What is the best way to watch television: On a television set, computer, tablet or phone?
 What television programs are popular in your country?
 What do you think will be the future of television?
 What is your opinion on television?
 If you had your own TV show, what would it be like?
24. Learning
 How important is learning? Why?
 Besides English, what are you currently learning?
 What things are you good/bad at learning? Why?
 What would you most like to learn?
 What is the most difficult part of learning? Why?
25. Movies
 What was the last movie you saw? How was it?
 What is your favorite movie? Why?
 How are the movies in your country? What are the best ones?
 How often do you watch movies in English?
 If there were a movie about your life, what kind of movie would it be? Why?
26. Games
 What is your favorite game ever?
 What games did you play as a kid?
 What games are popular/came from your country?
 How competitive are you when it comes to games?
 What games do you still play now? Why?
27. Computers
 Describe your computer at home/work.
 What do you usually use a computer for?
 Do you like computers? Why/why not?
 What was the first computer you ever had like?
 What do you think will be the future of computers?
28. Problems
 How do you deal with your problems?
 What problems do you come across in your work or life?
 Do you feel that problems are opportunities? Why or why not?
 What was the last problem you solved and how did you do it?
 “Problems don’t matter. Solutions do.” Do you agree or disagree?
Culture Differences
 Restaurant tips (Are tips at restaurants common? How much is a reasonable tip?)
 Work dinner parties (Do wives and husbands attend work parties?)
 Gestures (What are some unique gestures (thumbs up, middle finger, etc) in your country?)
 Gift exchange (When you travel, is it common to exchange gifts? How about Christmas or
any other holidays?)
 Living with parents (How old do kids live with their parents?)
 Greetings (How do you greet in your country? Do you bow or do handshakes?)
 Safety and crime (Do you think your neighborhood is safe? What kind of crimes happen in
your area?)
 Punctuality (How often are friends late? How about buses and trains? Is it rude being late?)
 Food and health (What is a typical meal? How healthy is it? Are gyms becoming more
popular?)
 Sports (How do sports players show respect after a game? Are there any unique sports in
your country?)
 Multiculturalism (Is your country multicultural? Is multiculturalism a good thing?)
 Gender discrimination (Do women and men make the same amount of money for doing the
same job? Is there much gender discrimination in your home country?)

If you…
 If you had one wish, what would it be?
 If you were rich, what would you do?
 If you could be a celebrity for a day, which celebrity would you be?
 If you were the principal at school, what would you change?
 If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
 If you were on a deserted island, what would you bring and why?
 If you could be any animal for a day, what would it be and why?
 If you could have any superpower, what would you pick and why?
 If you could pack only 3 items for your next trip, what would they be?
 If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
 If you could travel to the moon, would you like to go?
 If you win the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?
 If you owned an island to yourself, what rules would you implement?
 If they could pick a Halloween costume to dress up as on Halloween, what would it be?
 If you could be born at a different time period, when would it be?
 If you could change the past, would you do it?
 If you could make a movie, which celebrity would you pick as yourself?
 If you found a large amount of money, what would you do?
 If you could change anything about your country, what would you change?
 If you could be born in another country, which one would you pick?
  If you could do your dream job 10 years from now, which job would you choose?

Have you ever…

 Have you ever traveled out of your home country?
 Have you ever cried when watching a movie? If yes, which one?
 Have you ever experienced culture shock?
 Have you ever wanted to get a tattoo or piercing?
 Have you ever laughed so much that it made you cry?
 Have you ever been lost and couldn’t find directions?
 Have you ever fallen in love? If no, do you want to find love?
 Have you ever won a trophy? If yes, which competition did you win?
 Have you ever read a book that changed your life?
 Have you ever been to Disneyland or an amazing theme park?
 Have you ever had a dream that felt like it was real?
 Have you ever seen something supernatural or paranormal?
 Have you ever ridden a horse?
 Have you ever had imaginary friends when you were young?
 Have you ever had to go to the hospital?
 Have you ever been outside your home country?
 Have you ever experienced a natural disaster?
 Have you ever owned a pet?
 Have you ever donated anything to the poor?
 Have you ever seen a car accident?
Would you rather..
 Would rather be very intelligent or very good-looking?
 Would you rather have a pet dog or cat?
 Would you rather grow up going to school in your home country or another one?
 Would you rather be a professional athlete or celebrity actor?
 Would you rather live forever or until 100 years old?
 Would you rather live in the mountains or on the beach?
 Would you rather bungee jump or skydive?
 Would you rather be rich or find true love?
 Would you rather walk backward or talk backward for the rest of your life?
 Would you rather explore the oceans or outer space?
 Would you rather live in an apartment or a house?
 Would you rather be invisible or super fast?
 Would you rather live in a country that is always cold or hot?
 Would you rather live in the city or a small town?
 Would you rather be a jack-of-all-trades or master one?
 Would you rather ride an elephant or swim with dolphins?
 Would you rather be rich and depressed or broke and happy?
 In the past or future, when would you rather travel?
  Would you rather eat rice or bread with every meal?
 Would you rather use the internet or books as your main source of information?

Controversial
 How do you deal with stress?
 What is the best advice you have ever received?
 Do you think aliens exist?
 Is climate change real?
 What age is best to start dating?
 What personality traits do you want in your boyfriend or girlfriend?
 Have you ever had a problem with bullying?
 Are girls smarter than boys?
 In the future, how many children do you want to have?
 What makes a good teacher?
 Who was your hero when you were a child?
 What is the worst purchase you have made?
 Would you rather know how you die or when you die?
 What was the best holiday you’ve been on?
 Is there any strange food in your country?
 What are some inventions you hope to see in the future?
 What is the most embarrassing moment of your life?
 Would you ever try online dating?
 What is on your bucket list?
 Do you believe in any religions?
 When was the last time you cried?