English speaking topics for intermediate pdf

1. Family
2. Restaurant
3. Books
4. Travel
5. Website
6. Accident
7. Childhood memory
8. Favorite rooms
9. Presents
10. Historical place
11. Newspaper/ Magazine
12. A memorable event
13. A favorite subject
14. A museum
15. A favorite movie
16. A foreign country
17. Parties
18. A teacher
19. A friend
20. A hotel
21. A letter
22. Hobbies
23. Music
24. Shopping
25. Holiday



Note:
  It's a good idea to pre-teach essential vocabulary before beginning a discussion.
  This will help students feel more comfortable and encourage them to participate.

♦ Also:  a Conversation Club is a great way for your students to get speaking practice.


CONVERSATION TOPICS - Intermediate level
  1. Coronavirus - What do you know about the coronavirus? - How can we stop the virus spreading?

    [wearing masks, washing hands, tests, vaccines …]

    - Do you think everyone should be vaccinated against the virus? - Are rich countries better protected than poorer countries? - Do you think our lives will be different in the future as a result of the virus?
  2. Electric cars - Have you ever used an electric car? - What are the advantages? - Are electric cars expensive? Why? - Where can you charge an electric car? - Can electric cars travel as far as petrol or hybrid cars? - Are electric cars better for the environment? - Do you think there will be more electric cars in the future?
  3. What is for you the most enjoyable type of holiday? [camping, hotel, club, rented accommodation, touring, sports activities, etc.] List 5 things not to forget when you go on holiday.
  4. Describe your favourite pastime/hobby. - Why is it so enjoyable? - When did you take it up? - How often do you do it? etc...
  5. Annoying habits - Can you think of some things that annoy you? - What annoys you on public transport? - Do some drivers have annoying habits? - Does snoring annoy you? - Do children or young people do things that annoy adults?

  6. What are the 5 most important decisions in a person's life?After making suggestions, the group decides on the order of importance.
  7. Who is the greatest? [Ask students to add to the list.] - Who is/was the greatest leader in the world? - Who is/was the greatest athlete of all time? - What is/was the greatest movie you ever saw? - Who is/was the greatest inventor of all time?
  8. Your experiences in life - What is the best idea you hav ever had? - What is your biggest stroke of luck? - What if the best / the worst piece of advice you ever received? - What achievement are you most proud of? - What initiative would you never take again?
  9. Environment - What are some of the most serious environmental problems? - What are the causes of pollution? - What are the causes of climate change? - Suggest ten things people can do to help the environment. - Suggest five things governments could do to help the environment.
  10. Natural disasters - What is a natural disaster? [fires, flooding, earthquakes ...] - Can you give an example of a natural disaster? - Have you ever been in a fire? - If you had to leave your home quickly, what would you take with you? - What would you do if you lost everything?
  11. Television - How often do you watch television? - What do you think of the quality of television programmes today? - What television programs are popular in your country? - Is watching television good for children? Why? Why not? - What would be your ideal TV show?
  12. Fake news - Have you ever heard of fake news [fabricated news]? - Where do we most often find fake news?

    [newspapers, social media, show business ...]

    - What examples of fake news can you think of?
  13. Are people becoming telephone addicts? - Could you live without a telephone? - What would happen if our telephones no longer worked?
  14. Why are social networks so popular nowadays? - What are the positive/negative effects? - Are social networks sometimes used for bad purposes? - What bad purposes can you think of? [harassment, fake news ...] - What advice would you give to people about social networks?
  15. Do you think actors, singers, sportsmen, etc. earn too much money? - Why/why not?

