Conversational Classes –  What is your position?
 What do you like about your job?
Level 1
Source:
http://www.goodluckielts.com/IELT
S-speaking-topics.html
Questions for debate
Part I
YOU
Describe yourself.
FAMILY
 Describe your family?
 Do you have a large or small family?
 How much time do you spend with
your family?
 What do you like to do together as a
family?
 Do you get along well with your family?
 Are people in your country generally
close to their families?
WORK
 What do you do?
 What are your responsibilities?
 How many hours do you work each
day?
 Do you enjoy your work?
 Is there some other kind of work you
would rather do?
 If you could change your job or
profession, what would you do?
 Describe the process of getting a jobin
your country.
 Describe the company or organization
you work for.
 What do you dislike about your
job?
EDUCATION
 Describe your education.
 What kind of school did you go to
as a child?
 Did you go to a co-educational
school?
 What was your favourite subject
as a child?
 Who was your favourite teacher?
 What is the education system like
in your country?
 Do you think your country has an
effective education system?
STUDIES
 What are you studying now?
 What is your area of specialization?
HOMETOWN
 Describe your hometown.
 What’s special about it?
 Where is your hometown located?
 Is it easy to travel around your
hometown?
 What is it known for?
 What do people in your town do?
 What are the main industries in
your hometown?
 What problems face your
hometown?
 What languages are spoken in
your hometown?
 What are the advantages of living
in your hometown?
 What are some problems faced by your
hometown?
 Compare your hometown with another
city.
 What are some environmental
problems faced by your hometown?
WEATHER
 What’s the weather like in your
country?
 Does the weather affect your mood?
 How do rainy days make you feel?
 What’s your favourite season of the
year?
 What do you like to do when it’s hot?
 What do you usually do in the winter?
 How many seasons does your country
have?
HOME
 Describe your home.
 What kind of building do you live in?
 How long have you lived there?
WEDDING
 Have you ever been to a wedding?
 Whose wedding was it?
 Where was it held?
 What clothes do people wear?
 Describe the wedding ceremony.
 What sort if gifts do people buy for the
bridal couple?
 What kind of clothes did the bride and
groom wear?
Articles
News in Levels http://www.newsinlevels.com/#
Turtles are saved
More than 4,000 Philippine forest turtles were
found in awarehouse in the Philippines. They
were stuffed inside boxes when
an animal conservation group saved
them.
They were kept in very
poor conditions – at least 90 turtles
were dead and a thousand had to be
helped at a nature park. The turtles
were awaiting a shipmentabroad,
probably to China for the pet trade, the
food trade, and traditional Chinese
medicine.
The turtles can sell for at least £200 on
the underground market in China.
Some illegal traders are able to sell
them to western countries for as much
as £1,500.
Difficult words: warehouse (a building
where you keep many
things), animal conservation group(a
group of people who help
animals), shipment (the action of
shipping something – transporting
things).
TRAVEL
 Do you like to travel?
 What kind of places have you
visited in your life?
 Which place would you really like
to visit? Why?
 What’s the best place you’ve ever
visited?
COMPUTERS
 Do you think computers help
society?
 Do you think computers are bad
for health?
 How do you think computers have
changed the world?
INTERNET
 Do you use the Internet much during
the day?
 What do you usually do on the
Internet?
 What are some advantages of the
Internet?
 What are some disadvantages?
 Do people in your country use the
Internet a lot?
 Do you do any shopping on the
Internet?
EMAIL
 Do you send and receive email
regularly?
 Who do you usually communicate with?
 How often do you check your email?
 Do you think writing email has
strengthened or weakened people’s writing
skills?
 What are some disadvantages of
email?
FRIEND
 Describe a friend.
 How long have you known each other?
 What do usually do together?
 What do you like the most about him /
her?
 How often do you see each other?
PLACE
 Describe a place you like to go.
 Why is this place special to you?
 When did you first visit this place?
 Where is this place located?
 What language is spoken here? Do you
speak this language?
SMOKING
 What do you feel about smoking
in public places?
 Do you think smoking should be
banned in people’s homes?
MARRIAGE
 What is the attitude toward
marriage in your country?
 Do most young people plan on
getting married in your country?
 What are some of the advantages
of marriage?
 What are some of the
disadvantages?
 Is the divorce rate high in your
country?
 Do you think people should be
allowed to get divorced?
HOBBIES
 Do you have any hobbies?
 What are some of your hobbies?
 When did you first develop this
hobby?
 What are some of the advantages
of having a hobby?
 How much time do you spend on
your hobby?
FILMS
 Do you enjoy watching movies?
 What’s your favourite film?
 Who are your favourite actors?
 How often do you watch films?
SHOPPING
 Do you enjoy shopping?
 How do you feel about shopping?
 Do you like shopping on the
Internet?
 Do you have any favourite
stores?
 What don’t you like about shopping?
 Which is the most popular place to
shop in your hometown?
SPORTS
 Do you like sports?
 Do you enjoy watching sports?
 Do you enjoy participating in any
sports?
 Which sports are most popular in your
country?
 What’s your favourite sport/
 When did you first become interested
in sports?
 How often do you participate in sports?
 What equipment do you need for your
favourite sport?
FOOD
 What are some of your favourite foods?
 What foods are popular in your
country?
 What are some of the famous dishes of
your country?
 Do you enjoy cooking?
FESTIVAL
 What’s the most important festival in
your country?
 How do people celebrate this festival?
 What special food is associated with
this festival?
 What special activities are associated
with this festival?
 What do you enjoy most about this
festival?
 Do you think festivals are important for
a society?
TELEVISION
 Do you watch television a lot?
 What do you usually watch on
television?
 How many hours of television do
you usually watch?
 What are the most popular shows
in your country?
 What kind of shows do you like to
watch?
 What are some advantages of
television?
 What are someof the
disadvantages of television?
 What did you last watch on
television?
 Why do you think certain TV
shows are so popular?
Article
Very Hot Weather in India
Temperatures in India soared to 47°C
in some parts of the country. The heat
claimed 1,700 lives in just one week. It
was so hot that even the roads melted.
The electricity grid was overused, and
tens of thousands of people were left
without power supply.
Hospitals struggled to help all he
people who are sick because of
the extreme weather.
People should stay out of the sun,
cover their heads and drink a lot of
water. Cooler, rainy weather is on its
way to India, but it will be weeks before
the whole subcontinent cools down.
Difficult words: soar (to increase, go
up), melt (to change from a solid thing
to a thing that is like
water), struggle (to do something
difficult and to have problems doing it).

