50 Important Questions in English
Hi, I’m Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com.
Are you ready to answer and ask some of the
most common questions in English and feel
confident while you do it?
Let’s go.
What do you do?
If I asked you this question, would you freeze
and think, “What am I doing?
I’m watching a video?”
Okay, no, the question, “What do you do?”
is not asking what are you doing right now,
it is an extremely specific question that
only has one correct answer.
If I asked you this, would your heart start
to beat a little bit?
What do I do?
What do you do?
What do you do?
Well, never fear.
In today’s lesson, you are going to master
the question, “What do you do?” and also 50
of the most common questions in daily English
conversation.
I know that this lesson might be a little
bit overwhelming.
50 questions.
So I have created for you a free PDF download
with all of today’s questions, all of the
sample answers.
And at the end of the PDF is my little challenge
for you so that you can practice what you’ve
learned.
Make sure you click on the link below this
video to download the free PDF worksheet for
today’s lesson.
It is my gift to you.
Are you ready to get started?
Let’s start with some greetings.
I’m going to say each question and answer
two times.
The first time, I want you to listen.
The second time, I want you to speak out loud
and say it with me.
Practice your speaking muscles and your pronunciation.
You will grow and gain confidence with this
style.
Are you ready?
How’s it going?
Pretty good, and you?
One more time.
Say it with me.
How’s it going?
Pretty good, and you?
How you doing?
I’m good, how are you?
How you doing?
I’m good, how are you?
You doing okay?
I’m doing all right, how about you?
You doing okay?
I’m all right, how about you?
Notice that a lot of these questions send
back the question by saying, “How about you?”
You’re returning the question.
See this in the next one.
How you’ve been?
I’ve been doing well, how about you?
Great.
You don’t need to repeat, “How you’ve been?”
to the other person.
You can just say, “How about you?”
Let’s practice it together.
How you’ve been?
I’ve been doing well, how about you?
What’s been going on?
Not much, how about you?
Say it with me.
What’s been going on?
Not much, how about you?
What’s new?
Not a lot, what’s new with you?
Say it with me.
What’s new?
Not a lot, what’s new with you?
Let’s go on to some weather questions.
What’s it like out there?
It’s cloudy.
I think it might rain later.
Say it with me.
What’s it like out there?
It’s cloudy.
I think it might rain later.
Crazy weather we’re having, huh?
Notice this question just ends with, “huh?”
because you want the other person to hopefully
agree with you.
So what can you respond to this question with?
You might say, “Yeah, it’s been so windy.”
Let’s say it together.
Crazy weather we’re having, huh?
Yeah, it’s been so windy.
Is it hot enough for you?
Almost.
This question is very sarcastic.
If the weather is extremely hot and you ask,
“Is it hot enough for you?”
It’s a little bit of a silly question, so
you can reply to this with, “Almost.
It’s not hot enough for me.
I want it to be hotter.”
So you can say, “Almost,” but you’re really
acknowledging it is so incredibly hot.
So try to say this with me.
Is it hot enough for you almost?
Almost.
Can you believe how hot it is?
So crazy.
I can’t believe it.
Maybe it’s February and it’s extremely hot.
This is very strange.
That you could ask this question.
Say it with me.
Can you believe how hot it is?
So crazy.
I can’t believe how hot it is.
I can’t believe it.
Let’s talk about some weekend questions.
If you would like to practice some weekend
questions with me in a speaking conversation
format, you can watch this video up here I
made, Speak With Me About Your Weekend Plans.
Let’s review some of those questions.
What you’ve got going on this weekend?
I’m going to go have dinner and a movie.
Say it with me.
What you’ve got going on this weekend?
I’m going to go have dinner and a movie.
How about you?
Let’s add that question to ask the other person.
Say it with me.
How about you?
You doing anything fun this weekend?
Yeah, my family’s coming to visit.
How about you?
Great.
Can you say this with me?
You doing anything fun this weekend?
Yeah, my family’s coming to visit.
How about you?
What time are you going to head over here?
I think I’ll leave my house around 8:00.
Does that work for you?
This is a great question when someone is coming
to your house or coming to the location where
you are and you want to know, “Hey, when are
you going to be here?”
You can ask this question.
Say it with me.
