Lesson 1: Learning Languages

1. What languages have you studied? How well can you read, write and speak each of them?

2. Which language do you think is the most difficult to learn? Why?

3. Do you think it's ever possible to speak a language like a native? Explain your reasons.

4. What do you find most difficult to learn in English?

5. Why do you want to improve your English? For example: work, travel, pleasure.

6. In what major ways is English grammar different from the grammar of your native language?

7. What's the best way to learn a language?

8. Do you like to listen to music in other languages? Do you make an effort to understand the words?

9. Have you ever had a friendship with someone who spoke a different language? What language(s) did you use to communicate? How did it affect your relationship?

10. How is your personality different when you speak another language? For example, are you more or less outgoing?

11. At what age did you begin studying a second language? Do think age affects a person's ability to learn a new language?

12. Do you think you learn more English inside or outside the classroom? What do you on your own to improve your English?

13. How often to you read in another language? What kinds of things do you read? Why?

Lesson 2 : Food

1. What's your favorite dessert? How often do you eat it?

2. What's the last meal you cooked for yourself? How do you make it?

3. Describe an everyday meal from your country and tell how to prepare it.

4. What foods do you think are most romantic? Why are they romantic?

5. In your opinion, which countries have the best cuisine? The worst? Why?

6. When did you last go a nice restaurant? What did you order?

7. Do you think you have a generally healthy diet? What have you eaten so far today?

8. If you visited countries where people ate the following foods, would you try any of them: monkey, snake, dog, insects? Why or why not?

9. What's a big holiday in your country? What foods do people typically eat on this holiday?

10. What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten? Where were you? Why did you eat it? Would you eat it again?

11. What foods do you eat when you feel sick or depressed?

12. Do you think a vegetaian diet is better than a diet that includes meat? Why or why not?

13. When you are eating dinner at a friend's house, do you ever ask for seconds? Do you accept seconds if they're offered?

14. Are there any foods that you would not eat as a child that you now like? Why do you think this is?

Lesson 3: Work

1. What's your ideal job? Why?

2. Is it typical for men and women to have the same jobs in your counrty?

3. Do you think office romances can be successful? Why or why not? Do you know of any couples who have met at work?

4. Describe the first job you had for money.

5. In your opinion, which jobs are most prestigious? Why?

6. What three things are most important for you in a job? Why?

7. Would you like a job that involved a lot of travel? Why or why not? Have you ever known anyone with one of these jobs? Tell about them.

8. Who in your family or among our friends has the most interesting job? What about the most boring?

9. Would you prefer to have an easy routine job or a job in which you made a lot of decisions?

10. Do people usually work for one company for a long time in your country or is it common for people to change jobs every few years? Why do you think people in the US change jobs so often?

11. How do people address each other at work in your counrty? How do you address your boss? Your co-workers? What do you think of the idea that at most offices in the US nearly everyone goes by their first names?

12. Do women usually work after they get married in your country?

13. If you could own your own business, what would it be?

14. How important are clothes at work? How does your job determine what you wear in your country?

Lesson 4: Dating and Relationships

1. What qualities are most important to you in a partner? For example, intelligence, sense of humor, money.

2. If you cheated on your partner, would you tell him or her? Why or why not?

3. Describe a perfect romantic evening.

4. How old were you when you went on your first date? Who was it with? Where did you go and what did you do?

5. Have you or anyone you've known ever met someone over the Internet? Do you think that these types of relationships can be successful? Why or why not?

6. Do women usually work after getting married in your country? Why or why not?

7. Would you like to have a boyfriend or girlfriend who was a lot more attractive than you? What about a husband or wife?

8. Would you move to a place far from your family and friends to be with the person you loved? Why or why not?

9. Is it common for couples to live together before marriage in your country? Would you want to live with someone before marriage? Why or why not?

10. Would you continue to date someone you really liked if your parents did not like this person? Why or why not?

11. Do you know anyone who has had an arranged marriage? Do you think marriages based on love are more successful than those that are arranged?