Translation Exercises
1. ¿Hay mucho dinero?
2. Había más alumnos en la clase que el año pasado.
3. ¿Cuánta gente habrá aquí mañana?
4. Hay mucha azúcar en la azucarera.
5. Hay bastante carne para dos días.
TOURISM
 Which places would you recommend to
a visitor to your country?
 Do a lot of tourists visit your country?
 What do they usually do there?
 How has tourism changed your
country?
 Is your country expensive for most
tourists?
 What are some famous landmarks in
your country?
DAILY ROUTINE
 Describe your daily routine.
 What do you usually do?
 What do you do on the weekend?
 What is you typical weekday like?
 Does your life change much from week
to week?
 Do you have any free time during the
week?
YOUR COUNTRY
 Which country are you from?
 Where is this country located?
 Which part of the country do most
people live in?
 What are the main industries in your
country?
 Is it easy to travel around your
country?
CLOTHES
 What type of clothes do you like
to wear?
 What kind of clothes do people in
your country usually wear?
 How important is fashion to you?
 What kind of clothes do you
dislike?
 Do you think people behave
differently in different kinds of
clothes?
 What kind of clothes do people
wear to work in your country?
 Are clothes expensive in your
country?
GOING OUT
 Do you like going out or staying
at home?
 What do you like to do when you
go out?
 How often do you go out?
 Do people in your country go out
a lot?
 How and where do people in your
country usually socialize?
 What kind of entertainment is
popular in your country?
GAMES
 Do you enjoy playing any games?
 What kind of games do you play?
 Do you think adults should play
games?
 What do children learn from
games?
 What kind of games did you play
when you were a child?
 What games are popular in your
country today?
 What kind of games were popular
when you were young?
 Do you think mental games like chess  Yes, could you tell him to call me
are good for you? back, please?

 COLOURS
 Sure.
 Do you have a favourite colour? 
 What are your country’s colours?  Thanks. Bye.
 Do you think colours affect our moods? 
 Bye.
 Can you learn anything about a person 



from the colours he / she likes?

 Making a business call
 Do you like the same colours now as
you did when you were a child? Gerhard Maier is calling Mr.
MUSIC Brown'soffice. Since he's not
 Do you like music? in, Robert Smith is answering the
call.
 What kind of music do you like?
 When do you usually listen to music?



