Luxury Items

Luxury items make for interesting conversations because students have strong opinions about what’s worth spending money on. These questions cover everything from practical purchases to status symbols and the role luxury plays in society.

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)

1. What is one luxury item you really want to have? Why do you want it?
2. What luxury item do you see in advertisements all the time? Where do you see it?
3. Who do you know that owns a lot of expensive things? What do they have?
4. Do you like jewelry? What kind do you like?
5. What is a luxury brand you know? What do they sell?
6. What is the nicest pair of shoes you own? Where did you get them?
7. Have you ever stayed at a really nice hotel? What was the best part?
8. What is the most expensive food or drink you have ever tried? Was it worth the price?
9. Do you like luxury cars? What is your favorite one?
10. If someone gave you $1,000 right now, what would you spend it on? Why?
11. What is the most popular luxury item for young people in your country? Why do they want it?
12. Do you ever look at expensive things online just for fun? What do you like to look at?

Elementary (A2)

1. What luxury items does your country import from other countries? Give me some examples.
2. What products is your country most famous for making or exporting?
3. What is the craziest example of a luxury item you have heard of? What made it so crazy?
4. Have you ever been jealous that someone had something you didn’t? Tell me about it.
5. What do you think expensive perfume is made from? Why do you think it costs so much?
6. Who are the best electronics made by?
7. How often do you spend money on things you know you shouldn’t? What kind of things do you buy?
8. Who are the most expensive cars made by?
9. What is the most expensive thing you own? Why?
10. Have you ever received a really nice gift? Tell me about it.
11. What is one thing you would never spend a lot of money on? What makes it not worth it?
12. What is the best hotel or restaurant you have been to? What was special about it?
13. Have you ever bought something expensive that you later regretted? Tell me about it.
14. What luxury items does your country make that people around the world want to buy? Give me some examples.
15. Do you check reviews before buying something expensive? Why?
16. Have you ever saved up money for a long time to buy something special? What was it?
17. What kind of luxury items do celebrities usually have? Why do they want them?
18. What is the nicest phone on the market right now? Why do people want it so much?
19. What is a luxury food or drink that you enjoy? Why do you like it?

Intermediate (B1)

1. Do developed countries focus too much on luxury items? Why or why not?
2. What do you think is the most popular luxury item in your country? Who is it made by?
3. Do you think that luxury goods make people happy? Why or why not?
4. What is something that you can spend money on that will make you happy? How long will it make you happy for?
5. Do brand name prices mean quality? Why or why not?
6. Which types of products must have brand names if you are going to buy them?
7. Are rich people really happier? Why or why not?
8. Name five things a person can do to make themselves happier without spending money.
9. What are the three most important things to look for when buying something expensive?
10. What’s the difference between buying real luxury items and fake copies?
11. What is the most expensive thing you have ever bought? Was it worth it?
12. Do you prefer name-brand clothes or regular clothes? Why?
13. Do you think spending money on luxury brands is smart? Why or why not?
14. If you could only keep three things you currently own, what would you keep? What makes them so important?
15. Should parents buy their children expensive phones and gadgets? Why or why not?
16. What do you think motivates people to buy luxury items they can’t really afford?
17. Do you think people treat you differently when you’re wearing expensive clothes or carrying expensive items? How so?
18. Should people spend a lot of money on weddings? Why or why not?
19. What do you think is the most overpriced product that people still buy? What keeps them buying it?
20. Is it better to spend money on experiences or on things? Give me some examples.

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

1. How does owning luxury items affect a person’s social status and relationships?
2. What’s the difference between something that’s expensive and something that’s actually a luxury?
3. How has social media changed the way people think about and buy luxury items? What do you think about those changes?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying luxury items secondhand or pre-owned?
5. Compare how luxury items are marketed to men versus women. What are the main differences in the messages and strategies?
6. How is the concept of luxury different across cultures and countries? How does wealth affect what people consider a luxury?
7. How do luxury brands create a sense of exclusivity, and why does that strategy work so well?
8. Some people say the luxury industry is wasteful, while others say it creates jobs and drives innovation. What do you think about both sides?
9. What role does packaging and presentation play in making a product feel luxurious? How much does it influence your buying decisions?
10. How do luxury brands use marketing and psychology to make people feel like they need to buy things they don’t actually need?
11. When a luxury brand starts selling more affordable products to reach a wider audience, it often loses its exclusive image. How do companies balance growing their business with keeping their brand desirable?

Advanced (C1)

1. Luxury brands often use limited editions and long waiting lists to increase demand. How does artificial scarcity change the way we value things, and does it make us want things we wouldn’t normally care about?
2. Some luxury brands have been around for centuries while others rise and fall within a decade. What determines whether a luxury brand survives across generations, and how much of it comes down to the product versus the story behind it?
3. In many countries, people go into serious debt to buy luxury items they cannot afford. What drives this behavior, and how do cultural expectations, advertising, and personal psychology all play a role?
4. The concept of ‘quiet luxury’ (expensive items with no visible logos) has become a trend. What does the shift from flashy brands to understated wealth reveal about how social class works today?
5. Some people argue that true luxury today is not about owning things but about having time, privacy, and good health. How has the meaning of luxury shifted, and what does that say about modern life?
6. Counterfeit luxury goods are a massive global industry. Why do so many people buy fakes when they know they are fake, and what does this say about whether people care more about the product or the image?
7. Luxury fashion houses are increasingly hiring creative directors from streetwear backgrounds. How does the blending of high fashion and street culture challenge traditional ideas about what counts as luxury?
8. In some cultures, giving expensive gifts is expected, while in others it can seem inappropriate or wasteful. How do cultural attitudes toward luxury shape the way people give and receive gifts, and what happens when those expectations clash?
9. Luxury brands are now selling digital items like virtual handbags and NFT fashion. Why are people willing to pay real money for things they can never physically touch, and what does this tell us about what we actually value when we buy luxury goods?
10. In many developing countries, luxury malls and designer stores are opening in cities where most people earn very modest wages. What drives this trend, and how does the presence of extreme luxury in everyday life affect the people who live around it but cannot afford it?
11. Some luxury brands now advertise sustainability and ethical production, but critics say true luxury and sustainability are fundamentally at odds because luxury depends on excess. Can a luxury brand be genuinely sustainable, or is it always just marketing?

PDF: Download a PDF of all the questions