MONOLOGOS

HOLIDAYS 
 Different kinds of holidays: package holiday, camping, guided tours, cruises

 Favourite means of transport for holidays: own car, plane, train, etc.

 People to go with: alone, family, friends, partner, etc.

 Your last holiday

 Your future holiday

 Rural tourism (relaxing, nature, sports) vs urban tourism (sightseeing, monuments,

museums)

EDUCATION 
 Private education vs state education

 Past education vs today’s education:  What was school like for your parents? Is it
very different from the education you have received/are receiving?

 Your school days: favourite subjects, teachers, school, uniform, etc.

 Technology in class: positive and negative aspects?

 Lack of money for grants?

SPORTS
 Sports you do and how often?

 Children and sports. Sedentary life? Present and past, difference?

 Your opinion on risky sports

 Footballers: do they earn too much money?

 The Olympic Games

JOBS
 Describe your job. How long have you been doing it? What do you like about it?

 Your ideal job.

 Retirement age: the ideal age?

 Dangerous jobs.

 Your opinion on civil servants in Spain.

TECHNOLOGY
 How has technology changed the world?

 Past and present: comparison

 I couldn’t live without my mobile. Do you agree with this statement?

 E-books. Do you have one? Why (not)?

 Technology in education. Positive and negative aspects?

 Do children have too many gadgets?

MONEY
 Social difference: rich and poor people?

 The economic crisis. How is it affecting society?

 What do you spend your money on?

 Todays’ salaries. Is it possible to save money?

 Do you give money to them? Why (not)?

 Do you like it? Where do you like shopping?

 Money corrupts people. Do you agree?

MUSIC AND BOOKS

 Music you like and your favourite singer/ band

 Your opinion on going to concerts

 Do you like reading? What do you normally read?

 Is reading good for children? Why (not)?

 The best book you’ve ever read

 A book you would never recommend

 Books made into films. Which do you prefer, the book or the film?

EATING HABITS
 You are what you eat. Do you agree with this statement?

 Your favourite food.

 Do you like fast food? How often do you have it?

 Eating out, do you like it?

 Children and obesity.

 Organic food, too expensive?

THE ENVIRONMENT
 What do you do to help the environment?

 Do you recycle? What and how?

 Temperatures are rising more and more. What’s the cause?

 What can you do at home to save energy? 

STEREOTYPES
 Are there any typical characteristics which you think describe the people from your
country? Which ones?

 Are people from different areas of your country similar / different in any way?

 Do foreign people have any stereotypes about people from your country? Which
ones? Do you think they are right?

 What are the stereotypical ideas you have about people from other countries
(United Kingdom, USA, France, Italy, China…)? Are they realistic?

 Think about this sentence and comment on it: “People from different countries are
not very different from each other”. Do you agree with it? Why? Why not 

ANIMALS
 Do you have any pets? If so, talk about it.

 People sometimes abandon their pets. Talk about this.

 Some people keep exotic and wild animals as pets, in apartments. What’s your
opinion?

 Fur coats, ivory decorative furniture, using animals for the cosmetic industry… How
do you feel about this?

 Keeping animals in captivity for our entertainment: zoos, circuses…Do we really

need this?

 Can animals help people in any way? How? Therapies with

animals.

PARENTAL RELATIONSHIPS
 Parents should be strict about what time their children come home.

 Every child needs at least one brother or sister.

 Children learn more from their parents than they do at school.

 Everybody in the family should cooperate with the housework.

 Children should work in their school holidays and earn money.

 Children should leave the family house before 25.

OLD AGE
 How are elderly people treated in our society by the government / by other people?

 What kind of problems do they have? What advantages can we find in old age?

 Many of them live alone and feel lonely. Why? How can this problem be solved?

 Homes for elderly people. What are their advantages and disadvantages?

 How should we spend our time when we retire? How can we feel useful in society?

 Your life when you are old. How do you imagine it?

HEALTH (STRESS)
 Do you think stress is a problem in current society? How does it affect our lives?

 Is everybody affected by it, even children? Give examples.

 How can we avoid or relieve stress? Talk about different methods you can think of.

 Are you stressed? What causes this feeling? What are the consequences for you?

 How do you relax?

MUSIC AND BOOKS

 What kind of music do you like? What is your favourite band or singer? Why?

 What kind of music do you listen to in different situations, for example…

…when you are sad? / …when you are happy?
…when you want to relax? / … when you want to have fun?
 Do you play any musical instruments? Can you sing? Do you like karaoke?

 What kind of books do you like? Do you usually read novels / essays / poetry?

 Is reading a good habit? Why? Why not? How can we encourage children to read?

 What is your favourite book? Why? What book / books didn’t you like at all? Why?

 What do you think about the books which have been made into films? Do you
remember any?

CELEBRITIES/ ADMIRATION
 Who is the person you most admire (artists, sportspeople, celebrities…)? Why?

 Do you admire anybody in your family? Why? Do you admire any of your friends?
Why?

 Do you think it is necessary to admire your boyfriend / girlfriend to love him / her?

 Do you admire any organization or group (NGOs, teams…)?

 ‘Heroes and heroines are really normal people’. Do you agree with this sentence?

 What do you admire most about yourself?

FAME
 Nowadays, a lot of people want to become famous…and they want it really quickly!

 Do you think that we have become obsessed with the concept of becoming an
overnight celebrity? Are people who participate in contests like “Big Brother”,
“Operación Triunfo”… really celebrities?

 Being famous is a positive value in our current society.

 I would love to be famous.

 If I became a celebrity, I would…

MEMORIES
 Do you usually remember anniversaries or birthdays? Do you forget where you have
left things? Are you a forgetful person or are you able to remember small details?

 Have you ever used mnemonic techniques (strategies to remember things)? Which
ones? Did they work?

 What is the oldest memory that you have? Do you have any special memories from
your childhood (good or bad)?

 Do/did your parents tell you any memories from the times when they were children?

 What are the ones which they tell/told you more often?

 Do you think remembering things from the past is good/bad?

SPEAKING ABOUT YOURSELF

 How would you describe your character? What’s your sense of humour like?

 How much attention do you pay to your appearance?

 What is your job? / What are you studying? What’s your attitude to work?

 What are your hobbies? What activities would you never take up?

 What are your ideals in life? Do you have any ambitions?

 Who are the most important people in your life? Why?

 Which are the most important decisions you have made in your life?

GOOD MANNERS
 Young people should not call elderly people by their first names.

 Men should open doors for women.

 It is rude to check your phone while you’re talking to someone

 It is rude to look at your watch when you are with people.

 You shouldn’t talk too loudly if you are in a public place.

 Cashiers should give customers their change into their hands.

 People shouldn’t play loud music on their phones in public.

 People should be considerate when talking on their mobiles on public transport.

 You shouldn’t interrupt someone or talk at the same time when someone else is
talking during a conversation.

 Many people think that technology is making us ruder. What do you think?