 What kind of music did you like when  Good morning. Robert Smith
you were younger? speaking.

 What kind of music is popular in your
 Good morning. This is Gerhard Maier.
country? I would like to speak to Mr. Brown.
 Do you play any musical instruments? 
 Do you wish you could play any  Oh, sorry. Mr. Brown is not here, yet.

musical instruments?
 Can you tell me when he will be in?
 Which is your favourite instrument? 
Source: http://www.learning-english-  Probably around 4 pm.



online.net/speaking/dialogues/talking-on-the-
phone/  Alright, I will call again later then.
Thank you.

Dialogues  You’re welcome. Bye.

 Calling friends  Bye.



Mary is calling her friend Michael. Since

he's not home, his brother Tom is
answering the phone.
Idiomatic Expressions with
“Tener”





An idiom is an expression that
 Hello, Tom speaking. cannot be immediately understood
 by analyzing its literal meaning. A
 Hi Tom, this is Mary. Is your brother in? few examples of idioms in English
 are:
 No, he’s at the cinema. Can I take a t
message? o

b
e translations sound odd to English
speakers, they sound perfectly
“ natural to native speakers. Here is
o one example:
n I
d
t i
h o
e m
.
g .
o .
” .
.
t .
o .
.
“ .
p .
l .
a .
y .
.
t .
h .
e .
.
fi .
e .
l .
d .
” .
H
t a
o c
e
“
j m
u u
m c
p h
o
t
h f
e r
í
g o
u
n L
” i
t
Spanish also has many idiomatic e
expressions. Although their literal r
a n
l g
l .
y .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. I
. t
.
. i
. s
.
. v
. e
. r
. y
.
I c
t o
l
m d
a
k There are many idiomatic expressions
e that use the verb tener. This one
s expresses age:
I
m d
u i
c o
h m
.
c .
o .
l .
d .
.
T .
r .
u .
e .
.
M .
e .
a .
n .
i .
. t
. o
.
. h
. a
. v
. e
t
e _
n _
e _
r _
_
_
_ y
_ e
_ a
_ r
s
a
ñ T
o r
s u
e
L
i M
t e
e a
r n
a i
l n
l g
y .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. t
. o
.
. b
. e
.
. _
. _
. _
. _
_ t
e
y n
e e
a r
r
s c
a
o l
l o
d r

Many other expressions using tener express .

physical sensations: .
t .
e .
n .
e .
r .
.
f .
r .
í .
o .
. .
. .
. .
. t
. o
.
. b
. e
.
. h
. o
. t
.
. t
. e
. n
. e
. r
t
o h
a
b m
e b
r
c e
o .
l .
d .
.
. t
. h
. i
. r
. s
. t
. y
t
o t
e
b n
e e
r
h
u s
n u
g e
r ñ
y o
.
t .
e .
n .
e .
r .
.
s .
e .
d .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. t
. o
.
. b
. e
.
. s
. l
. e
. e
. p
. y
. tener dolor de .......... to hurt or be sore,
. etc.
t
o There are also many
idiomatic expressions with
b tener that express sensations
e more psychological in nature:
tener
prisa.......................................................... to .
be in a hurry t
tener miedo a/de + noun o
................................... to be
afraid of something tener b
miedo a/de + infinitive e
.............................. to be
afraid to do something r
tener i
celos ................................... g
...................... to be jealous h
tener t
confianza ........
....................... t
................... to e
be confident n
tener e
cuidado........... r
.......................
................... to é
be careful x
tener i
vergüenza ....... t
....................... o
................... to
be ashamed .
.
There are other idiomatic expressions with .
tener as well: .
t .
e .
n .
e .
r .
.
r .
a .
z .
ó .
n .
. t
. o
.
. b
. e
.
. s
. u
. c
. c
. e
. s
. s
f e
u
l .
.
t .
e .
n .
e .
r .
.
l .
a .
.
c .
u .
l t
p o
a
. b
. e
.
. l
. u
. c
. k
. y
.
. t
. e
t n
o e
r
b
e l
u
g g
u a
i r
l .
t .
y .
.
t .
e .
n .
e .
r .
.
s .
u .
e .
r .
t .
t Yo tengo cinco años. Tú tienes ocho
o años. Pablo tiene dos años.