  16. Manners and politeness - What do you think are some good/bad manners? - Can good manners in one country be bad manners in another country? - What are some good manners for using a mobile/cell phone? - Why are manners important? - Do people have better manners now than before?
  17. Under what circumstances would you : - walk out of a restaurant? - refuse a taxi? - call the manager of a hotel? - sleep in a train/bus station? - wear casual clothes to work?
  18. If you won a lot of money, what would you do? Would you : - keep it a secret? - stop working? - go shopping? - buy a new house? - travel around the world? - give money to your family/friends? - give money to charity?
  19. What is a good job? [Ask students to add to the list.] - an interesting job? - a well-paid job? - a secure job? - good working conditions?
  20. If you had to move to another country because of your job [or your partner's job], - what country would you prefer if you had a choice? - what would you miss most? - what would be the most important for you?
  21. What have been the most important new stories in the last year? - Are certain events given too much/too little coverage? - Do you trust everything you read, hear or see on the news?
  22. Travel - What country would you most like to visit? - Is there a place you would never visit again? - If you were only allowed to take five things to an unknown destination, what would you take?
  23. Food - What country has the best cuisine? - What is your favourite food? - What is the worst thing you’ve ever tasted? - Do you worry about the safety of the food you eat? - Do you buy organic food?
  24. Equality men/women - Are men and women always treated equally? - Is it the same in all countries? - Do women often face discrimination at work?
  25. If .......... , what would you do? - If your house caught fire, what three things would you save before running outside? - If you could be another person for one day, who would you choose to be? - If you could be invisible for one day, what would like to do? - If you could live without sleeping, how would you spend your nights? - If you could change ONE thing in the world, what would it be?

see also:

Unfinished sentences - intermediate

Conversation Topics - advanced

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  Resources for Teachers Homepage


For every ESL student, speaking with native English speakers is like a dream come true. To get to a decent conversational level to be able to talk to native speakers, you have many things to learn and many words and phrases to remember.

And while we are talking about words and phrases, have you been thinking about some English-speaking topics?

There are plenty of entertaining topics you can chit-chat about. The following topics are suitable for intermediate students, so keep reading and see which ones you find most entertaining or which ones are your favorites.

15 Different English Speaking Topics For ESL Intermediate Students

You don’t know what to talk about with native English speakers?

Don’t worry because, in the following lines, you can find 15 different discussion topics ideal for English intermediate students.

Travel

Everyone likes to travel. Visiting other places, learning about other cultures, and meeting new people is always fun. Besides, it is one more experience and opportunity to practice the language.

  • What country would you like to visit?

  • Which country you would never visit again?

  • Which country did you visit more than once?

  • What do you like to visit in a foreign country?

  • Do you like traveling in summer or winter?

Food And Cooking

Food is also one of the favorites topics because everyone likes talking about food and delicious dishes.

It is mainly one of the topics suitable for beginners because of the related vocabulary, but you can expand and ask for more details for a more advanced level.

  • What is your favorite food? And why?

  • Which country, according to your opinion, has the best dishes?

  • What is the worst thing you’ve ever tasted?

  • Do you like to cook?

  • What do you like to cook?

  • How often do you cook?

  • What are the advantages or disadvantages of cooking?

  • Where do you get ingredients for cooking?

  • What do you think about organic food?

  • Do you eat only organic food?

Hobbies

Hobbies are something we enjoy doing in our spare time, so, naturally, everyone loves talking about their hobbies.

  • Do you have any hobbies?

  • How often do you do your hobbies?

  • How did you start these hobbies?

  • What do you think about [not] having hobbies?

  • What hobbies did you used to have and which ones you would like to do?

Work

Work is a very important part of our lives. Most of us have jobs and work, so we always have to say something about that. Talking about work is one of the topics that can get people together.

Here are some suggestions when talking about work.

  • What work do you do?

  • Do you like your job?

  • Is your job demanding?

  • What is your opinion about work in general?

  • What is your dream job and why?

Environment

Topics about the environment are always inspiring and can lead to many other, even different, topics.

So, it is good to talk about the environment, as long as the conversation remains polite and without arguing.

  • What are serious environmental problems?

  • How can people help the environment? 

  • What is your opinion about climate change?

  • What do you think about pollution?

  • What should the government do to help the environment?

Television And Social Networks

Talking about television and social networks is entertaining and it gathers people together.

There are plenty of things you can chit-chat about television and media and here are some of them.

  • What is your opinion about television?

  • Do you watch television?

  • How often do you watch television?

  • Which tv programs do you watch?

  • Is watching television good for kids and if not, why?

  • Why are social networks so popular?

  • What do you think about social networks?

  • Do you use social networks?

  • Do people use social networks for bad purposes?

  • Which social networks do you use?

Sports

Don’t think that only men like talking about sports. You would be surprised to hear that many women actually like talking about this topic. Therefore, don’t divide people by gender. If you like talking about sports, ask your speaker about the opinion, no matter if it is a woman.

  • Do you like sports?

  • What is your favorite sport?

  • Do you watch sports?

