15 easy-to-use topics to talk in English

I want to communicate a lot in English with cross-cultural exchange events and overseas friends, but I don't know what to say. I have applied for an English conversation lesson, but I can't speak free talk well.

In this article, we have summarized the topics of free talk that can be used for those who have such troubles. It is a content that can be put into practice immediately by those who are having trouble with how to speak free talk, so please refer to it.

15 topics that can be used in English conversation

In fact, there are many people who are good at presenting in English but not good at free talk. Unlike presentations where the content to be spoken is decided in advance, free talk feels difficult because there is no script, so it is necessary to get used to it.

Some people may have had an awkward experience, such as continuous silence or a choked conversation. In such a case, knowing the topics that can be used can greatly improve the quality of free talk.

In this chapter, we will introduce topics that can be used in free talk and English sentences that can be actually used.

Work / school

Work and school topics are a great way to find out what the other person is doing. If you know the other person, the range of communication will naturally expand. When talking about work or school, be aware that you should not only ask the other person, but also convey your work in a well-balanced manner.

Example sentence:

What do you do for work? (Casual expression: what is your profession?)

What's your occupation? (Formal expression: what is your occupation?)

What is your major? (What is your major?)

Recent events / latest appointments

Recent events and upcoming topics are free talk iron plates. A common English greeting has the phrase How are you ? , but you don't necessarily have to say I'm good, how about you. Or I'm fine, and you ? .

In particular, if you are asked " How are you doing?" In the present progressive tense, the intention of "Are you doing well these days?" May be hidden, so tell us about recent events and future plans. When you see it, the conversation is lively.

Example sentence:

How are you? I'm pretty good, and you. ( How are you ?)
I'm pretty good, and you.

How are you doing today? I will
watch the movie at home.

Daily routines and customs

Routines and habits may seem clever, but small daily routines are also a good topic.

For example, if you ask the question, "I run every morning. Do you have any daily routines?", It will be easier for the other person to answer. If you can find something in common with your daily routine and habits, it will be easier for the other person to have a sense of intimacy.

Example sentence:

What is your daily routine?

What do you do every morning? (What is your morning habit?)

Running is part of my morning routine now.

Weekend / vacation

It is also recommended to ask how to spend weekends and vacations. Many people spend their days off as a hobby, which is an opportunity to talk.

You may also know the family structure of the other person, such as "I went camping with my family on the weekends." It's best to avoid asking straight questions about your family, as there can be complex family circumstances, but listening to how you spend your weekends and vacations naturally helps you understand what's going on around you. can make it, right.

Example sentence:

What do you do to enjoy your days off?

What have you been doing on your days off?

I went camping with my family.

Cooking / food

Cooking and food are one of the opportunities to get to know the other person. You may discover something new by introducing foods unique to Japan or asking about the other person's home cooking.

In addition, Japanese dishes such as sushi and miso soup are popular all over the world due to the growing healthy thinking. It will be interesting to try to convey local dishes as well as typical Japanese food.

Example sentence:

What is your favorite food?

Do you like Japanese food? (Do you like Japanese food?)

Do you have something like Japanese Tempura where you're from?

Hobbies / favorite things

Hobbies and favorite things are topics that both you and the other person can enjoy talking about. Positive topics make conversations easier and help improve your speaking skills.

When I think of hobbies, I tend to think of hobby, but there are many expressions such as "what is your hobby?" Hobby often refers to hobbies such as painting, photography, and bonsai that require skill and knowledge, so here we will also introduce how to ask for a casual hobby.

Example sentence:

Do you have any hobbies? (Do you have any hobbies?)

What do you do for fun? (What do you like?)

What do you like to do in your free time?

trip

Travel is also a great topic for free talk. It's easy to dig deep into conversations such as "when", "where", "who went with", and "what you experienced", so it's suitable for long-term conversations.

If you like traveling, it's easy to find something in common, so you can have a conversation with nature. When talking about travel, you just want to talk about what you have experienced, but let's enjoy the conversation while considering the balance with the other party.

Example sentence:

Where would you like to go on your next vacation?

Have you ever traveled solo? (Have you ever traveled solo?)

What are some recommended tourist spots in your country?

