and welcome back to English with Lucy.
want to improve their conversation skills,
but sometimes it can be really hard
to think of the right question to say,
and it's even harder to think of a good response
If you want to keep a conversation going,
it's really important that you ask open-ended questions.
This is a key part of small talk.
I really want to help you practise.
So today I have got 100 open-ended small talk questions.
Open-ended questions are questions that people cannot reply
They have to say more than that.
I am going to be asked these 100 questions
and I am going to give you genuine answers
I have created an e-book for this lesson
that you can download for free.
It contains all 100 questions.
It contains the full transcript of my answers
with key vocabulary and a quiz.
It is the ultimate small talk conversation e-book.
my free small talk conversation e-book,
all you've got to do is click on the link
You enter your name and your email address,
you sign up to my mailing list,
and the e-book will arrive directly in your email inbox.
After that, you will automatically receive
all of my free PDFs and lessons
along with my news updates and offers.
Right, let's get started with the small talk questions.
- [Will] First topic, general small talk questions.
Question one, how was your day today?
- [Will] Two, what did you do last weekend?
- Last weekend I visited my family in Bedfordshire
and we celebrated my brother's birthday.
- [Will] Three, what hobbies or interests
- I really like running, and I've just bought a treadmill,
- [Will] Four, have you watched any interesting movies
- I've really been enjoying watching "The White Lotus."
because it's set in a holiday destination.
- [Will] Five, what type of music
- I honestly don't listen to a lot of music,
but I do really like Taylor Swift.
- [Will] Six, do you have any pets
And what's unique about them is they have Spanish names
Diego, the dog, and Alfonso, the cat.
- [Will] Seven, what's your favourite thing
- Ooh, we're coming into spring,
and I love seeing all of the bulbs that I've planted
in my garden start to peek up and show their petals.
- [Will] Eight, what's the most recent book you've read
- "L'amica geniale," "My Brilliant Friend"
by Elena Ferrante, an Italian author.
but my goal is to read it in Italian.
- [Will] Nine, what's your favourite type of cuisine
I love so many different types of cuisine.
Anything that involves fresh fruits and vegetables.
- [Will] 10, do you prefer living in a city
- I absolutely prefer to live in a rural area
because I find nature so relaxing,
although I do miss the conveniences of living in a city.
work and career small talk questions.
Question 11, what do you do for work
and what's one thing you enjoy about it?
I'm making my English courses,
And my favourite part of the job is receiving feedback
from my students who have taken the courses.
- [Will] 12, how did you get started
- It all started with this YouTube channel here in 2019,
and then slowly it grew into something a little bit bigger.
- [Will] 13, what project are you currently working on?
- We are currently working on a huge project,
which is our C1 level course, our advanced English course.
It's going to come out in May.
So if you're watching this in the future,
I have left the waiting list so you'll be the first to know.
- [Will] 14, what do you think
the future of your industry looks like?
artificial intelligence involved.
- [Will] 15, what's one thing you've learned recently
that's helped you in your job?
- I have learned to listen carefully to criticism,
but to not take it all to heart.
- [Will] 16, what's the best professional advice
- Well, it's not the most impressive,
amazing, mind-blowing piece of advice ever,
but when my YouTube channel was starting to take off,
I was starting to make a little bit of income,
I asked my dad if I should do it
or if I should continue with my planned career path.
"If it doesn't work, you'll only be 23."
"All you've lost is a little bit of time."
It ended up being the best piece of advice
- [Will] 17, what do you think sets
successful people apart in your field?
- I think they are excited about what they do
- [Will] 18, what's one challenge you've faced at work
- One thing I found really difficult
That's not ever something I thought I was going to be doing.
And I've been trying to overcome it.
Recently, I have opened my calendar
so that at the beginning of every month,
everyone who works for me can check in for a 20-minute chat.
so I hope that we'll help me be more in touch
- [Will] 19, do you have any career goals
- I would say more of a lifestyle goal.
I would like to not have to work all the time
I am not expecting children at the moment,
but I would like to have them in the future.
- [Will] 20, have you ever had
an interesting work experience or job?
- I worked in a juice bar for a number of years
and I learned a lot about fruit.
- [Will] Third topic, travel small talk questions.
Question 21, have you travelled anywhere recently
- Most recently, we visited Thailand,
and we went to Phuket and Koh Yao Noi, and it was beautiful.
- [Will] 22, what's your favourite place
- That would have to be Seville.
I totally fell in love with the city
and its culture and its people.
- [Will] 23, where would you like to go
- We really would like to go to Vietnam.
I am desperate to try pho, I think it's called.
The bone broth soup and with noodles, pho,
and I just really am desperate to see that country.
- [Will] 24, do you prefer relaxing vacations
- I like to have a good balance.
I do need to get the relaxation out of my system.
but I go a bit stale if I stay relaxing for too long.