What time are you going to head over here?
I think I’ll leave my house around 8:00.
Does that work for you?
Where do you want to meet up?
Let’s meet at the park at 7:00.
Does that work with you?
This is a great question to ask.
Say it with me.
Where do you want to meet up?
Let’s meet at the park at 7:00.
Does that work with you?
You can also substitute when for where.
When do you want to meet up?
Where do you want to meet up?
Great, you’re making plans to get together.
You want to grab dinner?
Sure.
Where do you want to go?
This is inviting someone to share a meal with
you.
Ask it with me.
You want to grab dinner?
Sure.
Where do you want to go?
You want to do dinner?
Sure.
What’s a good time for you?
To do dinner, this is a great way to form
this question.
You’re asking if they want to join you for
a meal.
Another way to say that.
Say it with me.
You want to do dinner?
Sure.
What’s a good time for you?
Next, let’s talk about job questions.
Are you ready?
What do you do?
I’m a teacher.
I teach students online to speak confidently
and clearly in English.
This was the question at the beginning of
this lesson, “What do you do?”
It’s just, “What’s your job?”
But in daily conversation, we hardly ever
ask directly, “What’s your job?”
Instead, we ask, “What do you do?”
This happens in almost every bit of small
talk.
Every time you meet someone for the first
time, they’ll ask you, “What do you do?”
And you can ask this question now, too.
So let me know in the comments, what do you
do.
What’s your day job?
I run my own business from home.
What about you?
A day job is something that you do to make
money.
Maybe you’re a farmer, but you don’t make
much money being a farmer, so your day job
is a video editor.
Okay, you have two jobs, but your day job
is the one that sustains you financially.
Ask it with me.
What’s your day job?
I have an online business at home.
Great.
What field are you in?
I’m in software engineering.
What about you?
This is a great question and a more general
job question.
Ask it with me.
What field are you in?
I’m in software engineering.
What about you?
What’s it like to work there?
I love it.
It’s so challenging.
Every day there’s something new.
Can you ask this question with me?
What’s it like to work there?
I love it.
It’s challenging and every day there’s something
new.
If you would like to grow your vocabulary
and speak more confidently about your job,
don’t miss this video, “How to Pronounce 100
jobs in English.”
Next, let’s talk about some common questions
in the office.
You got a minute?
Sure.
What’s up?
Great question for interrupting someone and
asking them a question.
Ask it with me.
You got a minute?
Sure.
What’s up?
What have you got for me?
Here’s the report you asked for.
Great.
Say it with me.
What have you got for me?
Here’s the report you asked for.
When you have a sec, can I ask you something?
Sure, I’ll be free in just a minute.
This is great.
You’re interrupting someone politely.
When you have a sec, can I ask you something?
Sure, I’ll be free in just a minute.
Are we on the same page?
I want to make sure that we understand each
other correctly.
This is great.
Understanding on the same page.
Are we on the same page?
I want to make sure that we’re understanding
each other correctly.
The next one is a silly one.
Working hard or hardly working?
This question is unfortunately very common
in the workplace usually between coworkers.
Usually, a boss will not ask an employee this.
The first one, working hard means you’re diligent.
You’re doing a lot.
But what about the opposite?
Hardly working means that you’re only doing
a little bit of work.
Maybe if you look like you’re relaxing at
your desk, someone might say this, “Hey, working
hard or hardly working?”
Usually, you don’t want to say the last one,
hardly working, even if it’s true.
So usually, you should say the first one,
“Working hard.
Yeah.”
Next, let’s talk about some common small talk
questions that you can use all the time.
Do you come here often?
I do, it’s the best.
And you?
Say it with me.
Do you come here often?
I do, it’s the best.
And you?
Do you live in this area?
No, I don’t, I’m just visiting some friends.
How about you?
Do you live in this area?
No, I don’t, I’m just visiting some friends.
How about you?
How long have you been coming here?
It’s my first time here.
What about you?
Ask it with me.
How long have you been coming here?
It’s my first time.
How about you?
How do you know Dan?
We went to college together.
And you?
This is a great way if you have a mutual friend
with someone else.
You can ask what is their connection to that
other person.
Let’s practice that together.
How do you know Dan?
We went to college together.
