In this lesson, you will practise answering simple personal questions with more confidence, using sentence starters and asking the other person a question back.
Try to use this pattern:
Answer → Add one detail → Ask back
Example:
Where are you from?
I come from Kazakhstan.
I live in Astana now, and I really like the city.
And what about you?
| # | Question | Alternative Question | Sentence Starter | Ask Back Phrase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where are you from? | Where do you come from? | I come from... | And what about you? |
| 2 | Where do you live now? | Which city do you live in at the moment? | At the moment, I live in... | How about you? |
| 3 | What do you do? | What is your job or main occupation? | I work as... | And what do you do? |
| 4 | What do you usually do in your free time? | How do you like to spend your free time? | In my free time, I usually... | What about your free time? |
| 5 | What are you into? | What are your interests? | I’m really into... | And how about your hobbies? |
| 6 | Do you like travelling? | Are you interested in travelling? | Yes, I really enjoy travelling because... | Do you enjoy travelling too? |
| 7 | What kind of places do you like visiting? | What places are interesting for you when you travel? | I usually like visiting... | What kind of places do you prefer? |
| 8 | What was your best trip? | What trip did you enjoy the most? | One of my best trips was to... | What about your best trip? |
| 9 | What food do you like? | What kind of food do you usually enjoy? | I’m a big fan of... | What kind of food do you like? |
| 10 | Do you prefer coffee or tea? | Are you more of a coffee person or a tea person? | I’d say I’m more of a... | What about you? |
| 11 | What kind of music do you listen to? | What music are you into? | I usually listen to... | How about your music taste? |
| 12 | Do you watch films or series? | Are you into movies or TV shows? | Yes, I enjoy watching... | What do you usually watch? |
| 13 | Are you a morning person or a night person? | Do you feel better in the morning or in the evening? | I think I’m more of a... | And what about you? |
| 14 | What is something you are good at? | What can you do quite well? | I think I’m quite good at... | What are you good at? |
| 15 | What is something you want to improve? | What skill would you like to get better at? | I’d like to improve... | Is there anything you’d like to improve? |
| 16 | What makes you feel relaxed? | What helps you relax? | I feel relaxed when... | What helps you relax? |
| 17 | What makes you feel confident? | When do you usually feel confident? | I usually feel confident when... | What about you? |
| 18 | What are your plans for the near future? | What are you planning to do soon? | In the near future, I’m planning to... | What are your plans? |
| 19 | What is one thing people don’t know about you? | What is an interesting fact about you? | An interesting fact about me is that... | What’s an interesting fact about you? |
| 20 | What do you want to feel more confident about in English? | In what situations do you want to speak English more confidently? | I want to feel more confident when... | And what about you? |
Choose 5 questions. Answer each question using:
1 sentence starter + 1 extra detail + 1 ask-back phrase
Example:
I’m really into walking around new cities. I like discovering small cafés and local streets. And how about your hobbies?
Student A chooses any question from the table. Student B answers and asks back. Then continue the conversation for 1–2 more questions.
Useful follow-up questions:
Really? Why?
That sounds interesting. Can you tell me more?
How often do you do that?
When did you start?
Do you recommend it?
Try to answer 10 random questions without long pauses. Your goal is not perfect grammar. Your goal is to keep speaking.
Golden rule:
If you don’t know what to say, start with:
That’s a good question. I think...
Let me think for a second...
I’d say that...
To be honest,...