Sports

Sports are a popular free talk topic, but popular sports vary from country to country. Soccer is a popular topic in the world, especially in Europe and Asia. Others include American baseball, Indian cricket, and Chinese table tennis.

If the teams you support and your favorite players are the same, it can be said that it is a topic that will bring you closer at once.

Example sentence:

What is your favorite sport?

What is your country's national sport?

My favorite soccer player is 〇〇, and you? (My favorite soccer player is 〇〇. You?)

fashion

If you're wearing fashionable clothes or have unique items, you might want to give it a look at fashion topics. In Japan, unique, which means "eccentricity," is also a compliment in some countries.

However, it is safe to talk about fashion when men and women are of the same sex. You don't have to praise too much, so enjoy the conversation naturally.

Example sentence:

What is your favorite brand of clothes?

You have your own sense of fashion.

What is the latest fashion in your country?

My family / friends / colleagues

Once you get to know the other person, let's introduce your family, friends, and colleagues. First of all, I will briefly describe people close to me, such as family structure and colleagues in the company.

Depending on the country or person, you may not want to be stepped into your private life, so avoid asking about the other person. Of course, if you can naturally understand the family structure of the other person and the situation of your friends in the conversation, there is no problem at all.

Example sentence:

I have two brothers.

My friends from college and I get together once a year.

I went camping with my college friends. (I went camping with my college friends)

Animals / pets

If you have a pet, the animal topic is also good. The ease of asking questions such as "why did you decide to keep a pet" and "what is cute" is also suitable for free talk. Show images and videos to make the conversation even more exciting.

It may be interesting to introduce Japanese zodiac culture in connection with animals. Sacred animals vary from country to country, so let's enjoy the difference and have a conversation.

Example sentence:

Do you own any pets?

Are you an animal lover?

There are 12 animal names in the Chinese (Japanese) zodiac.

Seasonal events

Seasonal events vary from country to country. There are various ways to spend events such as New Year and Christmas. It's also a good idea to convey your culture, such as "We go to the shrine on New Year's Day. What do you do?"

Events unique to Japan, such as festivals and holidays, can be difficult to explain, so it's a good idea to add some prior knowledge.

Example sentence:

Many Japanese people visit a shrine during the first three days of January.

What do you do for New Year's Day? (What do you do for the New Year?)

What traditional events does your country have?

Country / Culture / History

One of the great advantages of being able to speak English is that you can experience a world that cannot be known by Japanese alone.

By all means, ask questions about the country, culture, and history of the person you are talking to. It is also necessary to be prepared to explain Japan as well. Talking in English about the culture and history of your country, such as Japan's four seasons, holidays, and school events, will add depth to your free talk.

Example sentence:

Are there any similarities between Japan and your country?

What are some of your New Year's day traditions?

What kind of events does your school have?

movie soundtrack

Movies and music are topics that make conversations easier. If you introduce yourself and say "I like movies and music", please listen to it in detail in the free talk.

Free talk will be lively by asking questions that are easy for the other person to talk to, such as "What kind of movie have you watched recently?" Or "Please tell us your recommended music." Recently, video distribution services that can be accessed from all over the world on the Internet are also popular. It is also a good idea to take up the topic of movies and music, which is a video distribution service that has become a hot topic in the world.

Example sentence:

What films have you seen recently?

What is your favorite music?

Do you know anything good on Netflix or Amazon? (Do you know anything good on Netflix or Amazon?)

Books / manga

If you're talking about books, choose one that is world-famous. Not only the books that are popular now, but also the works of historical writers such as Shakespeare and Dostoevsky may be good.

In Southeast Asia and Europe and the United States, Japanese manga and anime are very popular in some areas. In the past, comics had a strong image of children's entertainment, but gradually they are becoming recognized as an adult hobby. Let's talk about it while watching the reaction of the free talk partner.

Example sentence:

What are your favorite genres?

I like reading mystery comics. (I like reading mystery comics.)

What book would you recommend to other people?

love

Love is a private question, so avoid actively asking if you have a lover. However, just as love bana is popular in Japan, some people like talking about love. In such a case, the conversation will be lively by asking a general view of love and questions that the other person can easily talk to.

If you tell the story of your past broken heart and the beginning of getting used to your lover within a reasonable range, you should be able to get closer to the other person. You may be able to talk more deeply if you talk after getting close to the other person to some extent.

