RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

CONVERSATION TOPICS: Intermediate Level

Conversation topics suitable for intermediate learners of English.

♦SUGGESTION:
It's a good idea to pre-teach some vocabulary relating to the topic before beginning a discussion.
Also, eliciting phrases for giving an opinion, agreeing and disagreeing can break the ice.
This usually makes students feel more comfortable and encourages them to participate.

CONVERSATION TOPICS - Intermediate level

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- In what areas are people using AI?
- In what ways can AI help students ?
- How can AI help people who are learning a language ?
- What jobs will be replaced with the development of AI?
- What jobs can robots replace ?
- Could robots replace teachers ?
- Can we always trust AI ? Why or why not ?
- What precuations should we take when using AI ?
- Are there any human skills or qualities that AI cannot replace ?
- How can our society prepare for the growing use of AI ?
Heatwaves: rising temperatures
- Drink lots of water to stay hydrated.
- Wear loose clothing.
- Stay in the shade.
- Avoid intense physical activities (running, tennis…)
- Open shutters and windows early, then close them.
- Close blinds or curtains to block out the sunlight.
- Use air-conditioning or fans.
Newspapers today
- Do people still read newspapers ?
- When did you last buy a newspaper ?
- When do people buy more newspapers? (elections, catastrophes, sports events, ...)
- Which do you prefer, and why: local/regional newspapers or national newspapers?
- What would like to change in newspapers ?
- Will we always have printed newspapers or will they disappear one day?
Food
- What country has the best cuisine?
- What is your favourite food?
- What is the worst thing or the strangest food you’ve ever tasted?
- What is 'junk food'? Can you give some examples?
- What sort of food is called 'healthy food'?
- People don't eat enough healthy food? Why? Why not?
- Would you like to be a farmer and produce food (meat, vegetables, cereals, fruit…). Why ? Why not ?
Travel
- What country would you most like to visit?
- Is there a place you would never visit again?
- Can you describe your best/worst travel experience?
- If you were only allowed to take five things to an unknown destination, what would you take?
Fears
- Are you afraid of/scared of anything? (spiders, mice, dogs, water, heights, flying...)
- When you were a child, what were you afraid of? (storms, ghosts...)
- How did you overcome your fear?
- Is it sometimes a good thing to be afraid? (e.g. to avoid danger, to be more careful)
Mobile Phones and their (excessive) use
Mobile phones (or cell phones) have become a large part of our lives today.
What do people use their phones for today?

- In pairs, make a list of the most common uses:
(for example: phone calls, text messages, photos, social media, alarm clock, booking flights, hotels, reading the news...)

- Should mobile phones sometimes be banned or restricted?
. at school (in general)?
. in the classroom?
. during meetings?
. in restaurants?
. other...
Eliminating things from today's world
If you could « delete » anything from the world, what would you choose ?
e.g. war, sickness, pollution, cruelty, aggressivity, greed, death …
- What would be the most important to eliminate ?
- What would you add to the list ?
What have been the most important new stories in the last year?
- Is it important to know what is happening in the world. Why? Why not?
- Do certain events get too much/too little coverage?
- Is it better to read the newspaper or watch news reports on television?
- Do you trust everything you read, hear or see on the news?
Fake news
- Have you ever heard of fake news (false or fabricated news)?
- Where do we most often find fake news? (newspapers, social media, show business ...)
- What examples of fake news can you think of?
- Can fake news be dangerous?
Marriage
Some couples today live together without getting married.
- Do you think marriage is outdated?
- Why do some couples still prefer to get married?
- Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of marriage in today’s society.
Working from home
Many employees are now allowed to work from home.
- What are the advantages of working from home?
- Can you think of any disadvantages ?
- How do you keep in contact with your colleagues ?
- If you have children, is it easier or more difficult to work from home ?
Physical Appearance
- Is it important how people dress ?
- Which is the most important : clothes, shoes, hair, hygiene, style … ?
- Can you guess someone's personality by the way they dress?
- On what occasions do people dress formally?
- On what occasions is it acceptable to dress casually ?
- How should you dress for a job interview ?
You are elected President of your country.
- List the most urgent changes you would make and explain why.
Friendship
- Do you prefer to have a lot of friends or just a few close friends?
- Are you still friends with someone you knew in Primary/Elementary school?
- Why do people need friends? / What are the benefits of having friends?
- What qualities do you look for in a friend?
- Why do some people have no friends?
- What is the best way to make friends?
Coronavirus (Covid-19)
- 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?
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?
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.
Describe your favourite pastime/hobby.
- Why is it so enjoyable?
- When did you take it up?
- How often do you do it? etc...
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?

What are the 5 most important decisions in a person's life?
(Provide some ideas: family, studies, job, choice of town/city/country... )
After making suggestions, the group decides on the order of importance.
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 film/movie you ever saw?
- Who is/was the greatest inventor of all time?
Your experiences in life
- What is the best idea you have 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?
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.
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?
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?

Telephones and mobile phones
- Have people become telephone addicts?
- What do people use the telephone for nowadays?
- Could you live without a telephone?
- What would happen if our telephones no longer worked?
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?
Do you think actors, singers, sportsmen, etc. earn too much money?
- Why/why not?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
Equality men/women
- Are men and women always treated equally?
- Is it the same in all countries?
- Do women often face discrimination at work?
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?

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