Questions · First day of ESL class
The first day of ESL class, without the nerves
The first lesson sets the tone for the whole course. These questions let new students introduce themselves through small, safe details (where they like to sit, a hobby they miss, a fake job title) instead of the usual name, age and job.
- 16 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.
If you had one free hour every week, what hobby would you go back to?
Kung may isang free hour ka every week, anong hobby ang babalikan mo?
A hobby you miss can point to a part of you that still wants some space.
Yung hobby na nami-miss mo minsan tumuturo sa part ng sarili mo na gusto pa rin ng konting space.
The questions
16 questions for the first day of class
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.
Hello, I’m…
6 questions
Introductions that are more fun than name, age and job.
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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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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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What comic-book hero name would fit something you are good at?
Anong comic-book hero name ang bagay sa talento mo?
Back of the card
What problem would your hero solve?
Anong problema ang kayang ayusin ng hero mo?
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Share one personal rule that only you seem to understand.
Mag-share ng isang personal rule na ikaw lang yata ang nakakaintindi.
Back of the card
Personal rules can sound strange from the outside. From the inside, they usually have a very clear origin story.
Minsan weird pakinggan ang personal rules sa iba. Pero sa'yo, usually may malinaw yang origin story.
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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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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?
Me as a learner
5 questions
Useful for the teacher too: how this class likes to learn.
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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 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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When learning something new, what help do you like from a friend?
Kapag may bago kang inaaral, anong tulong ang gusto mo mula sa friend?
Back of the card
Show me once, let me try, or stay beside me — which help would you choose?
Ipakita muna, hayaan akong sumubok, o samahan ako — alin ang pipiliin mong tulong?
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Which language would you learn instantly if you woke up fluent tomorrow?
Kung paggising mo bukas ay marunong ka na ng isang bagong language, ano ang pipiliin mo?
Back of the card
Choose the first person you would like to talk to in that language.
Piliin ang unang taong gusto mong makausap gamit ang wikang iyon.
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If you had one free hour every week, what hobby would you go back to?
Kung may isang free hour ka every week, anong hobby ang babalikan mo?
Back of the card
A hobby you miss can point to a part of you that still wants some space.
Yung hobby na nami-miss mo minsan tumuturo sa part ng sarili mo na gusto pa rin ng konting space.
Feeling at home in a new class
5 questions
For the end of the first lesson.
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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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When the conversation goes quiet, how do you usually react?
Kapag tumahimik yung usapan, paano ka usually nagre-react?
Back of the card
Quiet moments reveal different instincts. Some people fill the space, some enjoy it, and some suddenly inspect their drink.
May kanya-kanyang instinct kapag tumahimik. May nagfi-fill ng space, may okay lang, may biglang titingin sa drink.
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When joining friends for an activity, what helps you feel included?
Kapag may activity ang friends, ano ang nagpaparamdam na kasama ka rin?
Back of the card
Being invited and being able to join are not always the same thing.
Hindi laging pareho ang niyayaya ka at ang kaya mong sumali.
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Name something you are nervous about that still feels worth trying.
Magsabi ng isang bagay na kinakabahan ka pero parang worth it pa ring subukan.
Back of the card
Nerves and courage often show up together. The fear does not automatically mean the step is wrong.
Madalas magkasama ang kaba at courage. Hindi porket may takot, mali na agad ang step.
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Recall a moment when talking to a new friend started to feel easy.
Kailan ka nagsimulang maging komportable sa pakikipagkuwentuhan sa bago mong friend?
Back of the card
Remember the first thing you no longer felt shy about saying.
Balikan ang unang bagay na hindi ka na nahiyang sabihin.
How to use them
Before you ask
On the first day of an ESL class, the goal is that every student speaks English to at least three classmates and leaves feeling the class is a safe place to make mistakes.
The usual first-day routine, where each student stands and says their name, country and job, is the most stressful way to start. Everyone listens to everyone, nobody remembers anything, and the nervous students rehearse their sentence instead of listening. Small-group introductions with a playful question go better: a fake job title or a funny award says more about someone than their job and is far easier to say.
The middle group is for you as much as for them. Where students like to sit, how they like help when learning and which language they would learn overnight tell you a lot about the class you’re about to teach. Finish with the last group and a promise: in this room, mistakes are part of the plan.
Good for
Tips
- Write your own answers on the board first; it gives a model and shows you take part.
- Use trios, not pairs. A third person rescues a stuck conversation.
- Learn names during the activity by asking students to say theirs before every answer.
- Don’t correct anything on day one. Note common errors for later.
- Keep the class size small for introductions, even in a big room.
Decks for this
A first-lesson plan that fits in 30 minutes
- Teacher first (3 minutes). Answer two cards about yourself. Show the length and tone you want.
- Trios (10 minutes). Groups of three, one card each from “Hello, I’m…”. Each student introduces themself with their card.
- Swap and introduce (7 minutes). New trios. This time, students introduce someone they met in the first round.
- Learner cards (5 minutes). Pairs ask the “Me as a learner” cards. Collect a few answers for your planning.
- Close (5 minutes). One card from the last group, answered by volunteers only.
First day of ESL class
Frequently asked questions
What should I do on the first day of ESL class?
Keep it low-pressure: introduce yourself with a model answer, put students in small groups with playful introduction questions, rotate groups so everyone meets several classmates, and avoid correcting mistakes on day one.
What are good get-to-know-you questions for ESL students?
Light questions that reveal personality without private details: a fake job title, a funny award, where they like to sit, a hobby they’d go back to. They are easier to answer than “Tell us about yourself.”
How do I help nervous students on the first day?
Avoid whole-class speaking, let them answer in small groups first, show sentence starters, and allow them to pass a question.
Bring a better question to the table.
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