The best way to reach fluency in any language is to speak it as much as possible. Here are 30 fun conversation starters to help your students practice their oral English. It is highly recommended to add “why” at the end of these questions to have students elaborate on their answers. You can even ask “why” two or three times to get them to dig a little deeper.
Beginner ESL Conversation Starters
- Weather – What is your preferred type of weather and why?
- Hobbies – Can you list some of your favorite hobbies and activities?
- Food – If you were limited to eating only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
- Family – Can you tell me about your family, including any siblings, parents, or other relatives?
- Sports and music – Are you more inclined to participate in sports or enjoy listening to music? Why?
- Interests – What are some topics or areas of interest that you find particularly engaging?
- Friends – In your opinion, what are the characteristics of a good friend?
- School – Can you recall a positive memory from your school days?
- Work – If you could choose any job, what would it be and why?
- Movies – What is a movie that you have seen that you would highly recommend to others and why?
Intermediate ESL Conversation Starters
- Advice – If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?
- Books – Can you name a book that has had a significant impact on your life and explain why?
- Childhood – What specific experience from your childhood do you believe has had the greatest influence on who you are today?
- Habits – Are there any peculiar habits you have that others might find unusual?
- Future – What technological advancement or invention would you like to see in the future?
- Travelling – If you were given $100,000 to travel the world for one year, what would be your itinerary?
- Personality – Do you believe that personalities are fixed or can change over time?
- Success and failure – Can you think of a failure from your past that ultimately led to a future success?
- Superpowers – If you could have any superpower that no superhero has ever had, what would it be and why?
- Five senses – If you had to lose one of your five senses, which one would you choose and why?
Advanced ESL Conversation Starters
- Change – What significant event has had the greatest impact on your life, whether positive or negative?
- Challenges – What has been the most difficult obstacle you have had to overcome in your life?
- Leadership – As president of your country, what would be your top three priorities?
- Artificial intelligence – In which industries do you think artificial intelligence will have the greatest impact, positively or negatively?
- Ethics – Can you discuss a specific ethical dilemma you have faced and how you came to a decision?
- Values – Is there a belief or value that you hold firmly, even in the face of opposition?
- Hypothetical scenario – If you were given 100 days to live, how would you spend your time?
- Supernatural – Have you ever had an experience that you would consider to be supernatural? If so, please describe it.
- Technology – How has technology impacted your life, and in what ways has it had a positive or negative effect?
- Addiction – Is it possible for a habit to become addictive and harmful, even if it initially started as positive?
We hope these ESL conversation starters will help your future ESL classes be more engaging! If you have some other fun questions you like to ask to your ESL students, feel free to share them in the comments below.
Jennifer Siemens says
great ideas
Elena Andreas says
good