12. (TO A GIRL) Would you ask a man out? Why or why not?
(TO A GUY) Would you like it if a woman asked you out? Why or why not?

Lesson 5: Adventure

1. If you could go back to another time and place, what time and place would you choose and why?

2. Have you ever picked up a hitchhiker? If so tell about it.

3. Tell about a road trip that you've taken.

4. Would you want to climb Mt. Everest? Why or why not?

5. Do you consider yourself an adventurous person? Why or why not?

6. How has your idea of adventure changed with age?

7. What's your favorite adventure story, movie, or book? Tell about it.

8. Do you have any tatoos? If so, tell about how you got them. If not, would you ever consider getting a tatoo? Why or why not?

9. If you were offered a trip on the space shuttle, would you go? Why or why not?

10. Have you ever tried any of the following: bungee jumping, snowboarding, parachuting, hanggliding? If so, tell about it.

11. Have you ever moved to a place far from your family and friends? If so, where did you go and why?

12. What's the most exciting thing you've ever done? Tell about it.

13. What countries (other than your own) would you like to live in? Why?

Lesson 6: Socializing and Friendship

1. Who was the last friend that you met? How did you meet them?

2. Describe a perfect night spent with friends.

3. How are your family members also your friends? Tell about one person.

4. How often do you go to a bar? Who do you usually go with?

5. What do groups of friends usually do when they go out together on weekend nights in your country?

6. How many friends have you kept from childhood? Tell about them.

7. Are there things that people do for fun in other countries that you would like to see more of in your country?

8. Tell about the last party you went to.

9. Who's your best friend? How did you meet him or her?

10. How did your parents meet?

11. Describe your best friend from when you were a child.

12. When did you last go out with friends? What did you do?

13. When you're with a group are you outgoing or quiet? Why do you think this is?

14. Do you usually hang out with a few close friends or many different people?

15. How much do you socialize with people from work? What do you usually do?

16. In your language, is there more than one word for friend? If so, how are these words different?

17. How do you think that the way people socialize changes when they drink alcohol?

18. Would you rather watch TV alone or with other people? How about going to the movies?

Lesson 7: Sleep and Dreams

1. Do you usually remember your dreams? Tell about a recent dream you remember.

2. Do you think that animals dream? Why or why not?

3. How many hours a night do you usually sleep? Would you like to get more sleep or less?

4. Do you ever take naps? If so, when?

5. Are you a light sleeper or can you sleep on airplanes, trains, and buses?

6. Do you prefer to go to sleep late or wake up early?

7. Have you ever known anyone who walked in their sleep? If so, tell about it.

8. Have you ever experienced insomnia? What can you do to treat insomnia? What do you think causes it?

9. What do you know about dream interpretation? What might the following dreams represent: a dream in which you're flying, one where you're paralyzed, one where you're naked? Have you ever had any of these dreams?

10. Have you ever slept outside for an entire night? If so, tell about the experience.

11. Do you believe that dreams can help us solve our problems? Do you try to understand the meanings of your dreams?

12. Have you ever had the same dream more than once?

13. Have you ever had a dream that later came true? Why do you think this might happen?

14. Have you had dreams in other languages? How often do you dream in English? Would you like to?

15. Describe a nightmare that you remember from childhood.

16. If you could have an operation that would allow you to get only two hours of sleep each night, would you have it? Why or why not?

Lesson 8: Travel

1. How many countries have you been to?

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

3. When you were a child, did your family take trips? Would you always go to the same place or different places?

4. When you are travelling, do you try to speak the local language?

5. Have you ever taken a package tour? If so, tell about this experience?

6. What type of accommodations do you usually stay in when you travel?

7. Where will you go on your next vacation?

8. Describe the best trip you ever took. Where did you go? Who did you travel with? What did you do?

9. Describe the worst trip you ever took. Where did you go? What made it a bad trip?

10. What three countries would you most like to visit? Why?

11. Do you prefer winter vacations or summer vacations? Why?

12. Would you like to take a cruise? Why or why not?

13. Have you ever hitchhiked? If so, where were you and how was this experience?

14. What three countries would you least like to visit? Why?