t Notice that the expressions combine

a the verb tener with a noun:
k el año el frío el calor
e la hambre la sed
el sueño el dolor la prisa el miedo
p los celos
l l
a a
c
e c
o
t n
e fi
n a
e n
r z
a
g
a e
n l
a
s c
u
d i
e d
. a
. d
. o
.
. l
. a
.
. v
. e
t r
o g
ü
f e
e n
e z
l a

l l
i a
k
e r
tener en cuenta........ to take into account a
z
ner) according to the subject of the ó
sentence. n
e l
l a

é s
x u
i e
t r
o t
e
l
a e
l
c
u l
l u
p g
a a
r
 Because the expressions with tener use nouns, they are modified
with adjectives, not adverbs.
Tengo frío.
Tengo mucho frío. (not muy)

The first practice exercise and test will cover ten of the most common
and useful of these expressions:
tener _____ años tener calor
tener frío tener hambre tener sed tener prisa
tener miedo a/de _____ tener razón
tener suerte

Part II
Describe an artist or entertainer you admire.
You should say:
1) Who they are and what they do
2) How they became successful
3) How you found out about them
4) And explain why you admire them

Describe a subject you enjoyed studying at school.

You should say:
1) When and where you started studying it
2) What lessons were like
3) What made the subject different from other subjects
4) And explain why you enjoyed the subject
Describe an important choice you had to make in your life.
You should say:
1) When you had this choice
2) What you had to choose between
3) Whether you made a good choice
4) And explain how you felt when you were making this choice
Describe a job you have done.
You should say:
1) How you got the job
2) What the job involved

Instituto Quintana de Cultura Inglesa 16 www.institutoquintana.com.ar

 3) How long the job lasted
4) Describe how well you did the job
Describe an area of countryside you know and like.
You should say:
1) Where it is
2) What its special features are
3) What you and other people do in this area
4) And explain why you like it
Describe an object you particularly like.
You should say:
1) What it is and what it looks like
2) What it is made of
3) What it is for
4) And explain why it is special for you
Describe a newspaper or magazine you enjoy reading.
You should say:
1) What kind of newspaper / magazine it is
2) Which parts of it you read regularly
3) When and where you read it
4) Explain why you enjoy reading it
Describe something healthy you enjoy doing.
You should say:
1) What you do
2) Where you do it
3) Who you do it with
4) And explain why you think doing this is healthy
Describe a game or sport you enjoy playing.
You should say:
1) What kind of sport it is
2) Who you play it with
3) Where you play it
4) And explain why you enjoy playing it
Describe someone in your family who you like.
You should say:
1) How this person is related to you

Instituto Quintana de Cultura Inglesa 17 www.institutoquintana.com.ar

 2) What this person looks like
3) What kind of person he/she is
4) And explain why you like this person
Describe a museum or art gallery that you have visited.
You should say:
1) Where it is
2) Why you went there
3) What you particularly remember about the place.
Describe an enjoyable event that you experienced when you were at school.
You should say:
1) When it happened
2) What was good about it
3) Why you particularly remember this event.
Describe a song or piece of music you like.
You should say:
1) What the song or music is
2) What kind of song or music it is
3) Where you first heard it
4) And explain why you like it
Describe a festival that is important in your country.
You should say:
1) When the festival occurs
2) What you did during it
3) What you like or dislike about it
4) And explain why this festival is important

ADDITIONAL HELPFUL PHRASES

General phrases

 Who is speaking, please?

 Who would you like to speak to?

 What number did you dial?

Instituto Quintana de Cultura Inglesa 18 www.institutoquintana.com.ar

  Oh sorry, I think I’ve dialled the wrong number.

 Can I speak to Mr. X's assistant, please?

 I would like to speak to somebody about…

 The call is very urgent.

 Could you ask Mr. X to call me back?

 Could you call me back again tomorrow morning?

 What is your phone number?

 Just a moment, please!

 Hold the line, please!

Making an emergency call

 It’s an emergency!

 I’ve been injured.

 There has been an accident.

 I need your help. Please come to … (address).

Difficulties of understanding

 Could you speak up, please?

 I didn't understand what you just said.

Instituto Quintana de Cultura Inglesa 19 www.institutoquintana.com.ar

  Please speak more slowly.

 Could you please repeat that?

 I'm sorry, I don't speak …

 Do you speak German?

 Can you hear me clearly?

 Could you spell that, please?

 Please say each number separately.

Idiomatic expression with “tener”

Pronunciation exercises
http://busyteacher.org/classroom_activities-pronunciation-worksheets/

Instituto Quintana de Cultura Inglesa 20 www.institutoquintana.com.ar