I need to do things and see things.
- [Will] 25, what's one unique
or exotic food you've tried while travelling?
- Most recently, mangosteen.
I wish I could eat it everyday.
- [Will] 26, what's the craziest
or most memorable thing you've done on vacation?
- I would say climbing to the top of Lion's Head
That was absolutely beautiful.
- [Will] 27, what's your favourite way to travel?
- [Will] 28, do you prefer travelling alone
Well, my husband was a farmer and now he works with me.
And before, I used to travel a lot alone
"Damn it, he would love to see this."
I always used to feel so sad that he couldn't come with me.
So now it's such a pleasure to travel together.
- [Will] 29, have you ever had
a negative travel experience and how did you handle it?
- Yes, I once turned up at a supposedly five star hotel
that was nothing like the photos,
that I was going to move to another hotel
- [Will] 30, what's one cultural experience
you've had while travelling that you'll never forget?
- La Feria de Abril in Sevilla,
It's just this incredible party
with striped marquees everywhere.
Everyone wears flamingo dresses.
(gasps) I can't wait to go back.
- [Will] Fourth topic, hobbies and interests
Question 31, what's one hobby or interest
- Exercise.
It just makes me feel so good.
- [Will] 32, what's the most recent hobby
- I would say learning Italian with my tutor Aliche,
which is a platform that I'm a part of.
for the language you are learning.
- [Will] 33, do you have any hidden talents
that people might not know about?
- I can play the violin, and I'm also really flexible.
- [Will] 34, what's one thing you've learned recently
that relates to your hobby or interest?
(Lucy speaking in foreign language)
- I've learned to speak Italian a little bit.
- [Will] 35, have you ever taken a class
or workshop related to your hobby or interest?
- Ooh, well, a workshop I took recently
was a jewellery making workshop
where I learned to make a silver bangle,
- [Will] 36, what's the most adventurous
related to your hobby or interest?
- Well, to do with language learning,
I think going to Spain at the age of 16, 17
Immersing myself in the language was quite daring.
I spent ages saving up for the language course myself
and the start of my language teaching career basically.
- [Will] 37, what's one thing you like to learn
or accomplish related to your hobby or interest?
- Well, if we're going to talk about language learning,
I always like to learn how to make people laugh
That gives me a lot of satisfaction.
- [Will] 38, do you prefer indoor
or outdoor activities, and why?
If the weather's good, outdoor 100%.
But I'm English, I live in England,
so I've just bought a treadmill to run indoors.
- [Will] 39, what's one activity or interest
you'd like to try in the future?
Oh, I don't know why, but I really want to try archery.
- [Will] 40,
what's the most interesting thing you've learned
It is such an amazing experience,
and I learned absolutely nothing about it at school.
food and drink small talk questions.
Question 41, what's your favourite type of food, and why?
- Fruit, because it's so refreshing,
it tastes amazing, and it makes me feel good.
- [Will] 42, do you enjoy cooking
and what's your favourite dish to prepare?
and my go-to dish is actually normally a risotto.
with very few ingredients in my fridge.
- [Will] 43, what's one unique
or exotic food you've tried and enjoyed?
- Well, in Thailand we actually went on a cookery course
and we learned to make pad thai
and mango sticky rice and green Thai curry,
- [Will] 44, do you have any dietary restrictions
I'm very, very lucky to have no dietary restrictions,
so I don't need to manage them.
- [Will] 45, what's your favourite restaurant or cafe
and what do you like about it?
We've got some great ones around us.
And for me, the best part is on a sunny day,
an unexpectedly sunny day in England,
sitting outside in a pub garden.
- [Will] 46, what's one dish or cuisine
you've been wanting to try but haven't yet?
- Vietnamese food.
- [Will] 47, what's your favourite type of alcohol
- I really like wine and gin for alcohol.
Non-alcoholic, I love fresh fruit juice.
Fresh fruit and vegetable juice.
- [Will] 48, do you prefer sweet
Sometimes sweet foods can be overpowering.
And also, because we eat them at the end of the meal,
I'm not very good at managing my appetite.
- [Will] 49, what's one food or drink you've tried
- For me, it's anything that is really, really spicy.
I can handle spice but not obnoxious levels of spies.
Not the level that hurts your tongue.
- [Will] 50, have you ever tried cooking a new dish,
- I tried cooking pierogi, I think they're called.
Potato dumplings that you often find
in Ukrainian and Polish cuisines.
but when I showed my polish friend,
family and relationships small talk questions.
Question 51, do you have any siblings
and what's your relationship with them like?
I have a younger brother called George.
He's four and a half years younger than me,
and we have a fantastic relationship.
- [Will] 52, what's your family like
and what do you enjoy most about spending time with them?
My mom, my dad, my brother, my husband and me.
And what I love about spending time with them
is that we just do not stop laughing.
