Questions · Business English
Business English questions that sound like real office talk
The English people need at work is less about presentations and more about the conversation around them: how you work, how you handle a change of plan, what you do after a hard week. These questions practice exactly that.
- 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.
When plans change, how do you decide what to keep, drop, or adjust?
Kapag nagbago ang plans, paano mo dini-decide kung ano ang itutuloy, bibitawan, o ia-adjust?
Changed plans show priorities quickly. Sometimes the real answer is comfort, people, responsibility, peace, or simply energy.
Kapag nagbago ang plans, mabilis lumabas ang priorities. Minsan comfort, tao, responsibility, peace, o energy lang talaga.
The questions
17 business English conversation questions
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.
How you work
5 questions
Habits, focus and the role you take in a team.
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Which kind of task makes you lose track of time?
Anong klaseng task yung nakakalimutan mong oras kapag ginagawa mo?
Back of the card
The tasks that make time move fast can reveal what absorbs you, energizes you, or quietly fits how your mind works.
Yung tasks na nagpapabilis ng oras pwedeng clue kung ano ang kumukuha ng focus mo, nagpapagana sa'yo, o bagay sa utak mo.
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If someone worked or studied with you for one week, what would they notice about your style?
Kung may makakasama ka sa work o school for one week, ano kaya ang mapapansin nila sa style mo?
Back of the card
Your style may show in pace, focus, questions, breaks, or how you handle pressure. People notice more than we think.
Pwedeng lumabas ang style mo sa pace, focus, tanong, breaks, o paano ka humarap sa pressure. Marami palang napapansin ang tao.
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In a group, which role feels most natural to you: listener, storyteller, organizer, or side-comment person?
Sa group, anong role yung natural sa'yo: listener, taga-kuwento, organizer, o taga-side comment?
Back of the card
Group roles can shift, but most of us have a default. It is one way people learn how to read us.
Nagbabago minsan ang role sa group, pero madalas may default tayo. Doon din tayo minsan nababasa ng mga tao.
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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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Would you rather always arrive twenty minutes early or exactly on time?
Mas gusto mo bang laging dumating nang twenty minutes early o laging sakto sa oras?
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "While everyone else is getting ready, I..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Habang naghahanda pa ang iba, ako..."
Plans, pressure and change
5 questions
Language for priorities, deadlines and saying no politely.
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When plans change, how do you decide what to keep, drop, or adjust?
Kapag nagbago ang plans, paano mo dini-decide kung ano ang itutuloy, bibitawan, o ia-adjust?
Back of the card
Changed plans show priorities quickly. Sometimes the real answer is comfort, people, responsibility, peace, or simply energy.
Kapag nagbago ang plans, mabilis lumabas ang priorities. Minsan comfort, tao, responsibility, peace, o energy lang talaga.
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During a busy week, what signs tell you that you are still doing okay?
Kapag busy ang week, anong signs ang nagsasabi sa'yo na okay ka pa naman?
Back of the card
Your signs may be small: sleep, patience, appetite, humor, or the ability to answer messages without dread.
Puwedeng maliit lang yung signs: tulog, pasensya, gana kumain, humor, o kaya mong sumagot ng messages nang hindi mabigat.
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Name one thing that can wait until tomorrow.
Magbanggit ng isang bagay na puwedeng maghintay hanggang bukas.
Back of the card
Not everything needs today's strength. Letting one thing wait can be a practical kind of kindness.
Hindi lahat kailangan ng lakas mo today. Minsan praktikal na kindness yung hayaan munang maghintay ang isang bagay.
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Where are you spending energy that you wish you could save?
Saan napupunta ang energy mo na sana naiipon mo na lang?
Back of the card
Energy is limited, even when love or responsibility is real. Noticing the drain is the first step toward caring for it.
Limited ang energy, kahit totoo ang love o responsibility. Kapag napansin mo kung saan ka nauubos, mas maalagaan mo siya.
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What might you need to say no to, pause, or limit so your week feels lighter?
Ano yung kailangan mong hihindian, i-pause, o limitahan para mas gumaan ang week mo?
Back of the card
A boundary is not always a wall. Sometimes it is a small line that helps you stay present and honest.
Hindi laging pader ang boundary. Minsan maliit na line lang siya para mas present at honest ka.
