Here you can find some questions you can ask your partner during conversation about cultures:

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1. What is a culture ? (literature, language, music, cuisine etc…?)

2. What is the most interesting about your culture?

3. What do you know about your culture?

4. What do you like about your culture?

5. What don’t you like about your culture?

6. Are you proud of your culture?

7. Is there any essential difference between your culture and the others?

8. Could you marry someone from a completely different culture? Why? Why not?

9. Do you know what people from other countries think about your culture?

10. Which culture do you admire , and why?

11. Which culture don’t you like, and why?

12. What may surprise foreigners in your culture?

13. Do you know any aspects of foreign cultures that you consider unusual in your country? Give examples.

14. Have you ever experienced any cultural differences among people?

15. How important is it to know the culture of the country that you are going to visit?

16. What is considered polite in your country?

17. What is considered impolite in your country?

18. Do you know people from other cultures?

19. How do you feel when you are in a completely new culture?

20. What does the proverb “when in Rome, do as the Romans do ” mean? Is it a good piece of advice ?

21. “The more you know the culture, the better you use the language”. Do you agree with the statement ?

22. If you could choose 3 aspects of your culture to show them to future generations , what would they be?

culture (level: pre-intermediate)
the particular way of life, including customs, beliefs, ways of behavior, etc., typical for a particular group at a particular time
What I especially like about travelling, is getting to know new cultures.

cuisine (level: upper intermediate)
a particular style of cooking typical for a country or a region
I love Japanese cuisine, especially sushi.

proud of (level: intermediate)
feeling pleasure and satisfaction, because you or other people that are important to you have done something good and important
I am really proud of my country and its great achievements.

essential (level: upper intermediate)
basic, fundamental
There are some essential differences in Japanese culture that you should get familiar with before going there in order to avoid troubles.

admire (level: intermediate)
to respect something or approve of something; to consider something very attractive and interesting
American people admire European culture because of its variety.

surprise (level: intermediate)
to make somebody feel unusual because of some unexpected event
I was really surprised of the way that African tribe greeted people!

foreigner (level: intermediate)
a person that comes from another country
Englishmen in America often feel like foreigners, despite the fact that they speak the same language.

foreign (level: intermediate)
related to a country which is not your own
She loves her job, because it gives her numerous opportunities to visit foreign countries.

to consider (level: intermediate)
to believe somebody or something to be…
I think she’s an exceptional beauty, although my friends consider her ugly.

unusual (level: intermediate)
different from somebody or something in an interesting way
Women taking up high positions in companies are not as unusual as in the past.

experience (level: intermediate)
to feel something that happens to you
They’ve never experienced a greater loss since the death of their brother.

polite (level: intermediate)
behaving in a way that respects other people, their feelings and customs
It was so polite that you ate my grandmother’s soup, although you don’t like it at all.

impolite (level: upper intermediate)
behaving in a way that doesn’t respect other people, their feelings and customs
It is very impolite in my family to leave the table until the others have finished eating.

proverb (level: upper intermediate)
a sentence that gives advice or state something commonly known
The proverb says that a bad workman always blames his tools. I agree with it!

piece of advice (level: upper intermediate)
a personal opinion about what you should do in a particular situation
My mum gave me a good piece of advice again. She always makes me avoid troubles!

to agree with (level: intermediate)
to have the same opinion as somebody else, to accept an idea, offer, suggestion
Yesterday he suggested that we should change some points of our project and I totally agree with him.

statement (level: intermediate)
something that somebody says or writes in an official way
The group of students made a statement about the increase of public transport prices.

aspect (level: intermediate)
a part of a problem, situation, topic
The weather always influences all aspects of human life.

generation (level: intermediate)
people at about the same age that live at a particular time
The generation of our grandparents is much more conservative than other people.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. (level: advanced)
When you are in a different country, you should behave the same way as the people living there.
I felt so strange in Japan, but I relied on the advice “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”, which helped me to avoid unpleasant and confusing situations.

a culture shock (level: upper intermediate)
a feeling of being surprised or confused that you get when you are in a country that is different from your own
When you go to China from any other country, be prepared for a culture shock. Everything is different there!