- [Will] 53, do you have any nieces or nephews
and what do you enjoy doing with them?
- Ah.
- [Will] Such a hard question.
- I have got a niece or nephew
that is due to be born in April,
so I'm hopefully gonna be an aunt.
but if they are watching this in the future,
- [Will] 54, are you in a relationship or married
and how did you meet your partner?
- Yes, I am married to my husband, Will,
of reading out these questions to me.
- And we met at Young Farmers' Clubs,
which is a very British rural teenager social club,
which is just as cool as it sounds.
But if you get a husband out of it,
- [Will] 55, do you have any children
and what do you enjoy most about being a parent?
so I can't really answer that question,
but I hope to have them at some point one day.
- [Will] 56, what's one challenge you faced
in a past relationship and how did you overcome it?
- Being unsuitable for each other and leaving.
- [Will] 57, what's one piece of relationship advice
you'd give to someone in a new relationship?
- Infatuation is very different to long lasting love,
but you can enjoy both stages with each other
- [Will] 58, have you ever been on a memorable
or interesting date and what happened?
- Once I went on a date with a guy
and he asked me what I wanted to drink and I said,
"Please, can I have a gin and tonic?"
And the barman said, "normal or slimline?"
And the guy looked me up and down and said, "slimline."
- [Will] 59, do you have a best friend
and what's one thing you love about them?
- I have two best friends and I love them in different ways.
I have loads of history with her.
We've known each other since we were born basically.
And my friend Felicity is someone I see sporadically.
it's like no time has passed at all.
- [Will] 60, what's one memorable family holiday
or trip you've taken together?
my grandparents had a little apartment
They used to hibernate there in the winter and play golf.
And we went there every summer as a family.
And I hadn't been back there for seven years,
and I went back last year with my husband and my parents,
and it was amazing to be in my childhood holiday location
I felt like a child and an adult all at once.
It was a crazy, crazy experience.
- [Will] Seventh topic, current events small talk questions.
Question 61, have you been following
any interesting news stories lately,
and what are your thoughts on them?
- One big news story in the UK recently
was about a woman that went missing called Nicola Bulley,
and I found that really, really scary
and fascinating to watch at the same time.
- [Will] 62, what's your opinion
on the current political climate or social issues?
- Oh, well that's a big question.
Dire.
- [Will] 63, have you tried any new technology
or gadgets recently and what's your review of them?
- I have been playing around with ChatGPT,
and it has been scary and useful all at the same time.
- [Will] 64, what's one recent scientific discovery
or breakthrough that caught your attention?
- Definitely the development of artificial intelligence.
I feel that we are at a turning point.
- [Will] 65, have you been following any sports news,
and what teams or athletes do you support?
I mean, the Six Nations is going on
and my husband talks a lot about it,
but I can't say that sport really interests me too much.
- [Will] 66, what's your opinion
on the latest celebrity gossip or news?
- I used to follow a lot of celebrity gossip and news.
I just don't find it as interesting anymore.
But I do really like seeing beautiful dresses
on the current state of the economy or job market?
- I'm really worried about the economy at the moment.
It costs a lot to heat your home.
In the job market, I've heard rumours that people are taking
- [Will] 68, have you discovered any interesting books,
podcasts, or other media lately
and what did you like about them?
- There are two podcasts that I've been enjoying recently,
and they are by two British newspapers
that are leaning to the left and the right,
so I get both sides of the same story really.
One is Stories of our times by The Sunday Times.
The other is Today in Focus by The Guardian.
And it's really interesting to hear them both cover
the same story but in slightly different ways.
- [Will] 69, what's your opinion on climate change
and what actions do you think we can take to combat it?
- I feel frustrated by climate change
because there are these huge corporations
making so much of a negative impact
that sometimes as one human I feel quite insignificant.
But I'm really, really making an effort
to take more control over what I can do
- [Will] 70, have you been following
any recent cultural trends or movements,
- I have been interested in the Anti-Work
and I've seen some things on that Reddit sub-forum
and I find them really interesting
that people are suddenly sticking it to the man.
- [Will] Eighth topic, personal small talk questions.
Question 71, where did you grow up, and what was it like?
- I grew up in a tiny village in Bedfordshire,
and it was a very happy childhood.
Very rural, in the countryside,
lots of playing in the garden.
- [Will] 72, what's one childhood memory
that stands out to you, and why?
it must have been my seventh birthday I think,
and my parents had put a trampoline in the garden.
I spent every waking hour on that trampoline.
- [Will] 73, what was your relationship like
with your sibling when you were both growing up?
because I was five years older than George.
That's a big gap when one is two and one is six
or when one is 10 and one is 14.
So we weren't so close as children.
It's only now we are adults that we are really close.
- [Will] 74, what's the best thing
that's ever happened to you and how did it make you feel?
