ESL conversation starters and discussion topics for adults (2023)

Do you want to stimulate discussion in your ESL/EFL courses? I didn't imagine. Then you should check out my top conversation questions to get started. Read on for all the details.ConversationSnacks for adults! If you're a language teacher, it's a kind of list of ESL conversation topics you can't miss.

Let's dive into the best ESL conversation topics you might want to try in your courses.

Adult Conversation Starters: Top 25

If you are looking for something quickESL heatingor perhaps a more in-depth discussion, check out these 10 perfect adult conversation starters for your ESL language classes. They are suitable for students in almost all countries.

If you want to kick off your ESL classes in style, with students chatting, sharing ideas, and having fun, consider these conversation starters for adults. Have fun!

#1: If I won the lottery

This is probably my favorite ESL conversation topic. Ask students to describe what they would do or buy if they won the lottery. I usually say an amount of $1,000,000. That's enough to make you do almost anything you want, but it's not unreasonable: it forces students to prioritize.

How students answer this question reveals a lot about them!

#2 ESL Conversation Question: Bucket List

Students should think of five things they want to do before they die. You can provide a few examples to get them started, but most people are pretty familiar with this concept.

This is a good question to find out what students value most in life. It can also be a good warm-up for a session on the go.

#3: Guilty Pleasures

This is one of the most interesting ESL conversation questions for adults.

Explain to students what a guilty pleasure is; You probably don't know the term in English. Then it's confession time!

I love this question because students often mention a crappy TV show they watch. And I usually confess that I watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

#4: Things You've Learned Lately

Ask students to think of two or three things they could not do as children but can do now. Emphasize that it's related to some skill or you'll just get answers like drinking or smoking. This is one of the best ESL conversation topics for adults.

#5: Last purchase

Ask students to talk about the last thing they bought that cost more than $100. This is one of the more interesting ESL conversation questions.

#6: You are the president

Ask your students to talk about what their top three priorities would be if they were the president of their country. It's one of the best ESL conversation questions for teens or adults.

#7: ESL Conversation Question About Favorite Things

Students submit questions using the What's your favorite _____ launcher? Collect the papers, choose the top three, and then have the students answer them. Or you could give each small group some papers and they could discuss different things.

Even More ESL Talking Points

Interested in exploring more ESL conversation topics? Then you must watch this video below:

#8: Horoscope

Find some daily or monthly horoscopes online. Students read their descriptions and check that they match. It's really funny because horoscopes are very open to different interpretations.

#9: People in your life

Which three people do you spend the most time with these days? What qualities do you value in each person?

#10: The best decision

Students think about a difficult decision they made, but are confident they made the right decision.

Nº 11: Dream Vacation

If students had $10,000 (or the equivalent in your local currency) and a long absence from work, where would they go?

#12: 100 days remaining

You just went to the doctor and found out you have a rare disease. You only have 100 days left, so how would you spend that time?

Nº 13: 5 Similarities

Students must go with a partner and then find five things they have in common. Things like favorite food, sports they like, favorite day of the week, native language, family life, etc. Encourage students to find things that aren't obvious, such as: B. You're in the same class or something. You live in ABC City.

#14: What Can You Cook?

There is afood you can cookvery good and your family or friends like to eat? It could even be something very simple.

Do you have any advice for someone who would like to do the same?

#15: What would you like to learn?

If you had 10 free hours a week and could learn 1 new skill, what would it be and why?

Nº 16: Dream Job

What is your ideal job? Why? This is one of the most interesting ESL conversation questions for high school or college students.

Nº 17: If school was free...

If college was free and you were paid a base salary to attend, would you stop being a student? Why or why not? Or would you get a job?

#18: Movies, books and TV shows

How do you spend your time watching or reading them? What's your favorite movie or what's the next one you'd like to see?

Nº 19: Maus Habits

If you could easily change one of your personal habits, what would it be? Sleep until it's late? To smoke? Do you not exercise enough? eat french fries? How do you feel about it? Do you want to change or don't you care?

when you want to concentratesuperlative adjectives, you can change the question to "What is your worst habit?" And your best?

Habits are one of the best conversation topics for adults.

#20: Best ESL Holiday Convo Theme

Students can talk about the best vacation they've ever had. You can mention things like food,wetter, activities, etc. I usually start by quickly telling students about a recent vacation I took.

#21: Family ESL

A classic topic of conversation for adults isfamily🇧🇷 After all, most people grow out of one and have a new one later in life. Because of that, there are so many things to discuss. And of course everyone has an opinion on how they should look!

#22: Christmas (or equivalent holiday)

Everyone has ideas about what are the best traditions andchristmas activities, or which holiday is the most popular in the country where you teach. This can lead to interesting discussions about things like values, family and consumption.

