Conversations / Sleeping
Sleeping Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Use these 20 discussion questions about Sleeping to run a full speaking lesson with adult learners (A1–A2). 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 · 12 Aug 2026
Part 1
Sleep Routines and Comfortable Nights
Focus: talking about bedtime routines, sleep preferences, bedrooms, tiredness, and simple sleep problems
Choose one word from each group: Person: student, parent, traveler, worker; Action: relax, sleep, wake, read; Place: bedroom, hotel, sofa, airplane; Feeling: tired, calm, sleepy, refreshed. Use the words to make two or three simple sentences.
ROUTINE
What is your usual bedtime routine? Sentence starter: Before bed, I usually ...
PREFERENCE
What kind of room helps you sleep well? Sentence starter: I sleep well in a ... room.
ROUTINE
How many hours do you usually sleep? Sentence starter: I usually sleep for ... hours.
FEELING
How do you feel when you do not sleep enough? Sentence starter: I feel ...
COMPARE
Do you prefer going to bed early or late? Tell me one reason. Sentence starter: I prefer ... because ...
ITEM
What things in your bedroom help you sleep comfortably? Sentence starter: ... helps me sleep.
PROBLEM
What can you do if noise keeps you awake? Sentence starter: I can ...
ROUTINE
What do you try not to do before bedtime? Sentence starter: Before bed, I try not to ...
ADVISE
What simple advice would you give someone who wants a better bedtime routine? Sentence starter: I would say ...
PLAN
What small change would you like to make to your sleep routine? Sentence starter: I would like to ...
Part 2
Mornings, Naps, and Busy Days
Focus: talking about waking up, naps, busy days, simple comparisons, and ways to feel more rested
Think of one bedroom item, one action people do before sleep, and one feeling connected to being tired or rested.
Describe each word without saying it directly. Your teacher or partner must guess the word.
ROUTINE
What is the first thing you usually do after you wake up? Sentence starter: After I wake up, I ...
FEELING
What helps you feel awake in the morning? Sentence starter: ... helps me feel awake.
WEEKEND
How is your sleep different on weekends? Sentence starter: On weekends, I ...
PREFERENCE
Do you like taking naps? Tell me why or why not. Sentence starter: I ... naps because ...
COMPARE
Do you feel better after a short nap or a long nap? Sentence starter: I feel better after ...
EXPERIENCE
Tell me about a day when you felt very tired. Sentence starter: I felt tired when ...
PROBLEM
What can you do if you must wake up much earlier than usual? Sentence starter: I can ...
ROUTINE
What evening habits can make it harder for you to sleep? Sentence starter: ... can make sleep harder.
ADVISE
What advice would you give a friend who stays up too late? Sentence starter: I would tell them to ...
PLAN
How would you like your sleep routine to be different next month? Sentence starter: Next month, I want to ...