I got to marry the man of my dreams
and be surrounded by everyone I loved.
so it was the first time I'd seen so many people
- [Will] 75, what's one challenge
or obstacle you faced in your life
- I was really ill as a teenager.
and then a weird post-viral chronic fatigue thing,
and it was a rubbish time and I was very depressed.
It's such a blur that I don't even know how I overcame it.
I just know that I had a lot of support from my family.
- [Will] 76, do you have any personal goals
or aspirations that you're working towards?
- Oh, a big goal is to have a happy family
- [Will] 77, what's one thing you're proud of
or accomplished recently outside of work?
- I've made some pretty big charity donations this year
that I am personally very proud of, I think.
- [Will] 78, who's one person that's influenced
or inspired you and how have they impacted your life?
- My dad because he's so supportive,
so kind, so encouraging,
- [Will] 79, what's one thing you've done
for someone else recently and how did it make you feel?
- I helped someone very close with me
achieve something they've wanted to do for a long time,
and it made me feel really good.
- [Will] 80, what's one thing you've learned in life
that's helped you grow or become a better person?
- Not everyone is going to like you, and that is okay.
- [Will] Ninth topic, technology small talk questions.
Question 81, what's one technology or gadget
you can't live without, and why?
So much of what I do is done on my phone.
- [Will] 82, have you tried any new apps,
and what's your review of them?
- I've started wearing an Apple Watch,
and I've found it really good,
although the battery life is terrible.
- [Will] 83, do you prefer Apple
I think they are really user-friendly, and unfortunately,
I love the way they all connect with each other.
- [Will] 84, have you ever built or customised
a computer or device and how did it turn out?
I would be interested in learning though.
- [Will] 85, what's one recent technological advancement
or development that you find interesting?
- AI, definitely artificial intelligence.
I feel like we're on the cusp of something amazing.
This is the worst it's ever going to be.
It's only going to get better,
and I feel you have to keep up or get left behind.
- [Will] 86, have you tried virtual reality
or augmented reality, and what's your experience like?
- I have, very briefly at an event,
- [Will] 87, what's one useful app or tool you use regularly
- I use an app to track my menstrual cycle,
why I'm feeling rubbish some days.
- [Will] 88, do you think technology has more positive
or negative effects on our lives, and why?
- I would say in the grand scheme of things, positive.
There are lots of negative parts,
but definitely for medical advancements, positive.
- [Will] 89, what's one technological issue
or challenge that you wish could be solved?
- My internet connection, please.
you still can't get solid, reliable internet.
- [Will] 90, do you have any tips or recommendations
for staying safe and secure online?
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- [Will] 10th topic, lifestyle small talk questions.
Question 91, what's your typical daily routine
and how do you make the most of your time?
- We normally wake up at around 6:30.
I nearly always have porridge for breakfast,
and dinner between six and eight.
And I make the most of my time
by trying to get as much done in the morning as possible.
- [Will] 92, do you prefer to stay in or go out,
and what do you enjoy doing during your free time?
- Oh, I like a balance of both.
I end up getting really stale if I stay in too much.
I love going out of the weekends
and staying in during the week.
- [Will] 93, what's one activity or hobby
you find most relaxing or stress relieving?
- I don't know if it's a hobby, it's an activity,
but taking a bath, and especially a bath with a view.
and sometimes there are sheep in the field,
- [Will] 94, do you have any daily rituals or habits
- I have a coffee in bed every morning, and I love that.
I love that little 20-minute period of waking up,
you shouldn't have it first thing in the morning,
but it works for me, and it makes me feel good.
- [Will] 95, what do you typically have for lunch?
- I normally have soup in the winter
you like to stay active or healthy,
- Well, we love walking our dog,
so we walk in for at least an hour every day.
I also have a stationary bike and a treadmill,
because I don't have to go outside when it's cold.
- [Will] 97, do you have any guilty pleasures
and what do you enjoy about them?
I love a Lindor Truffle every now and again.
- [Will] 98, what's one way you like to spend a lazy day
- I love collapsing on the sofa with my husband,
my dog, and my cat, and watching a predictable movie.
- [Will] 99, what's one activity or practise you do
- I like to listen to audiobooks,
so I might put one on whilst I'm in the bath.
- [Will] 100, what's one thing that brings you joy
or fulfilment in life and why?
Yeah, that's an impossible question to end on.
Did you see how even when it was a closed question,
we'd add something onto the end to make it open?
I couldn't just say yes or no.
If you really want to improve your English,
download the e-book that goes with this lesson.
The link is in the description box.
Don't forget to connect with me on all of my social media.
I've got my Instagram, my Facebook,
and my website where I have my free pronunciation tool
where you can click on phonemes
and hear me pronounce those phonemes
and the words that contain those phonemes.
You can also check out all of my courses.
I've got lots of different challenges
and also my B1 course, my B2 course,