Memory

Memory is surprisingly personal, students share childhood stories, compare how they remember things, and debate whether phones are making our memory better or worse. Great for practicing past tense and getting students talking about their own 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)

1. What is the best memory you have? What happened and why was it so special?
2. Who was your most memorable teacher? What made them so memorable – good or bad?
3. How good is your memory? What kinds of things do you find easy or hard to remember?
4. What is the oldest memory you have? How old were you?
5. Do you remember your dreams? Tell me about a recent one.
6. Who has the best memory in your family? What kinds of things do they remember well?
7. What is a song that always brings back a strong memory for you? What does it remind you of?
8. Do you remember faces or names better? Give me some examples.
9. What is the first day of school you remember? What happened that day?
10. Do you take a lot of photos to remember things? What do you usually take photos of?
11. Is there a place from your past that you think about a lot? What do you remember about it?
12. What is the funniest thing you remember happening at school or work?
13. People often say ‘I’ll never forget where I was when…’ about big events. What is an event like that for you? What do you remember about that day?

Elementary (A2)

1. Do you have any strong memories linked to a particular smell? What is the smell and what does it remind you of?
2. What do you wish you were better at remembering?
3. Do you write things down to help you remember, or do you try to keep everything in your head? What’s good about each?
4. Have you ever forgotten something really important? What happened?
5. What kind of things do you forget most often? Why?
6. What tricks or methods do you use to remember things? Why do they work for you?
7. What historical event do you remember hearing about when you were young? Why do you remember it?
8. What is a food that always reminds you of a specific person or time in your life? Why does it remind you of them?
9. Have you ever been to a place and suddenly remembered something from a long time ago? What was it?
10. Have you ever met someone you hadn’t seen in years? What was that like?
11. How does stress affect your ability to remember things? Can you think of a time when stress made you forget something?

Intermediate (B1)

1. How do you want people to remember you? Why is that important to you?
2. How much do you think memories change over time? Can you think of a memory that you remember differently now than when it first happened?
3. Is the ability to memorize lots of things important? Why or why not?
4. Is there a movie or book that you have seen or read many times and still remember well? Why do you keep going back to it?
5. Should schools spend more time teaching students how to improve their memory? Why or why not?
6. Do you think happy memories or painful memories stay with us longer? Why do you think so?
7. What makes a memory stick with you for a long time? Give me some examples from your own life.
8. Do you think it’s important to remember historical events from before you were born? Why or why not?
9. Some people keep diaries or journals to record their memories. Do you think this is a good idea? What are some benefits of doing that?
10. Do you think taking a lot of photos and videos helps us remember things, or does it actually make us remember less? How so?
11. If you could erase one bad memory from your mind, would you do it? Why or why not?

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

1. Are computers making our ability to remember better or worse? Give some examples.
2. Why do you think some people remember the same events differently?
3. Is it better to have a really good memory or to be good at forgetting things? What are the benefits of each?
4. How has social media changed the way we create and keep memories? What do you think about those changes?
5. How does culture affect what people remember about their childhood? Is it different across countries?
6. Compare how elderly people and young people approach memory differently. What causes these differences?
7. What role does nostalgia play in how people make decisions about the present? How often have you noticed this in your own life?
8. How does the way we remember the past influence our identity in the present? How much do they affect you?
9. How do shared memories bring communities or families together? What happens when people in a group remember things differently?
10. How is remembering something you experienced yourself different from remembering something you only saw in a photo or video?
11. What role do museums, monuments, and memorials play in keeping memories alive for society? Are there any that have made a strong impression on you?
12. Nostalgia can feel wonderful, but it can also keep people stuck in the past. When does looking back at memories become unhealthy, and how do people know when they have crossed that line?

Advanced (C1)

1. What are the ethical implications of technologies that could enhance human memory? What concerns should we have?
2. Governments and leaders sometimes try to control what a nation remembers or forgets about its past. How does this happen in practice, and what effect does it have on the people who live there?
3. Some memories are painful, but people who have gone through hard times often say those experiences made them who they are. How do difficult memories shape a person’s identity, and would something be lost if those memories were erased?
4. Families often tell stories about the past that may not be completely true, but everyone agrees on the version they tell. Why do families do this, and what role do these shared stories play in holding a family together?
5. When a historical event is remembered differently by two groups of people, both sides often believe their version is the truth. How do these competing memories affect the relationship between those groups, and is it ever possible to agree on one version of events?
6. People are starting to use AI tools that can organize, search, and even reconstruct their personal memories from photos, messages, and recordings. What does it mean for our sense of self when a machine knows our past better than we do?
7. Some people argue that statues and monuments to controversial figures should be removed, while others say removing them erases important history. Where should the line be drawn between honoring the past and correcting it?
8. In many cultures, oral storytelling was the main way to pass memories and knowledge from one generation to the next. As this tradition disappears, what is being lost that books and the internet cannot replace?
9. What tensions exist between an individual’s right to be forgotten and society’s need to remember historical injustices? How should these competing interests be balanced?
10. Why do traumatic collective memories like wars and disasters persist across generations while everyday cultural practices fade away? What does this reveal about how societies construct meaning?

PDF: Download a PDF of all the questions