Example sentence:

What do you think are the most common reasons why couples break up?

In your opinion, do long-distance relationships work? (In your opinion, do you think long-distance couples can continue their relationships?)

To be honest, my heart is broken.

Beauty / health

Cosmetology and health are universal topics. Like fashion, this is also suitable for free talk between the same sex.

You can expect a wider range of conversations, such as how to make up and hairstyles. However, be careful not to talk too much about health. It may be interesting to talk about hypotheses such as "If there is such a medicine ...".

Example sentence:

Is there a special diet in your country?

If you could develop a medicine, what would you care about?

If you had poor eyesight, which would you rather wear, eyeglasses or contact lenses? (If you have bad eyesight, which would you choose to wear glasses or contact lenses?)

English learning

Learning English itself is also a topic of free talk. Especially in English conversation lessons, it is a topic that is often asked to check the progress of learning. In such a case, it is recommended not only to tell you the study time and method, but also to ask for trouble consultation and advice.

You can also use it for future English learning by asking non-native people who are good at English, "How did you learn English?"

Example sentence:

I study English at least an hour every day.

What did you do to improve your English? (What did you do to improve your English?)

Could you recommend any interesting English movies that are suitable for learning English?

Current affairs news

Current affairs news in the world is also a perfect topic for training your English. Current affairs news may have a solid impression, but if it is a free talk that is not a place for business, there is no problem with casual topics such as entertainment and sports.

With more active discussions about current news, time should pass quickly.

Example sentence:

What is the most interesting global news in this week?

What type of news are you interested in?

What are trending topics in your country?

Social issues

For those who want to learn English that can be used in business, topics related to social issues are also suitable. Social issues are wide-ranging, including the environment, economy, and conflict.

When asking the person in the country in question, pay attention to your choice of words. In addition, it is necessary to acquire knowledge so that you can answer in English about Japan's declining birthrate and aging population and relationships with neighboring countries.

Example sentence:

Are you worried about global warming?

How do you see your country in the future?

A declining birthrate and an aging population pose very serious problems for the Japanese.

Phrases you can use when you want to start talking about your desired topic

Next, I will introduce a list of phrases and translations when entering a chat without specifying a topic. It can be used to shake a topic to the other person or to start talking about a desired topic, but it can be a vague question and it may be difficult to convey the intention to the other person.

In that case, aim for a smooth conversation by combining it with the example sentences introduced in the previous chapter.

Do you have anything interesting?

Can I get your feedback on it?

By the way, ~ (By the way ~)

Please let me ask you this.

I would love to hear your opinion.

What to do if you don't know what to say in Refree Talk

In this chapter, we will introduce three measures that we would like to recommend to those who do not know what to say in free talk. All of them are easy measures, so please try them in free talk.

Prepare the topic in advance

Before you get used to free talk, it is useful to prepare the topic in advance. Especially in situations where there is always free talk, such as English conversation lessons, it is easy to take measures and it is also recommended as a skill improvement.

Prepare multiple topics instead of one. Also, whether to dig deeper into the topic or switch to another topic while watching the reaction of the other party will respond flexibly. Free talk improves with practice, so don't be afraid to make mistakes and be aware of active communication.

Widen the range of conversations with 5W1H

It is important to make good use of 5W1H in order to broaden the range of conversation. For example, if you know that the other person has a hobby of traveling, you can ask questions such as "why do you like traveling", "who you go traveling with", and "what country was good".

Don't worry if the conversation is getting out of the way. There is no correct answer in free talk, and no conversation goal is set. Enjoy free talk with "What", "Where", "Who", "When", "Why" and "How".

Ask questions for input

You can learn a lot from free talk. It's important to keep the conversation flowing, but it's just as important to ask questions that you don't understand.

Especially for English conversation lessons, ask questions for input such as How do you say 〇〇 in English? (What do you say 〇〇 in English?). Strengthening free talk is directly linked to improving your English skills.

Conclusion

The point of free talk is to dig deeper and deeper, using the information that you have learned about the other party as a clue. Especially if you find a common topic, the conversation will be lively. Be proactive in asking questions while being private.

It is also important to be aware of the balance of conversation. It's tempting to talk about a topic you're good at or a careful research, but be aware of two-way communication while listening to the other person's words.