Questions · ESL teens
ESL questions teenagers will actually answer
Teens will speak English for a funny argument long before they will for a textbook dialogue. These questions start silly, move to friends and school, and end with a little bit about who they are.
- 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 you were younger, what got you excited quickly?
Nung bata ka, ano yung madaling maka-excite sa'yo?
Early excitement can be fun to remember. It can also show what kind of wonder came naturally to you.
Nakakatuwang balikan yung madaling ika-excite mo dati. Minsan pinapakita rin nito kung anong klaseng wonder ang natural sa'yo.
The questions
17 questions for teenage English learners
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.
Quick, silly picks
5 questions
Low stakes, high noise. Good for waking up a sleepy first period.
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Pick one comic-book power: fly anywhere or appear instantly in another place.
Pumili ng comic-book power: lumipad kahit saan o makarating agad sa ibang lugar.
Back of the card
You have an afternoon to try your power. Choose your first stop.
May isang hapon ka para subukan ang power mo. Piliin ang unang pupuntahan mo.
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Pick a tiny superpower that would make things easier.
Pick one tiny superpower na magpapadali ng ginagawa mo.
Back of the card
Tiny superpowers are best when they solve tiny annoyances. Not every power needs a cape; some just need shorter lines.
Best ang tiny superpowers kapag tiny annoyances ang sinosolve. Hindi lahat kailangan ng cape; minsan shorter lines lang.
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Choose a fake job title that fits your personality.
Pumili ng fake job title na bagay sa personality mo.
Back of the card
A fake title can be more accurate than a real one. It gives a playful name to the thing people already notice.
Minsan mas accurate pa ang fake title kaysa real one. Binibigyan lang niya ng playful name yung napapansin na ng tao.
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Pick a mascot for your current mood: sleepy, dramatic, cheerful, chaotic, or something else.
Pumili ng mascot para sa current mood mo: sleepy, dramatic, cheerful, chaotic, o iba pa.
Back of the card
Current mood is sometimes easier to explain through a mascot. It can be tired, dramatic, cheerful, or strangely accurate.
Minsan mas madaling i-explain ang current mood gamit mascot. Puwedeng pagod, dramatic, cheerful, o weirdly accurate.
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Describe a funny photo of yourself that you would happily show your friends.
Ikuwento ang isang funny photo mo na okay lang sa'yong ipakita sa friends.
Back of the card
No need to show it. What caption would fit the photo?
Hindi kailangang ipakita. Anong caption ang babagay sa photo?
Friends and school
6 questions
Group chats, catchphrases, overreactions and what gets them excited.
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What do you usually send in the group chat: updates, memes, reactions, or something else?
Ano ang madalas mong ipadala sa group chat: updates, memes, reactions, o iba pa?
Back of the card
If your messages had a signature, what would it be: an emoji, a phrase, or something else?
Kung may tatak ang messages mo, ano iyon: emoji, linya, o iba pa?
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What line do your friends often hear you say?
Anong linya ang madalas marinig ng friends mo sa'yo?
Back of the card
Imagine your usual line printed on a shirt.
Isipin na naka-print sa shirt ang madalas mong sabihin.
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Tell a funny story about overreacting to a tiny problem.
Kailan ka napasobra ng reaction sa simpleng problema na natatawanan mo na ngayon?
Back of the card
How would you tell it if the tiny problem were the villain in the story?
Paano mo ito ikukuwento kung ang maliit na problema ang kontrabida sa kuwento?
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Name a new interest a friend might be surprised you enjoy.
Magbanggit ng bagong hilig mo na baka ikagulat ng friend.
Back of the card
You could open with: “I never thought I'd enjoy this, but...”
Puwedeng magsimula sa “Hindi ko akalaing magugustuhan ko ito, pero...”
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What fun activity would you like to introduce your friends to?
Anong masayang activity ang gusto mong ipakilala sa friends?
Back of the card
Imagine their first try going wrong in a harmless, funny way.
Isipin na may simpleng sablay sa unang pagsubok nila na puwede ninyong pagtawanan.
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How can friends tell when you are excited about something?
Paano nahahalata ng friends na excited ka sa isang bagay?
Back of the card
Think of the sign you notice in yourself before anyone else does.
Isipin ang senyales na napapansin mo sa sarili mo bago pa mapansin ng iba.
A bit more about you
6 questions
Still light, but they need a full answer.
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Which song takes you back to a particular time with friends?
Anong kanta ang nagpapaalala sa'yo ng isang panahon ninyo ng friends mo?
Back of the card
Picture where everyone was when the song came on.
Isipin kung nasaan ang lahat noong tumugtog ang kanta.
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Give yourself a funny award for something you are surprisingly good at.
Bigyan mo sarili mo ng funny award para sa bagay na surprisingly magaling ka.
Back of the card
A funny award makes small talents official. Some skills may not belong on a resume, but they still deserve a ceremony.
Ginagawang official ng funny award ang small talents. Hindi man pang-resume, deserve pa rin ng ceremony.
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If you could open a tiny shop just for fun, what would it sell?
Kung magbubukas ka ng maliit na tindahan for fun, ano ang ibebenta mo?
Back of the card
What would you call your shop?
Ano ang ipapangalan mo sa tindahan?
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Share the origin of an inside joke that is okay to explain.
Ikuwento ang simula ng inside joke na okay lang ipaliwanag.
Back of the card
Tell only the part you have permission to share. The rest can stay an inside joke.
Sabihin lang ang bahaging okay ibahagi. Puwedeng sa inyo na lang ang natitirang biro.
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When you were younger, what got you excited quickly?
Nung bata ka, ano yung madaling maka-excite sa'yo?
Back of the card
Early excitement can be fun to remember. It can also show what kind of wonder came naturally to you.
Nakakatuwang balikan yung madaling ika-excite mo dati. Minsan pinapakita rin nito kung anong klaseng wonder ang natural sa'yo.
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What are you good at that your friends rarely get to see?
Saan ka magaling na bihirang makita ng friends mo?
Back of the card
Imagine a friend seeing you do it for the first time.
Isipin na unang nakita ng friend kung paano mo ito ginagawa.
How to use them
Before you ask
Teenage English learners talk when the question is a little bit ridiculous or about their friends, and go quiet when it sounds like an exam. Start funny, and they will forget they are practicing.
The silence in a teen ESL class is rarely about vocabulary. It is about being judged in front of classmates. Questions with no right answer (a fake job title, a tiny superpower, a mascot for your mood) take that pressure away, and the laughs that follow do the rest.
Run them in small groups of three rather than pairs, with one student as the “host” who reads the card and asks a follow-up. Rotate the host each card. Nothing here touches dating or romance, so it is safe for mixed classes and school settings.
Good for
Tips
- Let them vote on the funniest answer in each group. Competition beats instruction.
- Ban one word per round (“good”, “nice”) to stretch vocabulary.
- Give the quiet student the host role; asking is easier than answering.
- Allow phones only for looking up one word, then face down.
- Finish with one card from the last group so the lesson ends on something personal.
Decks for this
ESL teens
Frequently asked questions
What are fun ESL questions for teenagers?
Silly choices and inventions, questions about friends and group chats, and music or school memories. They work because there is no right answer and the topic is their own world.
Are these questions appropriate for school?
Yes. There is nothing about dating, alcohol or other topics schools avoid. Students can always pass a card.
How do I stop teens from switching to their first language?
Keep rounds short and timed, give each group a host who keeps it in English, and award a point for every complete English answer.
Bring a better question to the table.
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