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Look Who’s Talking! 28 ESL Discussion Topics Adult Students Really Enjoy

One key goal almost every adult ESL student shares is gaining the ability to speak English with others.

Luckily, they come to the classroom with a unique advantage. They have life experience.

And, unlike younger students, they’ve typically already achieved a high level of proficiency in their native language.

They want to speak English as well as they speak their own native language—so what better way to speak English like their native language than to speak about the very same things that they speak about on a daily basis?

ESL speaking activities work even better when they speak about their own personal recollections, thoughts and ideas on these topics too!

Sure, games and interactive exercises definitely work—so, you can always do some fun activities with them. But when it comes to improving confidence and fluency, sometimes you just can’t beat a fine discussion. You know, a discussion like the ones they regularly have in their own language!

Breaking out discussion questions like the ones below, questions about everyday things, works well because these types of questions really get the brain thinking, relate directly to the students on a familiar level and can even incite some fascinating discussions between students, all while you sit back and listen!

These topics can all be used for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners! Just choose the questions that are the right level of simplicity or complexity for your students based on your knowledge of their skills. You could even mix up the example questions any way you’d like.

Ask the students these questions yourselves to get conversations started, or pass them out on worksheets for students to ask each other.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
28 ESL Discussion Topics for Adults That Everyone Has Opinions On
1. Hobbies

Everybody has hobbies, and everybody loves talking about them. Hobbies could be passions too, you know. Some simple questions to ask include:

    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

As people get older, their perceived value of time increases, so it’s a practical topic that everyone has something to say about. You could ask questions like:

    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

As people get older, they start to appreciate a good night’s sleep more and more. This topic is often a favorite for all. Some example questions are:

    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

Everybody loves music and most people feel very strong emotions towards it—especially when it comes to the music that they love (or hate) most. Some simple questions to ask could be:

    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?

5. First Dates

Unless you’re teaching in a place where arranged marriages are the thing to do, talking about first dates gets everybody interested. We’ve all been there. You could ask questions like:

    How many first dates have you had?

    How do you feel about first dates?

    What is a common first date like in your country?

    What is the best/worst first date experience you’ve ever had?

    What makes a good first date in your opinion?

6. Work

Lots of people work and have lots to say about it. I mean, if you’re spending about a third of your waking hours at work, you may have lots to say. Some good questions are:

    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

Everyone feels a certain way about risk. Some are risk-oriented, others are risk-averse. Talking about risks seems to generate some good conversation. You could ask questions like:

    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

Food is possibly the most universal topic of them all and everyone loves to discuss what they eat. This is also an ideal topic for beginners because the vocabulary is usually pretty simple. You could use questions like:

    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

Whether or not the students are a motivated bunch, motivation is a good topic to discuss in order to inspire your students. Some example questions are:

    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

Beauty is one of those topics that’s conventionally more geared toward women than it is to men. However, anyone can appreciate beauty in all its forms, and anyone can recognize the importance of the concept of beauty in our cultures, societies and behaviors. Plus, men might surprise you by caring to chime in on beauty, looks and grooming.

This makes it a good topic to discuss to get some opinions and various views within a group of students. You could ask questions like:

    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?

A mother is in the kitchen making dinner for her family when her daughter walks in. “Mother, where do babies come from?” The mother thinks for a few seconds and says, “Well dear, Mommy and Daddy fall in love and get married. One night they go into their bedroom, they kiss and hug, and have sex.” The daughter looks puzzled so the mother continues, “That means the daddy puts his penis in the mommy’s vagina. That’s how you get a baby, honey.” The child seems to comprehend. “Oh, I see, but the other night when I came into your room you had daddy’s penis in your mouth. What do you get when you do that?” “Jewelry, my dear. Jewelry.”

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