How about you?
Next, let’s talk about some health questions.
You might ask these or hear these if you get
hurt.
Notice that we don’t ask, “How about you?
What about you?” because it’s not really a
casual, chatty conversation.
You were just concerned only about one person,
not about the other.
So you can ask, “You don’t look so hot.
You feeling okay?”
Yeah, I think I’ll be all right.
This is a great question.
When you say hot, you don’t mean their temperature,
you don’t mean their looks.
You’re just saying, “You don’t look very healthy.
Maybe you seem like you’ll be sick.
Maybe you seem like you didn’t sleep well.”
Let’s ask this question together.
You don’t look so hot.
You feeling okay?
Yeah, I think I’ll be all right.
You going to be okay?
Yeah, I think I just need to rest.
Maybe if you trip or you fall down or you’re
coughing a lot or there’s some kind of problems,
someone might say, “You going to be okay?”
Yeah, I think so.
I just need to rest.
When you go to the doctor or maybe a friend
might even ask you, “Where does it hurt?”
We might say, “It hurts between my neck and
shoulders.”
Where does it hurt?
It hurts between my neck and shoulders.
Next, let’s talk about some common questions
that you might ask in your home, especially
to other people who live there.
Can you do the dishes?
Sure, will you sweep the floor?
Say it with me.
Can you do the dishes?
Sure, will you sweep the floor?
Will you make the bed?
I will, after I have coffee.
Say it with me.
Will you make the bed?
I will, but after I have coffee.
Can you get the door?
Yeah, one second.
What is “get the door”?
This means someone is knocking on the door
and you’re asking someone else in the house
to open the door.
Can you get the door?
You might even say, “Did you hear the door?”
The door is not talking, it just means someone
is knocking possibly on your door.
Say it with me.
Can you get the door?
Yeah, in just a second.
What’s for dinner?
No clue.
I thought you were cooking.
Is this a common question in your house?
Say it with me.
What’s for dinner?
No clue.
I thought you were cooking.
Can you give me a hand with the trash?
Yeah, no problem.
“Can you give me a hand with” is a great way
to ask someone to help you.
It’s very polite and it’s used in daily conversation.
Say it with me.
Can you give me a hand with the trash?
Yeah, no problem.
Will you ever clean up your stuff?
Fine, I’ll do it after this game.
Do you get the tone here?
Will you ever clean up your stuff?
It’s very angry and passive aggressive, so
only say this if you’re feeling very angry.
Will you ever clean up your stuff?
And the other person is a little bit angry
too and says, “Fine, I’ll do it after this
game.”
Fine is not a positive thing to say.
Instead, it’s just, “I don’t want to argue
about this.
Fine.”
Next, let’s talk about some food related questions.
What are you in the mood for?
Does pizza sound okay with you?
“Whatcha” is “what are you.”
You’re asking, “What would you like to eat?”
What are you in the mood for?
Does pizza sound okay to you?
What sounds good to you?
I feel like something light.
What sounds good to you?
We’re not talking about sound, we’re talking
about what do you want to eat.
It’s another way to ask this question.
What do you want to eat?
Do you want to eat something heavy and fried,
or something light and not too heavy?
Say it with me.
What sounds good to you?
I feel like something light.
What sounds good to you?
Let’s imagine that you’re at a restaurant
and you ordered something and then you realized
that you wanted to change your mind.
You ordered a side of French fries, and then
you realize, “No, I should get something healthier.”
What can you say to change your order?
You can ask this question, “Actually, can
I get the salad instead?”
Of course the waiter will say yes, but it’s
still polite to ask, “Can I?”
Can I get the salad instead?
And your waiter will probably say, “Sure.
Anything else I can get for you?”
Can you ask that with me?
Actually, can I get the salad instead?
Sure.
Anything else I can get for you?
Next, let’s talk about asking for directions.
It’s very important to ask the right questions
to get to the right place and to answer them
accurately.
Where are you headed?
I’m looking for the park.
Is it around here?
Where are you headed?
This is asking, “Where are you going?”
We often use the verb “to head” to mean, “This
is where I’m going.”
I’m heading to the park.
Let’s ask this question together.
Where are you headed?
I’m looking for the park.
Is it around here?
