Questions · Online ESL

Questions for online English lessons that beat the lag

Video lessons have their own problems: a delay, a frozen screen, a student who unmutes too late. These questions are quick to read on screen and easy to answer about the place the student is sitting right now.

  • 16 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
  • Free in the app
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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.

Getting to know№ 23

What small things make a room feel welcoming to you?

Anong maliliit na bagay ang nagpaparamdam sa'yo na welcome ka sa isang room?

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A note

Welcome can come from tone, space, food, faces, or small signals that say you do not have to prove yourself.

Puwedeng galing sa tono, space, pagkain, mukha ng tao, o maliliit na sign na hindi mo kailangang patunayan ang sarili mo.

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The questions

16 questions for online English lessons

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.

Camera on: openers

5 questions

One-word starts about today and the week.

  1. What word would describe your week so far?

    Anong word ang babagay sa week mo so far?

    Back of the card

    Sometimes one word is enough to begin. Naming the week can help you notice what your heart has been carrying.

    Minsan sapat na ang isang word para makapagsimula. Kapag napangalanan mo ang week mo, mas nakikita mo kung ano ang bitbit mo.

  2. Name one small part of today that felt okay.

    Magbanggit ng isang maliit na part ng araw mo na okay naman.

    Back of the card

    An okay moment still counts. It does not have to fix the whole day to be worth noticing.

    Bilang pa rin ang okay na moment. Hindi niya kailangang ayusin ang buong araw para mapansin mo siya.

  3. 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.

  4. Pick one drink that makes an ordinary day feel a little special.

    Pumili ng isang drink na nagpaparamdam na medyo special ang ordinary day.

    Back of the card

    A drink can turn an ordinary pause into a tiny celebration. Sometimes that small upgrade is the whole point.

    Minsan isang drink lang, parang may small celebration na sa ordinary day. Yun na yung tiny upgrade.

  5. What kind of message from a friend is easy for you to reply to?

    Anong message mula sa friend ang madali mong sagutin?

    Back of the card

    You could write an example with no names or real chat details.

    Puwede kang gumawa ng halimbawa na walang pangalan o detalye ng totoong chat.

The room you’re in

6 questions

Students can look around and point.

  1. What small things make a room feel welcoming to you?

    Anong maliliit na bagay ang nagpaparamdam sa'yo na welcome ka sa isang room?

    Back of the card

    Welcome can come from tone, space, food, faces, or small signals that say you do not have to prove yourself.

    Puwedeng galing sa tono, space, pagkain, mukha ng tao, o maliliit na sign na hindi mo kailangang patunayan ang sarili mo.

  2. Describe your ideal electric fan or aircon setting.

    I-describe yung ideal electric fan o aircon setting mo.

    Back of the card

    Temperature preferences can become a whole personality. Comfort has settings, and everyone defends theirs a little.

    Yung temperature preference, minsan personality na rin. May settings ang comfort, at may kanya-kanya tayong ipinaglalaban.

  3. Name the household item that becomes an issue when it goes missing.

    Sabihin yung gamit sa bahay na nagiging issue kapag nawawala.

    Back of the card

    Some objects are only appreciated when they disappear. Their absence somehow turns the whole house into a search party.

    May gamit na napapansin lang kapag nawawala. Bigla na lang buong bahay, search party na.

  4. 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.

  5. With an unlimited budget, what extra room would you add to your home?

    Kung walang limit ang budget, anong dagdag na kuwarto ang gusto mo sa bahay?

    Back of the card

    If the new room had a sign on its door, what would it say?

    Kung may karatula sa pinto ng bagong kuwarto, ano ang nakasulat doon?

  6. Pick one small mood upgrade, like a drink, song, scent, snack, or clean space.

    Pumili ng isang small mood upgrade, like drink, song, scent, snack, o malinis na space.

    Back of the card

    A mood upgrade does not need to be big. Sometimes one small detail is enough to change the angle of the day.

    Hindi kailangang malaki ang mood upgrade. Minsan isang small detail lang, nag-iiba na yung angle ng araw.

Small plans and good things

5 questions

For the end of the lesson, before everyone leaves the call.

  1. Name one small, specific thing you enjoy more than people expect.

    Magbanggit ng isang maliit at specific na bagay na mas enjoy mo kaysa ina-expect ng iba.

    Back of the card

    Specific joys can be tiny clues about a person. They do not need to make sense to everyone to be real.

    Yung specific joys, maliit na clue tungkol sa tao. Hindi kailangan gets ng lahat para maging real.

  2. Tell us about one simple thing that can make your day better.

    Ikuwento mo yung simpleng bagay na nakakapagpaganda ng araw mo.

    Back of the card

    Small things count because real days are mostly made of small things. Even a tiny lift can matter.

    May bigat din ang simpleng bagay, kasi karamihan ng araw natin puro maliliit na moments. Kahit konting gaan, may halaga.

  3. Name one tiny habit that has been helping you lately.

    Magsabi ng isang tiny habit na nakakatulong sa'yo lately.

    Back of the card

    Small habits can hold more weight than they look like. Notice the quiet things that help you keep going.

    May bigat din ang maliit na habit. Pansinin yung tahimik na bagay na tumutulong sa'yo magpatuloy.

  4. What are you looking forward to over the next few weeks?

    Ano ang inaabangan mo sa susunod na mga linggo?

    Back of the card

    Finish if you like: "The part I cannot wait for is..."

    Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Ang pinaka-inaabangan ko ay..."

  5. What could you and a faraway friend enjoy doing together online?

    Kung nasa malayo ang friend mo, ano ang puwede ninyong gawin online na pareho ninyong mae-enjoy?

    Back of the card

    Choose a little ritual to start it: the same greeting, the same song, or your own idea.

    Puwedeng may nakasanayan kayong panimula: parehong bati, parehong kanta, o sarili ninyong ideya.

How to use them

Before you ask

Online ESL lessons work best with short questions about the student’s here and now: their week, their room and the plans they have, so the first minutes of a video call become speaking practice instead of “Can you hear me?”.

Video adds friction that a classroom doesn’t have. A two-second delay makes quick back-and-forth awkward, so students wait for each other and nobody speaks. Questions that start with a one-word answer (a word for the week, a drink that makes the day special) get everyone unmuted early. Questions about the room let students show rather than tell: they can hold up the item they use most or turn the camera to the corner that makes the room feel welcoming.

In group classes, paste a card into the chat and call on students by name, rather than waiting for volunteers. In breakout rooms, give each room two cards and a three-minute timer. In one-to-one lessons, use a card as a warm-up while you both settle in.

Good for

  • Zoom, Meet and Teams English lessons
  • One-to-one online tutoring
  • Breakout rooms in large online classes
  • Teaching students in other time zones
  • Hybrid classes with some students at home

Tips

  1. Paste the question in the chat as well as saying it; reading helps over a weak connection.
  2. Call on students by name. Open questions to a whole online class get silence.
  3. Ask students to show an object on camera before describing it.
  4. Use breakout rooms of two or three, with two cards each and a timer.
  5. Keep the opener to five minutes so the lesson still has time for its main task.

Decks for this

Online ESL class

Frequently asked questions

What questions can I ask at the start of an online English class?

Short questions about the student’s week, their room and small plans: a word for the week so far, the drink that makes the day better, something in the room they use all the time. They get people unmuted quickly.

How do I get students to talk in online ESL classes?

Call on them by name, put questions in the chat, use small breakout rooms with a timer, and ask them to show something on camera.

Do these questions work for online classes with kids?

The room questions do. Children love showing objects on camera. For younger learners, also see the ESL questions for kids.

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