Celebrations & traditions — speaking questions
36 everyday questions about celebrations & traditions, each with a natural answer and the key phrases to use.
A25
What's a tiny detail of a celebration that you love far more than the big stuff?
What do you usually like to wear when there's something to celebrate?
Which celebration did you love most as a child, and what made it so exciting?
How do you usually mark your own birthday these days?
Describe the one food that, to you, just tastes like a celebration.
B111
At family celebrations, is there a quiet job or role that always seems to fall to you?
Rank your favourite parts of a celebration, from the bit you live for to the bit you could skip.
Tell me about the 'getting ready' part before a big event — what's that like for you?
What's the best gift you've ever given someone, and how did they react?
What's the morning after a big celebration usually like in your home?
What's one small tradition your family has that nobody outside the family would understand?
If you could invent a brand-new holiday for everyone to celebrate, what would it be about?
What would you tell a friend who has to spend an important holiday far from home for the first time?
Tell me about a celebration that completely didn't go to plan.
Looking back, is there a tradition you really hope to pass on one day?
If you had to be the official mascot of any celebration, which one would you pick and why?
B212
Tell me about a toast or a speech at a celebration that really stuck with you.
Describe how the day or evening before a big celebration usually feels in your home.
What's your best advice for someone hosting a big gathering for the first time and feeling nervous?
How does celebrating with family compare to celebrating with friends, for you?
How much are you into decorating the house when there's something to celebrate?
Is there a song that, the moment it comes on, instantly feels like a celebration to you?
Rank the typical celebration foods you know, from the one you'd fight for to the one you always leave on the plate.
When you're invited somewhere to celebrate, what do you like to turn up with?
Surprise parties — wonderful gesture, or a recipe for disaster? Where do you stand?
Do you think big, expensive weddings are worth it, or would a small one be better?
How are the celebrations in your life now different from the ones you had growing up?
Do you think old traditions should change with the times, or be kept exactly as they are?
C16
Some people feel there are too many things to celebrate these days. Do you think we're overdoing it?
If you could drop into any celebration from another culture, fully part of it, which would you choose?
Is there a tradition you used to keep but have quietly let go of, and how do you feel about that now?
Every celebration seems to have unspoken rules. What's one that always makes you smile or roll your eyes?
Is there a special object or piece of crockery that only comes out for celebrations in your home?
Tell me about a time you took part in a celebration that wasn't really 'yours' — a different family, culture or community.