  • Did you play any sport while you were in school?

  • Do you play sports now?

  • How often do you play sports?

Animals And Pets

These living beings that are part of our lives and our best friends are the topic everyone would gladly talk about. That’s why in the following lines, you can find some questions about animals and pets.

  • Do you like animals?

  • Do you have any pets?

  • Which is better to have as a pet, a dog or a cat?

  • What is your favorite animal?

  • What do you think about using animals for various types of testing?

  • What do you think about killing animals for food?

  • Are people responsible for the extinction of some of the animals?

  • Do you help animal shelters in your town?

  • What is your opinion about the zoos and animals there?

  • Do animals suffer in zoos?

    Making Plans And Goals

    Making plans and goals has always been one of the favorite topics people like to discuss. Why then it wouldn’t be one of the English-speaking topics you can talk about with native English speakers?

    • What are your plans for…?

    • What are your plans for learning English?

    • What are your goals in life in general?

    • How do you plan to reach your goals?

    • How do you feel when you reach your goals?

    Dream a Little Dream

    Dreaming and dreams have been fascinating topics both for scientists and psychologists and ordinary people. 

    Dreams can inspire you and help you with your consciousness.

    Some of the fun questions about dreams can include the following questions.

    • Do you dream often?

    • What kind of dreams do you usually dream?

    • Which dreams do you still remember?

    • Do you think about dreams a lot the following day?

    • What do you think dreams and dreaming mean?

    For Shopaholics

    Some people love shopping so much that they can’t live either one day they don’t buy something. Others, on the other side, don’t like shopping and when they have to go buying things it’s like a punishment.

    All in all, this topic is always interesting to discuss, so here are some questions that might help you start the conversation.

    • Do you like shopping? If don’t, why?

    • What do you mainly shop for?

    • What is your favorite shopping store?

    • How often do you go shopping?

    • Do you like going shopping alone or with friends?

    • Do you do online shopping?

    • What do you think about online shopping?

    • What are [dis]advantages of online shopping?

    • What do you think people will do the shopping for in the future?

    Life Experiences

    Age doesn’t guarantee you the knowledge, but it may guarantee you experience. Besides, it is always entertaining to talk about your life experiences and hear the experiences of others.

    • What is the greatest experience you’ve had?

    • What is the worst experience you’ve ever had?

    • What is the best idea you’ve ever had?

    • Do you learn from your own experiences?

    • On what achievement you are the proudest of?

    Life in General

    Talking about life, in general, is a great way to practice words and phrases you don’t use every day.

    Since everyone has different views on life, here are some questions you may use while talking about life.

    • What is the meaning of our lives?

    • Do you think that there is an afterlife?

    • What do you think about your life?

    • What are you grateful for?

    • Is there some secret to a happy life?

    Money, Money, Money

    Money is essential in today’s world. Without it, we simply can’t live; we can’t buy food, pay the rent and have the food over our heads. As much as it may seem difficult to sometimes talk about money, besides being one more thing you can talk about, talking about money helps you expand your vocabulary and learn money-related terms.

    • What do you think is money the most important thing in our lives?

    • Do you manage to save some money? 

    • How do you organize your money?

    • If you win a lot of money in the lottery, what would you do with it?

    • Are there some tips and tricks to save money and spend less?

    Books And Reading

    With so many amazing books, this topic is always the right one to discuss with others.

    This is an especially favorite topic about book lovers. They could talk about books for days.

    Here are some of the questions about reading and books in general.

    • Do you like reading? If not, why?

    • What type of books do you usually read?

    • Do you have a favorite book?

    • Do you have a favorite writer?

    • Have you read something currently?

    • What was the last book you’ve read?

    • What do you think of e-books?

    • Do you read books online?

    • What are [dis]advantages of reading books online?

    • Do you usually buy or borrow books?

    Final Thoughts

    These are some of the topics you can discuss with native speakers. In case you don’t know any native English speakers, English tutors can help you. Besides being professional tutors, these people are native speakers, which is right for what you need.

    Moreover, if you want to have these topics in one place, we have for you a PDF file you can download completely for free and use as a reminder when you start a conversation.

    These topics can also inspire you to continue talking about other things or expand the existing topics.

    After all, talking about entertaining and pleasant things is what matters. As long as you enjoy the conversation as well as your speaker, and practice the language, the topic is ideal.

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