Family & friends — speaking questions
36 everyday questions about family & friends, each with a natural answer and the key phrases to use.
A26
What's something you've caught yourself doing exactly the way one of your parents does?
Is there one place you always end up going with your family or friends?
When your whole family gets together, what does the room actually feel like?
Is there a small everyday ritual you share with a family member or friend?
Does anyone in your family have a hidden talent or a habit that always makes you laugh?
Who's the very first friend you can remember having, and what did you two get up to?
B19
Is there a saying or catchphrase your family uses all the time that an outsider would never understand?
What's your usual way of staying connected with the people who live far from you?
Can you think of a time a friend or family member did something kind that you've never forgotten?
Is there an object you own that instantly makes you think of a particular person?
If you could start one brand-new tradition for your family or friend group, what would it be?
Who is the friend who knows you best, and how did the two of you get so close?
If you could swap lives with one relative for a single day, who would you pick and why?
Think of the person you go to when you've had a rough day. How would you describe them?
If you could host one dinner with any three people from your family or friend group, living or not, who's at the table?
B212
If you had to describe a close friend's personality as a kind of weather, what would they be and why?
A friend has just become a parent and is terrified of losing touch with all their friends. What would you tell them?
What's the family story that gets told at every gathering, the one you can never live down?
Of all the qualities a good friend can have, which three matter most to you, in order?
Every family seems to have roles, the joker, the peacemaker, the worrier. Which one are you?
How easy or hard do you find making new friends as an adult?
Do you have a close friend who's completely your opposite? How does that work?
Are you someone who finds it easy to ask family or friends for help, or do you tend to struggle alone?
Some people say the friends you choose can be just as much family as your relatives. What do you think?
A friend tells you they're slowly drifting apart from their oldest friend. What would you say to them?
How are the friendships you make now different from the ones you made when you were younger?
Looking back, what's something an older relative taught you that you only really understood years later?
C17
Do you think families should talk openly about money, or are some things better kept private?
If you could instantly mend one strained relationship in your life with no awkwardness, which would it be?
How does a friendship that lives mostly online compare to one you keep up in person?
Was there a moment when you suddenly saw a parent or older relative as a real person, not just a parent?
How does saying sorry usually work in your family, is it spoken, or shown in other ways?
Put these in order of how much they make you feel loved: a thoughtful gift, quality time, kind words, or a helping hand.
Two close friends have fallen out and both want you to pick a side. What do you do?