Discussion topics

D1 Family, friends, your life and money

Discuss in pairs or in small groups

Family

How many people are there in your family?
Who is the oldest in your family?
Do you keep in touch with family members that do not live with you?
Who is the funniest person in your family?
What do you like the most about your family?
How would you describe your family in one word?

Friends

Are you a social person?
Do you have a lot of good friends or do you prefer to stay in touch with just a couple of very good friends?
What makes a good friend?
Can you describe some of your friends, what are they like? What do you have in common with them?
How did you meet your best friend?
Do you have a good story about how you met a friend of yours?
Have you been friends with someone who treated you badly? Have you been able to end or change the relationship? How?

Your life, money

Do you usually set goals for yourself?
- If you do, do you usually reach those goals?
What is the biggest dream you have (that you would like to share with others)? / What are your aspirations in life?
What would you like to do in the future? You can consider work, free time, interests, etc.
Which one is better: to be famous or to be just an average person?
Is money important to you?
Do you think saving money is important, or do you spend what you get?
Do you think there's a pressure to spend money even if you can't afford to?
What would you do if you won 2000 € / 20 000 € / 200 000 € / 2 000 000 €?

D2 Sport, free time, fandom

Discuss in pairs or in small groups

Sports and free time

What do you enjoy doing the most? What makes you happy?
What do you not enjoy doing?
What sport / hobby would you like to try? Why?
Do you spend a lot of money on hobbies, or do you prefer hobbies that do not cost a lot?
How much free time do you usually have?
If you had more free time, what would you do?

Fandom

Are you a big fan of anything? An artist, an athlete, a band, etc.?
How would you describe a super fan? / Do you know someone who is a super fan of something? What types of things do they do to show their enthusiasm?
Do you think there's any harm in being into a sport or admiring a person in the way that super fans do?
Would you ever consider travelling around the globe just to see a band / an athlete / a sport in action? Why / why not?

D3 Giving your opinion

AGREEING	DISAGREEING	PARTLY AGREEING/ DISAGREEING	INTRODUCING YOUR POINT OF VIEW
That’s right! Absolutely! Exactly! Me too! Yes, I agree! I totally agree! I completely agree I couldn’t agree more! I see exactly what you mean! You're right. That's a good point. I think so too. That's true. That's just what I was thinking.	I don’t agree. I totally disagree! Absolutely not! That’s not right! I’m not sure about that. That's not the same thing at all. Yes, but don't you think that...	I agree up to a point, but ... I see your point, but ... That’s partly true, but ... I'm not so sure about that. I can agree with that only with reservations.	In my opinion... I would say that... If you ask me, ... In my mind... I believe that... It could be arguead that... I strongly believe that... It seems to me that...

Discuss the following topics in pairs or small groups. Use the phrases above to agree, disagree and to bring up new points.
You do not need to discuss all the topics, you can pick and choose the ones you have something to say about. Try to make as long discussion as possible on one topic, introducing new points for/against it.

Remember, that you don't actually need to believe in what you say, since this is only an exercise to practice giving opinions.

Finnish schools should introduce obligatory school uniforms
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Swimming in the ocean is better than swimming in a public pool.
Alcohol should be illegal.
Children should provide room and board for their aging parents.
Females are better students than males.
Lawyers shouldn't make a higher salary than nurses.
Autumn is the best season of the year.
Children under 13 should not be allowed to babysit.
The answer to the aging population in Finland is taking in more refugees.
We are becoming too alienated from nature, not enough people have any survival skills anymore.

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