Can you tell me where the bank is?
It’s two streets over at the intersection.
You can’t miss it.
When someone says, “You can’t miss it,” usually
that means you’ll probably miss it.
It’s not so obvious.
But let’s ask this question together.
Can you tell me where the bank is?
Yes, it’s two streets over at the intersection.
You can’t miss it.
How far is the nearest grocery store?
Not far, it’s right down the street, on the
left.
Right down the street, on the left.
Sometimes we use the word “right” to mean
close.
So it’s not very far, it’s down the street.
But when we add the word “right,” you get
the feeling of it’s close.
It’s not all the way down the street, it’s
just right on the street, but it’s actually
on the left.
Very interesting.
Let’s ask this question together.
How far is the nearest grocery store?
Not far, it’s right down the street on the
left.
Is there a gas station around here?
No, you have to drive 10 minutes to get to
the nearest gas station.
Ask it with me.
Is there a gas station around here?
No, you have to drive 10 minutes to get to
the nearest gas station.
For our final five common conversation questions,
these are bonus expressions.
I’d like to call them conversation nudges.
A nudge is like a push and it helps keep the
conversation going.
You’re not exactly asking for specific information,
you’re just asking them to continue talking
about what they were saying.
These questions we sometimes use when there’s
some surprising information.
Let me give you a little example.
I have a friend who has been going on some
dates that she found on Tinder.
Well, I’ve been married for 11 years, so I
don’t really know about dating on Tinder,
dating online.
I don’t know anything about that.
So when she told me that, I can ask her this
question, “What’s that like?”
I have no experience with it.
Is it scary to talk to someone who you haven’t
met in person?
Or is it exciting?
Is it thrilling?
What’s that like?
And you’re getting them to give you some more
information.
“It’s fine,” or, “Yeah, I really don’t like
it.”
You want to get some information by asking,
“What’s that like?” because I don’t have experience
with that, and I want to know about your experience.
Let’s imagine a similar situation.
Let’s say that the same friend who’s going
on some dates she met on Tinder tells you…
Well, actually, she told me.
She went on a pretty nice date.
He was nice, they had a good time.
And at the end of the date, he says, “Hey,
do you want to come back to my house?”
She wasn’t very interested in going back to
his house, at least not yet on the first date.
But before she could say anything, he said,
“Well, I need to call my wife and ask if that’s
okay with her.”
What?
I haven’t been on a date in a very long time,
but I feel like this is probably not common,
right?
I hope not.
Not very normal.
So what kind of question can you ask in this
type of shocking situation?
Let me give you a couple.
How did you feel about that?
So we’re not assuming that your friend is
upset at that, but I’m kind of imagining that
she is.
So you’re asking, “What was your experience
like?”
How did you feel about that?
If you want to be even more shocked, you could
ask, “What’s up with that?
Why wasn’t he honest with you at the beginning?
What’s up with that?”
And you’re asking a question that doesn’t
really need a reply, because you are just
showing your feelings about this situation.
Or you could say, “What’s that all about?
Or, “What’s the deal?
Can’t people just be honest at the beginning
of a date and say, or even before you talk,
‘Hey, I’m married.
Is it okay if we go on a date?
My wife’s okay with this.
We have an unusual relationship.’?”
Just be honest and upfront about this, because
it’s not exactly common, I would imagine.
So if someone tells you something shocking,
you can ask one of these questions.
What’s up with that?
What’s the deal?
These are great ways to show you are shocked.
All right, congratulations on practicing all
of those 50 questions.
How are you feeling?
You feeling okay?
Well, now I have a question for you.
Let me know in the comments, what do you do.
Do you remember what this question means?
If not, you’ll have to go back and watch all
this whole lesson again.
What do you do?
And don’t forget to download the free PDF
worksheet for this lesson so that you can
master all of these questions, answers, tips,
and also answer my little challenge section
at the bottom of the PDF so that you can practice
what you’ve learned.
Well, thank you so much for learning English
with me, and I’ll see you again next Friday
for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel.
Bye.
The next step is to download the free PDF
worksheet for this lesson.
With this free PDF, you will master today’s
lesson and never forget what you have learned.
You can be a confident English speaker.
Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel
for a free English lesson every Friday.
Bye.