Questions about Money for the ESL Classroom

Do you use conversation questions to promote interaction in the classroom?

In this post, we will explore various topics related to money, including investing, passive income, start-ups so your ESL students get used to discussing them.

Let’s start by defining what money is

  • Money is a medium of exchange that is widely accepted in payment for goods and services.
  • Money serves as a common denominator for all transactions and is a unit of account for measuring the value of goods and services.
  • Money can take many forms, such as physical currency, coins, and digital currency.
  • Money is issued and controlled by a government or central authority, and its value is determined by supply and demand in the economy.
  • Money is essential for facilitating trade and commerce, and it is used to store and transfer wealth.

Whether you’re a teacher looking for lesson ideas or a student looking to improve your English skills, this post is for you.



Questions about Money

These are some very good questions if you want to talk about Money

  • How do you keep track of your expenses?
  • How do you budget your money?
  • How do you save money?
  • Have you ever had to make sacrifices to save money?
  • Do you think it’s important to save money?
  • How do you feel about credit cards?
  • How do you typically pay for things, cash or card?
  • Do you think it’s important to be financially independent?
  • How do you think people can become financially stable?
  • What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?
  • Do you think twice before buying something expensive?
  • Have you ever had a problem with overspending?
  • Have you ever had to deal with unexpected expenses?
  • Have you ever had to deal with a financial crisis?
  • How do you feel about debt?
  • How do you feel about taxes?
  • How do you feel about inflation?
  • How do you invest your money?
  • How do you feel about the stock market?
  • Have you ever invested in the stock market?
  • How do you feel about cryptocurrency?
  • How do you feel about savings accounts?
  • How do you feel about mortgages?
  • Do you think it’s better to rent or buy a house?
  • How do you feel about student loans?
  • Have you ever had to borrow money from a friend or family member?
  • How do you feel about car loans?
  • How do you feel about credit scores?
  • How do you feel about retirement planning?
  • How do you feel about insurance?
  • How do you feel about the cost of living?
  • Do you think it’s important to have a financial plan for the future?
  • Do you think it’s important to have a retirement plan?
  • How do you feel about the current state of the economy?
  • How do you feel about the minimum wage?
  • How do you feel about government spending?
  • How do you feel about charity and donating money?
  • How do you feel about the concept of money in general?
  • Do you think it’s important to have multiple streams of income?

Common Expressions to Talk about Money

These are some expressions that English language learners can use to discuss money-related matters

Certainly! Here are some common expressions related to money that you can teach English language learners:

  1. Break the bank: To spend or cost a lot of money.
  2. Cost an arm and a leg: To be very expensive.
  3. Make ends meet: To have enough money to cover basic expenses.
  4. Save for a rainy day: To save money for unexpected expenses or emergencies.
  5. Cash cow: Something that generates a lot of money consistently.
  6. Put money aside: To save money for future use.
  7. Live within one’s means: To spend only what one can afford based on their income.
  8. Money talks: The idea that having money can influence people or situations.
  9. In the red: To be in debt; to owe money.
  10. Rags to riches: A story of someone who starts with very little money and becomes wealthy.

More ESL Conversation Questions

These are other ESL conversation questions that you also might want to check

  1. Would you Rather Questions for ESL Conversations
  2. 30 Nature Conversation Questions
  3. Discussion Questions about Wars
  4. 50 Conversation Questions About Celebrities
  5. Questions about Dreams
  6. Discussion Questions about Religions
  7. 60 Travel Conversation Questions
Manuel Campos, English Professor

Manuel Campos

I am Jose Manuel, English professor and creator of EnglishPost.org, a blog whose mission is to share lessons for those who want to learn and improve their English