Conversations / Dating
Dating Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about Dating to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (B1–B2). Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up, every question is labelled with the thinking skill it practises, and each part fills roughly thirty minutes of class time on its own.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 16 Aug 2026
Part 1
Meeting People and Getting to Know Someone
Focus: discussing first dates, attraction, communication, compatibility, expectations, and ways people get to know potential partners
Think of one place people might go on a date, one action people do while getting to know someone, and one feeling connected to dating.
Describe each word without saying it directly. Your teacher or partner must guess the word.
EXPERIENCE
What kinds of places or activities do you think make a comfortable first date?
PREFERENCE
Do you think a simple first date or a carefully planned first date is better? Explain your preference.
DESCRIBE
What qualities usually make someone enjoyable to spend time with?
COMMUNICATION
What kinds of topics are useful when two people are first getting to know each other?
COMPARE
How is meeting someone through friends different from meeting someone online?
COMPATIBILITY
Which similarities between two people are important, and which differences can make a relationship more interesting?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
A first date has several awkward silences. What could either person do to make the conversation easier?
EVALUATE
How much attention should people pay to first impressions when dating?
ADVISE
What advice would you give someone who feels very nervous before a first date?
REFLECT
What helps two people move from simply dating to building a stronger relationship?
Part 2
Dating Apps, Boundaries, and Relationship Expectations
Focus: discussing online dating, honesty, boundaries, rejection, expectations, cultural differences, and common relationship challenges
Choose one word from each category: Person: friend, date, partner, stranger; Action: message, meet, listen, cancel; Place: cafe, park, restaurant, online; Feeling: excited, nervous, disappointed, comfortable. Use your four words to describe a short scene in two or three sentences.
DISCUSS
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using dating apps?
HONESTY
How honest should people be about themselves when creating an online dating profile?
BOUNDARIES
What kinds of personal boundaries are important when people begin dating?
COMPARE
How can expectations about dating differ between cultures, generations, or individuals?
COMMUNICATION
How should someone communicate when they are no longer interested in continuing to date another person?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
Two people like each other but have very different expectations about how often they should meet or communicate. What could they do?
EVALUATE
Which behaviors would make you think someone might not be a good long-term partner?
BALANCE
How can people keep their independence while also making time for a relationship?
DISCUSS
What challenges can couples face when they live far apart, and what can make a long-distance relationship easier?
REFLECT
What do you think matters most for a healthy relationship after the excitement of early dating becomes less intense?