ESL Questions Getting to Know Each Other
Getting to Know Each Other
These 75 questions are built for the first day of class, a new group, or any time you want students to actually talk to each other. Personal but not intrusive, easy enough for beginners, interesting enough for advanced learners.
Beginner
What is your name?
Where are you from?
How old are you?
Do you have brothers or sisters?
What is your favorite food?
Do you have a pet?
What do you do on weekends?
Do you like music? What kind?
What is your job or your study?
Do you like sports?
What is your favorite color?
Do you like cooking?
How do you come to school or work?
Do you live in a house or an apartment?
What time do you wake up?
Do you drink coffee or tea?
What is your favorite season?
Do you like watching films?
Do you have a best friend?
What languages do you speak?
What do you do in the evenings?
Do you like reading?
What is one thing you do every day?
Do you like hot or cold weather?
What is one word that describes you?
Intermediate
What is something most people don't know about you when they first meet you?
How would your closest friend describe you in three words? Would you agree?
What do you do to relax after a long day?
Have you ever lived in a different city or country? What was that like?
What is something you are genuinely proud of?
What was the last thing you learned to do for the first time?
Is there a place in the world you feel most at home? Where is it?
What is a habit you have that you actually like about yourself?
What kind of person do you find it easy to talk to, and who do you find difficult?
What is something you used to believe that you no longer do?
Do you prefer mornings or evenings? Does that match how your life is actually set up?
What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given? Do you follow it?
Are you more of a planner or someone who prefers to go with the flow?
What is something you have been meaning to learn but haven't started yet?
Who has had the biggest influence on who you are today?
What is something that always makes you laugh?
Have you ever surprised yourself by being good at something you didn't expect?
What does a perfect day off look like for you?
Is there a country or culture you feel a strong connection to, even if you didn't grow up there?
What is something you wish you had started earlier in life?
How do you know when you can trust someone?
What is one thing you do differently from most people you know?
Do you think you have changed a lot in the last five years? In what way?
What is something small that makes your day noticeably better?
If someone wanted to make you genuinely happy, what would they do?
Advanced
When you meet someone for the first time, what are you actually paying attention to?
Is there a version of yourself that you present to new people that is different from who you are with people you know well?
What is something you find hard to explain about yourself, even to people who know you?
Do you think first impressions are mostly accurate, or mostly wrong?
How much does where you grew up still shape who you are?
Is there something you believe that most people in your life disagree with?
What would you want someone to understand about your culture before spending time with you?
Do you think you are a good judge of character? Has that ever gone badly wrong?
What is the hardest thing about getting to know someone from a very different background?
Is there a question you wish people would ask you more often?
What does friendship mean to you, and has that definition changed as you have gotten older?
Are you the same person at work as you are at home? Should those versions of you be the same?
What is something you are still trying to figure out about yourself?
Do you find it easier to talk to strangers or to people you already know?
What is one assumption people often make about you that is wrong?
How do you think your childhood shaped the way you relate to other people?
Is there a part of your personality you actively try to change, or have you made peace with who you are?
What do you think makes a conversation genuinely good rather than just polite?
Do you think people can fundamentally change, or do they mostly stay who they are?
What is something you have never told a stranger but are willing to say now?
How do you handle being misunderstood?
What is the most important thing to know about you that wouldn't come up in small talk?
Do you think you are more introverted or extroverted, and does that match how people see you?
What is a value you hold that you would not compromise on, even for someone you cared about?
If this class or group stays in touch for years, what do you hope people remember about you?