#23: How to Carelessly Spend $1,000

This is a fun ESL talk where anyone can say how they would spend $500 on the requirement that this be done lightly. That is, it cannot be used to invest, pay bills, etc. Give some examples of how someone might be traveling while someone else is shopping.

#24: Favorite season

Everyone has a favorite (and a dislike)season🇧🇷 Students can talk about whether they like spring, summer, fall or winter better and give some reasons why they don't like it and why.

#25: Future Predictions ESL Conversation Topic

Make some predictions about the future.It's a fun conversation starter for adults. I usually relate this to the topic of the day, such as extreme weather, politics, sporting events, pop culture, etc. It is definitely one of my favorite ESL convo topics and students generally find this unit very interesting.

How about starting discussions for children?

Some of these questions, like things like what would you do if you were president or your dream vacation, are great for kids. However, some of them are obviously not a guilty pleasure!

If you are teaching children, check out this list made especially for them:Conversation starters for kids.

What about ESL talking points based on a grammar point?

Maybe you've had this experience before? They teach you about a specific grammatical point, such astermsogerunds and infinitivesand you tell students to ask themselves questions using that specific grammar. Total silence!

Of course, students are not to blame. It's because they haven't been given enough information to work with. Instead, give them some ESL talking points and you'll likely get better results.

It's totally fine to use conversation questions at a specific point in the grammar rather than organizing them by topic like you would with a vocabulary lesson.

Need more ideas for ESL Convo topics?

If you liked these ESL conversation starters for adults, you'll love them!Lesson plan ideas, ESL activities and games, and more, delivered straight to your inbox every few days. I promise to respect your privacy and never give out your email address to third parties for any reason.

There are ESL games, activities, talking points and questions, and many more ESL lessons.

How about some ESL talking points for adults? top 25

If you're looking for some discussion topics for your adult classroom that are sure to be a hit, check out some of these top ideas that will work with almost any student in any country. Of course, be sure to adapt the topic to your students' level by adapting the activities, questions, listening or reading passages you use.

Here are some of the best discussion topics for adults:

• hobbies
• time and how people spend it
• A perfect first date
• Music
• Movie
• last book you read
• Essen
• favorite restaurant
• adoption
• aging society
• Provide advice for some common issues.
• challenges in society
• Anything in the news or current events
• Clone
• eletric cars
• Renewable energy
• Family values ​​(more ideas here:ESL family activities)
• get a job
• unemployment
• immigration

If you're looking to add a little more organization to your life, check out these options:cart for teachers.

Frequently Asked Questions about ESL Talks and Discussions

There are a number of common questions people have about ESL talking points. Here are answers to some of the most popular ones.

How is ESL conversation taught to adults?

There are a number of steps you can take to teach adult ESL conversation. Some of them include the following:

• Focus on communication over accuracy.
• Make the lesson as student-centered as possible (reduce teacher intervention time).
• Use pair and small group work as much as possible.
• change partners frequently.
• Use a variety of interesting and engaging activities and games.
• Teach vocabulary and review important grammar concepts.
• Track bugs and provide kind feedback.
• Of course, make sure you choose interesting things to talk about.

How to teach ESL conversation for beginners?

Here are some tips for teaching ESL conversation to beginners:

• Keep it as simple as possible.
• Be sure to check for understanding using the Check-of-Concept Questions (CCQs).
• Plan plenty of practice time in class.
• Work hard in pairs and small groups and change partners often.
• Try to reduce the teacher's speaking time as much as possible.
• Use a variety of student-centered ESL conversation activities.
• Use responsive ESL convo themes

What are some of the best ESL talking points?

The best ESL conversation topics are those that most students in the class have personal experience with and are interested in. Things like daily plans, hopes for the future, food, movies, hobbies, work or school life, and current events are ideal for ESL Convo topics.

How can I teach ESL conversation?

Did you like these ESL talking points?

Yea? I didn't imagine. Then you'll love this book on Amazon:67 ESL conversation topics with questions, vocabulary, writing instructions and more🇧🇷 If you are teaching speech and conversation classes to teens or adults, this is the book for you! There are 67 pre-built lesson plans that will save you a lot of time.

You can find the book in digital and print formats. It's easier than ever to organize great discussion courses around these engaging topics from ESL Convo, along with everything you need to deliver an engaging class.

Check the book out for yourself, but only if you're looking to bring some serious ESL teaching into your life:

Say something about ESL conversation topics for adults

How do you use ESL to get your students talking in your classes?conversationMatters? Are you using one of those ESL talking points or something else? What are some of the best ESL conversation questions? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We would love to hear from you.

Be sure to share this on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest too. This will help other busy teachers like you to find this teaching resource useful.

Last Updated 10/15/2022 / Affiliate Links / Amazon Product Advertising API Images