Questions · ESL would you rather
Would you rather questions for English learners
Two options (sometimes three), one choice, one reason. Would-you-rather is the easiest debate format in an English class, and these questions keep the vocabulary simple so the argument does the work.
- 18 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
18 would you rather and pick-one questions for ESL
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.
Classic would you rather
8 questions
Breakfast, weather, seats on a plane, weekend plans. Anyone can choose.
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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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On a plane, would you choose a window seat or more room for your legs?
Sa eroplano, mas gusto mo ba ng upuan sa tabi ng bintana o mas maluwag para sa mga paa mo?
Back of the card
For this flight, would you rather chat, nap, or watch the view?
Sa biyaheng ito, mas gusto mo bang makipagkuwentuhan, umidlip, o tumingin sa tanawin?
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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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Pick your ideal weather: a warm rainy afternoon or a cool sunny morning.
Pumili ng gusto mong panahon: maulan pero mainit na hapon o maaraw pero malamig na umaga.
Back of the card
Choose a sound to go with your weather.
Pumili ng tunog na bagay sa pinili mong panahon.
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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..."
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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.
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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.
Pick your type
6 questions
Three or more options, each one saying something about personality.
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In a group hangout, which role do you usually fall into: planner, joker, listener, snack person, or something else?
Sa group hangout, anong role ang usually napupunta sa'yo: planner, joker, listener, snack person, o iba pa?
Back of the card
Group roles can be funny because they appear before anyone assigns them. Somehow every hangout finds its planner, joker, listener, or snack person.
Minsan lumalabas yung role bago pa may mag-assign. Sa bawat hangout, may planner, joker, listener, o snack person talaga.
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Choose your default reaction when something embarrassing happens.
Piliin yung default reaction mo kapag may nakakahiya na nangyari.
Back of the card
Embarrassing moments reveal our automatic settings. Laugh, freeze, explain, escape: every reaction has its own logic.
Lumalabas yung automatic settings natin kapag nakakahiya. Tawa, freeze, explain, takas: may logic lahat yan.
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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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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.
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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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Pick one joke style that makes you laugh right away.
Pumili ng joke style na mabilis kang mapatawa.
Back of the card
Humor has shortcuts. The joke that gets you fastest usually knows your exact kind of silly.
May shortcut ang humor. Yung joke na mabilis kang tamaan, alam niya yung exact kind of silly mo.
Choose and defend it
4 questions
Open choices that need a stronger reason. Good for a mini debate.
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Choose a simple way friends could celebrate your birthday without spending much.
Pumili ng simpleng paraan para i-celebrate ng friends ang birthday mo nang hindi gumagastos nang malaki.
Back of the card
One detail can be just for you: the music, the timing, or something else you love.
Puwedeng may isang detalye para talaga sa'yo: music, oras, o iba pang gusto mo.
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Choose a nearby place you would like to explore with a friend.
Pumili ng malapit na lugar na gusto mong puntahan kasama ang friend.
Back of the card
Imagine finding an unexpected favorite corner there.
Isipin na may makikita kang sulok doon na magiging paborito 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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You and a friend want different snacks. What would you do?
Magkaiba kayo ng friend mo ng gustong snack. Ano ang gagawin mo?
Back of the card
Same choice every time, or would it depend on the day?
Pareho ba ang gagawin mo palagi, o depende sa araw?
How to use them
Before you ask
Would you rather questions are made for English practice: the choice is easy to understand, and the reason behind it gives students a natural place to use “because”, comparatives and “I’d rather”.
The trick is not to accept the choice alone. “Window seat” is not speaking practice. “I’d rather have a window seat because I like watching the clouds, even if my legs hurt” is. Ask for the reason every time, and when the class is ready, ask for a reason against the other option too.
For a quick debate, read a card and send students to two sides of the room. Each side gets one minute to agree on its three best reasons, then a speaker from each side presents. Switch sides for the next card so nobody gets stuck defending the same thing.
Good for
Tips
- Never accept a choice without a reason. Make that the one rule.
- Ask students to argue for the option they didn’t choose; it doubles the speaking.
- Use a quick show of hands, then call on someone from the smaller side first.
- In online lessons, run the choice as a poll and the reason as a spoken answer.
- Let students write their own would-you-rather for the next class.
Decks for this
Language to teach first
Five minutes on these makes every answer stronger:
- “I’d rather… than…” (I’d rather arrive early than be late.)
- “I’d prefer… because…”
- Comparatives: more relaxing, cheaper, less stressful, better for…
- Conceding: “It’s true that…, but…”
ESL would you rather
Frequently asked questions
What are good would you rather questions for ESL students?
Choices between two everyday things (breakfast or dessert, early or on time, plan or surprise) that students can explain with simple reasons.
What grammar do would you rather questions practice?
“I’d rather… than…”, “I’d prefer…”, comparatives, and giving reasons with “because” and “so”.
How do I turn would you rather into a debate?
Split the room by choice, give each side a minute to list reasons, then let one speaker per side present. Swap sides for each new question.
Bring a better question to the table.
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