Questions · ESL beginners
Easy questions for beginner English learners
Questions a beginner can answer with the words they already have: pick one of two, name a favorite, describe a small part of the day. Short enough to read in one go, real enough to be worth answering.
- 17 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
Which would you want free for life: breakfast or dessert?
Pumili ng libreng pagkain habambuhay: breakfast o dessert.
Make your first order. You can choose something familiar or invent a dish.
Piliin ang unang oorderin mo. Puwedeng paborito mo na o pagkaing iimbentuhin mo.
The questions
17 easy questions for beginners
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
This or that
5 questions
The answer can be one word. Ask “why?” only when the student is ready.
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Which would you want free for life: breakfast or dessert?
Pumili ng libreng pagkain habambuhay: breakfast o dessert.
Back of the card
Make your first order. You can choose something familiar or invent a dish.
Piliin ang unang oorderin mo. Puwedeng paborito mo na o pagkaing iimbentuhin mo.
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For one month, you can have music or movies, but not both. Which do you keep?
Kung isa lang ang puwede mong ma-enjoy sa loob ng isang buwan, music o movies ang pipiliin mo?
Back of the card
Name the first song or movie you would return to when the month ends.
Anong kanta o movie ang una mong babalikan pagkatapos ng buwan?
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For a free weekend, would you prefer a full plan or a surprise?
Sa weekend na wala kang kailangang gawin, kumpletong plano o surprise ang pipiliin mo?
Back of the card
Choose a detail that must stay on your weekend plan, even if everything else is a surprise.
Pumili ng detalye na dapat kasama sa weekend mo kahit surprise ang lahat ng iba pa.
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Would you rather have someone cook or clean for you?
Mas gusto mo bang may magluto o maglinis para sa'yo?
Back of the card
Picture doing something you enjoy while they handle the task.
Isipin ang masayang gagawin mo habang sila ang bahala.
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Two choices: unlimited snacks or perfect sleep for one week. Defend your pick.
Dalawa lang: unlimited snacks o perfect sleep for one week. I-defend ang pick mo.
Back of the card
Low-stakes choices still reveal priorities. Snack joy and good sleep are both valid campaign platforms.
Kahit low-stakes, may priorities pa rin. Snack joy at good sleep, parehong valid campaign platform.
My day, my things
7 questions
Present simple and everyday nouns: home, food, phone, bag.
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Name the small thing you always bring, even for a quick errand.
Sabihin yung small thing na lagi mong dala kahit quick errand lang.
Back of the card
The thing you always bring has earned its place. It may be small, but it clearly passed the trust test.
Yung lagi mong dala, may reason yan. Maliit lang siya, pero clearly pasado sa trust test.
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While waiting for food, a ride, or someone late, how do you pass the time?
Habang naghihintay ng pagkain, sasakyan, o late na tao, paano mo pinapalipas yung oras?
Back of the card
Waiting brings out our tiny survival styles. Some people scroll, some observe, and some start making stories in their head.
Lumilitaw yung tiny survival style natin kapag naghihintay. May nag-scroll, may nag-oobserve, may gumagawa na ng kwento sa isip.
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What food is hard for you to say no to?
Anong pagkain ang hirap mong tanggihan?
Back of the card
Food answers can be light, but they usually carry a little story: comfort, habit, craving, or someone who introduced it.
Light lang ang food answer, pero madalas may kasamang kuwento: comfort, habit, craving, o taong nagpakilala nito sa'yo.
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Pick one small item you use often that makes life feel a little easier.
Pumili ng isang small item na madalas mong gamitin at nagpapagaan ng life kahit konti.
Back of the card
Small useful things can feel quietly heroic. They make the day easier without asking for attention.
May small useful things na quietly heroic. Pinapadali nila yung araw nang hindi nagpapapansin, kahit simple lang sila.
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Which part of your day do you look forward to?
Anong part ng araw mo ang inaabangan mo?
Back of the card
The part you look forward to can be a clue. It shows where your day still gives you a little life.
