Personality

Personality is a topic that naturally gets students talking about themselves and the people around them. These questions work through different aspects of personality, from basic traits to deeper discussions about how personality develops and changes.

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. Are you a shy person or an outgoing person? Give me some examples.
2. Who is the funniest person you know? Tell me about them.
3. Who has a very different personality from you? How are they different?
4. Do you like trying new things or do you prefer things you already know? What’s an example?
5. What kind of person are you in the morning? Are you happy and energetic or quiet and sleepy?
6. Are you patient or impatient? When does it show the most?
7. Are you a quiet person or a loud person? What about your family?
8. Do you get angry easily? What usually makes you angry?
9. What do your friends say about your personality? Do you agree?
10. Are you more serious or more playful? Give me an example.
11. Do you worry a lot or are you usually relaxed? What do you worry about most?
12. What personality word describes you best? Why that word?

Elementary (A2)

1. How would you describe your personality? What are some of your best traits?
2. What kinds of personality traits do you hate? Why?
3. Do all of your friends have similar personalities? How are they alike or different?
4. Is your personality more similar to your mother’s or father’s? How so?
5. What personality trait would you like to develop? Why that one?
6. Which of your personality traits would you like to lose? Why?
7. Do you make friends easily? How do you do it?
8. Who is the kindest person you know? What makes them so kind?
9. Do you act the same way at home and at work or school? How is it different?
10. Have you ever taken a personality test? What did it say about you?
11. Has anyone ever said you have a strong personality? What did they mean?
12. Has your personality changed since you were a child? How?
13. Have you ever been surprised by someone’s personality after getting to know them better? What happened?

Intermediate (B1)

1. What kinds of people do you get along well with? Why do you think that is?
2. How important is personality when you are choosing a spouse?
3. What kind of personality traits are best for running a business? Why are those traits important?
4. What kind of personality should a doctor have? Why are those traits important?
5. Do you like meeting new people or spending time with people you already know? Why?
6. Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert? Why?
7. Do you act differently when you’re with different groups of people? Why do you do that?
8. Are you better at working alone or working in a group? Why?
9. Do you think you have a good sense of humor? What makes you say that?
10. What personality trait do you notice first when you meet someone new? Why that one?
11. What personality trait do your friends like most about you? Why do you think they like it?
12. Do you think your personality has changed a lot over the years? How so?
13. Should people try to change their personalities, or should they just accept who they are? Why or why not?
14. Do you think introverts or extroverts are more successful in life? Why do you think so?
15. Do you think personality tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator are accurate? Why or why not?
16. If you could choose three personality traits for a child, what would you choose? Why those three?
17. Is being able to ‘read’ people’s personalities an important skill? When is it most useful?
18. Do you think someone’s online personality is the same as their real personality? What’s the biggest difference?

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

1. Do you think we are born with our personalities, or do we develop them because of what happens to us?
2. What personality traits do you think are becoming more valued in modern society? Why is that happening?
3. How much does your culture affect your personality? Is it common for people in your country to have certain personality traits?
4. How has social media changed the way people express their personalities? What do you think about those changes?
5. How is personality different from character? Give some examples of the difference.
6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a very honest and direct person in your culture?
7. How does personality affect success in the workplace? Which traits matter most?
8. How do personality traits influence the way people make decisions? Give some examples from your own experience.
9. What role does personality play in mental health? How much does it affect you?
10. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being very competitive? How does it affect someone’s relationships?
11. In many cultures, there is pressure to be outgoing and social. What happens to people who are naturally quiet or introverted in those cultures?
12. What role does personality play in leadership? Can someone with a quiet, reserved personality be just as effective as someone who is bold and outspoken?

Advanced (C1)

1. When someone uses personality tests like Myers-Briggs or the Enneagram at work, at what point does understanding personality types become a way of putting people in boxes?
2. People often say ‘just be yourself,’ but in job interviews, dating, and social media, there is pressure to present an ideal version of yourself. How do people navigate the gap between who they are and who they feel they need to be?
3. Some personality traits that are valued in one culture are seen as weaknesses in another. For example, being direct is admired in some countries but considered rude in others. How do these cultural differences create misunderstandings, and can someone truly adapt their personality to a new culture?
4. Why do people often describe personality as something you ‘have’ rather than something you ‘do’? What does that reveal about our assumptions?
5. Parents, teachers, friends, and social media all help shape a young person’s personality. When these influences send conflicting messages, how do people decide which parts of their personality are truly ‘theirs’?
6. As people age, they often describe becoming ‘more themselves.’ But how much of that is genuine personality development, and how much is simply caring less about what others think?
7. In the workplace, there is growing interest in ’emotional intelligence’ as a personality trait. But when companies screen for emotional intelligence in hiring, is it possible that they are really just selecting for people who are good at hiding their true feelings?
8. Some people believe that difficult experiences build character, while others argue that hardship just causes lasting damage. Where is the line between challenges that strengthen personality and challenges that break people down?
9. Charismatic leaders can inspire people to do great things, but the same personality traits that make someone magnetic can also make them manipulative. How do we tell the difference between a leader who genuinely inspires and one who is just skilled at controlling others?
10. People’s personalities can seem very different depending on whether they are speaking their first language or a second language. Why does this happen, and does it mean someone’s ‘real’ personality only comes out in their first language or perhaps they are only able to express their ‘real’ personality in another language without the cultural baggage of their first language?

PDF: Download a PDF of all the questions