Everyone’s got family stories to share, whether it’s about traditions, relationships, or funny memories. These questions work well for building rapport and practicing descriptions of people and past experiences.
Questions are organized by level from beginner to advanced. A printable PDF of all the questions is available at the bottom of the page.
Beginner (A1-A2)
- How many brothers and sisters do you have? Do you get along with them?
- What do you like to do with your family on the weekend?
- Do you look like your mother or your father? How so?
- Who cooks in your family? What dishes do they make?
- Who is the funniest person in your family? What do they do that makes you laugh?
- What is your favorite family meal? Who makes it or where do you get it?
- Who is the oldest person in your family? How often do you see them?
- Do you help with chores at home? What do you usually do?
- Did your family have any pets when you were a child? Tell me about them.
- Where does your family like to go on vacation? What do you do there?
- What does your family do together on holidays? (New Year, birthdays, etc.)
- Do you have a family photo you really like? What is happening in it?
Elementary (A2)
- How close are you to your extended family? (cousins, aunts, great uncles etc.)
- What age is too young to get married? Why do you think so?
- Do you live with your parents or on your own? What’s good about it?
- Have you ever had a big family reunion? Tell me about it.
- Do you have a big family or a small family? What are some good things about it?
- What family tradition do you enjoy the most? Why?
- Have you ever had a big argument with a family member? What happened?
- What kind of advice do you ask your parents for? Why them?
- Have you ever taken care of a younger sibling or cousin? What did you think of it?
- What family member do you visit the most often? Why?
- What is the best thing about your family? Why?
- Who do you call first when you have good news? Why?
- Is there a family member you haven’t seen in a long time? Why not?
Intermediate (B1)
- How do members of a family support each other?
- Who do you think has the most power in the family? Why?
- Do you agree with the saying ‘Children should be seen and not heard’? Why do you agree or disagree?
- Are good family members or good friends more important? Why?
- What problems do parents have to solve as their children grow up?
- What is the perfect number of children a family should have? Why?
- What do you think of people who marry and decide not to have children?
- What do you think is the most important thing to make a happy family? Why?
- Many families send their children to private institutes or daycares for most of the day. Is this good or bad? Why or why not?
- How do you define the word ‘home’? Is it where you live? Where your family lives or where you grew up?
- When married people talk about having children they talk about ‘starting a family’. Can two married people be a family if they don’t have kids? Why or why not?
- What do you think of gay marriage?
- Is spanking or hitting a good way to discipline children? Why or why not?
- Why do people get married?
- If you were offered an excellent job abroad, could you leave your family and country for 5 years? Why or why not?
- Do you talk to your family about your problems? Why or why not?
- Should grandparents live with their adult children? Why or why not?
- If you could change one family rule from your childhood, what would it be? Why?
- Do you think it is harder to be a teenager now than when your parents were young? How so?
- In many cultures, the eldest child has more responsibilities than younger siblings. How is it different in your culture, and do you think that is fair?
Upper-Intermediate (B2)
- How do you think western families and eastern families differ?
- Is it better for mothers to stay at home with kids or go to work to earn more money for the family? What is good about each choice?
- How do you think family life is changing in your country? (example: wife working, husband cleaning, kids at institutes) Is this change good or bad? Why?
- Is it better to have siblings close in age or far apart? What are the upsides of each?
- Should adult children live with their parents until they get married, or should they move out earlier? What is good about each?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of raising children in a multigenerational household?
- How do cultural expectations about family obligations differ between your country and others you know about?
- What effects does divorce have on different family members? How do you think they cope?
- How does the relationship between siblings typically change from childhood to adulthood?
- Compare the pressures faced by mothers and fathers in modern families. How are they similar or different?
- How do family expectations about success and life choices affect young adults?
- How do financial pressures affect family relationships? Have you seen examples of this in your own life or community?
- What are the benefits and challenges of raising a child in a bilingual or multicultural family?
- How do expectations about family roles differ between rural and urban areas in your country? Why do you think those differences exist?
Advanced (C1)
- When families gather for meals, what unspoken rules or tensions often emerge around topics like politics, money, or personal choices?
- Why have extended family networks weakened in many modern societies, and what functions have replaced the support they used to provide?
- What tensions arise when traditional family hierarchies based on age or gender conflict with modern egalitarian values?
- How does the pressure to maintain family harmony often lead people to suppress legitimate grievances, and what are the long-term costs?
- How do families function as sites of both unconditional support and deep psychological wounds, and why is this paradox so common?
- In many countries, adult children are expected to financially support their aging parents. How does this expectation shape family relationships and career decisions differently across generations?
- Family loyalty can sometimes mean protecting a relative who has done something wrong. Where is the line between supporting your family and doing what is right?
- In some cultures, parents sacrifice everything for their children’s success, while in others, children are encouraged to be independent early. How do these different approaches shape what people believe they owe their families?
- As populations age in many countries, the ‘sandwich generation,’ adults caring for both their children and their elderly parents, is growing. How does this double responsibility affect people’s careers, mental health, and family dynamics?
- Strict parenting and permissive parenting both produce successful people and struggling people. If parenting style alone doesn’t determine outcomes, what actually matters most in raising children?