Clue din yung part na inaabangan mo. Ipinapakita niya kung saan may konting buhay pa sa araw mo.
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When you enter a classroom, meeting room, or café, where do you usually choose to sit?
Pagpasok mo sa classroom, meeting room, o café, saan ka usually pumipili umupo?
Back of the card
Seat choices can reveal comfort, strategy, or pure habit. Somehow we all have a spot our body chooses first.
May sinasabi rin yung seat choice: comfort, strategy, o habit lang talaga. Minsan katawan na ang pumipili.
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If you were too tired to think, what would you order?
Kapag pagod ka nang mag-isip, ano yung o-orderin mo?
Back of the card
The no-thinking order is its own kind of comfort. It is the choice that carries you when your brain is done.
May comfort din sa order na hindi mo na kailangang isipin. Siya yung choice kapag ubos na utak mo.
Name one
5 questions
One noun, then one sentence about it. Students love the animal and the ice cream.
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Name the song that should play when you enter a room.
Sabihin yung song na dapat tumugtog pagpasok mo sa room.
Back of the card
An entrance song is mostly about energy. It says what kind of moment you want everyone to feel.
Yung entrance song, energy talaga ang usapan. Sinasabi niya kung anong moment ang gusto mong dala.
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If you could spend a day as any animal, which would you choose?
Kung puwede kang maging hayop nang isang araw, anong hayop ang pipiliin mo?
Back of the card
Imagine your first meal as that animal. Where would you look for it?
Isipin ang unang pagkain mo bilang hayop na iyon. Saan mo ito hahanapin?
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What flavor of ice cream would you invent?
Anong lasa ng ice cream ang iimbentuhin mo?
Back of the card
Give your invented ice cream a name if you like.
Kung gusto mo, bigyan mo ng pangalan ang ice cream na inimbento mo.
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What would you like to watch with a friend?
Ano ang gusto mong panoorin kasama ang friend?
Back of the card
Talking through the whole thing or saving comments until the end?
Kuwentuhan habang nanonood o comments pagkatapos na lang?
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If you could change the color of anything, what would you change?
Kung kaya mong palitan ang kulay ng kahit ano, ano ang papalitan mo?
Back of the card
What color would you choose for it?
Anong kulay ang pipiliin mo para rito?
How to use them
Before you ask
Beginner ESL questions work best when the student can answer with a single word first and add a sentence later, so either-or choices and “name one” prompts come before anything that needs a story.
The common mistake with beginners is asking big, open questions too early. “Tell me about your weekend” freezes a learner who knows sixty verbs. “Breakfast or dessert?” does not, and once they’ve answered, “Why?” is a small, safe step up. The cards here are grouped in that order: choose, describe, name.
Read each card aloud before students read it, point to any hard word, and show your own answer. Then let pairs ask each other. Expect short answers at first and praise complete sentences when they come.
Good for
Tips
- Write “I like… / I want… / I usually…” on the board before you start.
- Act out the hard words; a mime of a window seat saves a translation.
- Accept one-word answers, then model the full sentence back without saying “wrong”.
- Use the same five cards for a week. Repetition builds the confidence to try new ones.
- Put a beginner with a patient partner, not the strongest student, who will answer for them.
Decks for this
One card, three levels of answer
Use the same card to push each student one step past where they are:
- Level 1: one word or a short phrase. “Dessert.”
- Level 2: a full sentence. “I want free dessert.”
- Level 3: a sentence with a reason. “I want free dessert because I love cake.”
ESL beginners
Frequently asked questions
What questions can I ask beginner ESL students?
Easy choices (this or that), questions about daily routines and “name one” prompts about food, music or animals. They can be answered in one word and grown into a sentence.
How long should a speaking activity be for beginners?
Five to ten minutes is plenty. Short rounds with a partner, repeated with a new partner, work better than one long conversation.
Should I correct beginners while they speak?
Mostly no. Repeat the sentence back correctly and keep going, then review common mistakes with the whole class at the end.
Bring a better question to the table.
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