Wins, lessons and the people around you
7 questions
For the second half of the lesson, once the group is talking.
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What is something you can handle better now than before?
Ano yung mas kaya mo nang i-handle ngayon kaysa dati?
Back of the card
Growth is often noticed in comparison. What used to shake you may now take less from you.
Madalas napapansin ang growth kapag may comparison. Yung dati kang kinakabahan, baka ngayon mas kaya mo nang harapin.
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What difficult situation are you proud of handling?
Anong mahirap na sitwasyon ang proud kang naharap mo?
Back of the card
You can pass or keep the situation private. What did handling it help you notice about your own abilities?
Puwedeng mag-pass o itago ang sitwasyon. Ano ang napansin mong kaya mo pala matapos mong harapin iyon?
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What have you done recently that you are pleased about?
Anong nagawa mo kamakailan ang ikinatuwa mo?
Back of the card
If your win had a tiny trophy, what would be written on it?
Kung may maliit na trophy ang nagawa mo, ano ang nakasulat dito?
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What can you do now that would have surprised you a few years ago?
Ano ang kaya mo na ngayon na hindi mo inakalang magagawa mo ilang taon na ang nakaraan?
Back of the card
Picture showing your younger self how you do it. What might surprise them first?
Isipin na ipinapakita mo sa mas batang sarili mo kung paano mo ito ginagawa. Ano kaya ang una niyang ikagugulat?
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When joining a conversation, what helps you feel comfortable enough to take part?
Ano ang tumutulong para maging komportable kang sumali sa kuwentuhan?
Back of the card
You can invent a first line you would enjoy hearing when you join.
Puwede kang gumawa ng unang linyang gusto mong marinig kapag nakisali ka.
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Tell us about a time someone was fair to you in a way you still remember.
Ikuwento yung time na naging fair sa'yo ang isang tao, at natatandaan mo pa rin.
Back of the card
Fairness can be memorable because it gives people room to breathe. It says, I see the whole situation, not only the mistake.
Natatandaan ang fairness kasi nakakahinga ang tao. Parang sinasabi nito, nakikita ko yung buong situation, hindi lang yung mali.
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Pick one value you want to show up in your week.
Pumili ng isang value na gusto mong makita sa week mo.
Back of the card
A value becomes real in small choices. One week is enough space to practice it gently.
Nagiging real ang value sa maliliit na choices. Sapat na ang isang week para i-practice siya nang gentle.
How to use them
Before you ask
Business English conversation questions should sound like the talk that actually happens at work: how you plan your day, what you do when plans change, which tasks make you lose track of time.
Corporate English classes often swing between textbook role plays (“You are a sales manager…”) and generic small talk about the weekend. Neither prepares a learner for the coffee-machine chat with a new manager or the start of a call with an overseas team. Questions about real working habits do, and they’re safe: nothing here asks about salary, politics or office gossip.
In a company class, mix departments in pairs; colleagues learn something about each other’s work, which keeps attendance up. For one-to-one coaching, use one card as the opener of each lesson and build the vocabulary the learner reaches for into the rest of the session.
Good for
Tips
- Start each session with one card as small talk, exactly like a real meeting opener.
- Ask learners to answer as if speaking to a new manager, then to a friend. Compare the register.
- Collect the job-specific words learners need and build a personal glossary.
- Keep company politics out; these questions are about habits, not employers.
- End with “What will you say in your next meeting?” to transfer the language.
Decks for this
Useful phrases for these questions
Put a few on the board before you start; learners will reuse them at work.
- Describing habits: “I tend to… / I usually start with… / I find it easier to…”
- Priorities: “The first thing I’d keep is… / That can wait until…”
- Saying no politely: “I’d love to, but… / Could we look at that next week?”
- Reflecting: “Looking back, I’d… / What I learned from that was…”
Business English conversation
Frequently asked questions
What are good business English conversation questions?
Questions about real work habits: how you focus, what role you take in a team, how you decide what to drop when plans change, and how you recover after something hard. They practice the language of everyday work conversations.
Are these questions safe to use with colleagues?
Yes. They avoid salary, politics and private life, and every person can pass a card.
How do I use conversation questions in a corporate English class?
Open each lesson with one or two cards as small talk, pair people from different departments, and turn the vocabulary they reach for into the lesson’s word list.
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