Marriage and relationships bring up different perspectives based on culture, age, and personal experience. These questions work well for discussing traditions, expectations, and how views on marriage are changing.
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)
- When do you plan on getting married? What needs to happen before you’re ready?
- Do you know anyone who had a very small wedding or a very big wedding? Tell me about it.
- What do married couples do together in your country? Give me some examples.
- What kind of food do people eat at weddings in your country? What’s a popular dish?
- What is a good wedding gift? Why?
- What is a wedding ring like in your country? Do people always wear one?
- Do married couples in your country go on a honeymoon? Where do they usually go?
- What music do people play at weddings in your country? Do you like it?
- How many people usually come to a wedding in your country? Is it a big event?
- Who pays for the wedding in your country? Is it the couple or the family?
Elementary (A2)
- How does the idea of getting married make you feel? Excited? Scared? Happy? Nervous? Why do you feel that way?
- What do your parents tell you about getting married?
- Describe your perfect spouse.
- What do you want your wedding to be like?
- What are some wedding traditions in your country?
- Do you like going to weddings? What is fun about them?
- What do people wear to a wedding in your country? Is it different from everyday clothes?
- Who is the most happily married couple you know? What makes them so good together?
- Where would you like to go on a honeymoon? What would you do there?
- Have you ever been to a wedding that was really different or unusual? What made it special?
- Where do people usually get married in your country? Why do they choose those places?
- Have you ever been in a wedding as a bridesmaid, groomsman, or best man? What did you have to do?
- Have you ever been to a wedding in another country or culture? What was different about it?
Intermediate (B1)
- What makes a happy marriage? What do you think is most important?
- Some people say that marriage is outdated (too old-fashioned and not needed). Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
- What do you think married life will be like?
- What do you think of arranged marriages?
- Do you think it’s important to have a wedding party? What’s good about having one?
- If you could only invite 10 people to your wedding, who would you choose? Why those people?
- Do you prefer traditional weddings or modern weddings? Why?
- Do you think marriage changes people? How so?
- Do you think expensive weddings are worth the money? Why or why not?
- Do married people in your country usually keep their own last name or change it? What do you think about that?
- How long do most couples date before getting married in your country? Is that too long or too short?
- Do you think weddings today are different from weddings 20 years ago? What has changed?
- Should people live together before they get married? Why or why not?
- Should there be a legal minimum age for marriage? If so, what should it be and why?
- Do you think couples should sign a prenuptial agreement before marriage? Why or why not?
- What do you think causes the most arguments between married couples? Give me some examples.
- What do you think is more important in a marriage: love or compatibility? Why do you think so?
- How do you think having children changes a marriage? Is it always a good thing?
- Do you think long-distance relationships can lead to happy marriages? What are the biggest challenges?
- How often do marriages in your country end in divorce? What do you think are the main reasons?
Upper-Intermediate (B2)
- Do you think the institution of marriage is getting stronger or weaker in modern society? What makes you say that?
- Do you think it’s better to marry someone similar to you or someone different? What are the advantages of each?
- Some people say you should marry your best friend. Do you agree? What makes a good partner different from a good friend?
- How has the role of marriage in society changed over the past 50 years? What do you think about those changes?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of getting married young versus waiting until you’re older?
- How do financial issues affect marriages? What can couples do to handle money problems better?
- How is marriage different when both partners work compared to when only one works? What challenges does each situation create?
- How do cultural differences affect international marriages? What unique challenges and opportunities do these couples face?
- What pressures do married couples face from their families and society? How can they balance these external expectations with their own needs?
- Compare how weddings are celebrated in two different cultures you know about. What do the differences reveal about each culture’s values?
- How have changing gender roles affected what people expect from marriage? What do you think about those changes?
- Why do you think some couples who have been together for many years choose not to get married? What are they gaining and what are they giving up?
- In many countries, people are getting married later and later. Why do you think that is happening, and is it a good thing or a bad thing for society?
- How has the rise of dating apps changed not just how people meet, but what they expect from a partner and from marriage itself?
- In the past, a bad marriage was often considered better than no marriage at all. How has this attitude changed, and what caused the shift?
- How does the pressure to have a perfect wedding — with social media, expensive venues, and elaborate traditions — affect how couples actually start their married life together?
Advanced (C1)
- Marriage is supposed to be about love, but it has always been tied to money, property, and social status. How do these forces shape who people actually end up marrying?
- Some cultures treat marriage as a union between two families, while others see it as a bond between two individuals. How does each approach create different pressures and different kinds of support?
- Why do so many people who know the divorce rate is high still believe their own marriage will last? What does this reveal about how people think about risk and commitment?
- Religious leaders, governments, and ordinary people often have very different ideas about what marriage should be. Whose definition matters most, and why?
- People often say ‘marriage takes work,’ but nobody explains exactly what that work looks like. What do you think it actually involves, and why don’t people talk about it more openly?
- How do religious, cultural, and legal definitions of marriage conflict and overlap in multicultural societies? What challenges does this create for individuals and institutions?
- Many people say they want an equal partnership in marriage, but research shows household responsibilities still aren’t split evenly. Why is there such a gap between what people say they want and what actually happens?
- In many places, getting married comes with tax benefits, inheritance rights, and legal protections that unmarried couples don’t get. Should the government reward people for being married, or is that unfair to everyone else?
- Social media is full of images of perfect weddings and happy couples, but divorce rates remain high. How does the gap between what people see online and what marriage is really like affect people’s expectations and decisions?
- Older generations often stayed married no matter what, while younger people are more willing to divorce. Is this a sign that people value marriage less, or that they value themselves more? What’s really behind the shift?
- Some people marry for love, some for stability, and some because of family pressure. When these motivations are mixed together in one marriage, how does that shape the relationship over time?