ELL Resources Center

Conversation Questions
Money & Shopping

Please remember that some questions about money may be considered too personal to ask anyone who is not a very close friend or a family member.

  • About how much did you spend on presents last year?
  • About how much do you usually spend each day?
  • Are you a price conscious shopper?
  • Are you good at saving money?
  • Are you saving money to buy something?
    • If so, what are you planning to buy?
    • How much will it cost?
    • How much longer will you need to save before you can buy it?
  • Do banks pay a higher percent of interest here or in your country?
  • Do you compare prices at different stores when you shop?
  • Do you enjoy shopping?
  • Do you ever buy second-hand things? ("used things")
  • Do you ever give money to charity?
    • How often do you give to charity?
    • How much do you give?
  • Do you gamble?
  • Do you give tips at a restaurant in your country? How about to taxi drivers?
  • Do you have a credit card?
  • Do you have a credit card? If so, do you have more than one?
  • Do you have more than one bank account?
  • Do you have to pay a sales tax in your country?
  • Do you invest in the stock market?
  • Do you often put money in the bank?
  • Do you sometimes buy things that you don't need?
    • If so, give some examples.
  • Do you sometimes give money to charities?
  • Do you think that money can buy love?
  • Do your parents give you an allowance? (Did your parents give....?)
    • How much? (Maybe not a good question to ask.)
    • What do you use it for?
    • How often do they give it to you?
  • Have you ever been in debt? (Have you ever owed money to people?)
  • Have you ever bought a lottery ticket?
  • Have you ever found any money? If so, what did you do with it?
  • Have you ever given money to a beggar?
  • Have you ever given money to a homeless person?
  • Have you ever had any money stolen from you?
  • How important is money to you?
    • If you had no money, do you think you could be happy?
  • How many different kinds of coins are there in your country? What are they?
  • How much did you spend last week?
  • How much did you spend yesterday?
  • How much do you have to spend to eat a good meal at a restaurant in your country?
  • How much do you spend on food each week?
  • How much do you think it costs to fly to Guam?
  • How much do you think it costs to stay at a hotel in London?
  • How much do you usually spend each month on entertainment?
  • How much do you usually spend each month on food?
  • How much do you usually spend each month on transportation?
  • How much does it cost to get a haircut in your country?
  • How much does it cost to ride a bus in your country?
  • How much is a liter of gasoline in your country?
  • How much money did you make on your first job?
    • (How much money do you think you will make on your first job?)
  • How much money did you spend yesterday?
    • Where did you spend it?
    • What did you spend it on?
    • Do you often spend that amount in one day?
  • How much money did your parents give you for an allowance when you were ten years old?
  • How much money do you have on you now? (Maybe not a polite question to ask.)
  • How much money do you have with you now? (Maybe not a good question to ask.)
  • How much time did you spend the last time you went shopping?
  • How often do you go shopping?
  • If someone gave you a lot of money, what would you do with it?
    • If someone gave you a million dollars, what would you do with it?
  • Some people say that "money makes the world go around." Do you agree? Why or why not?
  • What bank do you use?
  • What do you need to buy next?
  • What do you spend most of your money on?
  • What do you spend the most money on each month?
  • What do you want to buy next?
  • What is something that you have bought recently that cost a lot of money?
  • What is something that you have bought recently that was a good bargain?
  • What is something that you have bought recently?
  • What is something that you want to buy, but don't have enough money to buy.
  • What is something that you want to buy, but think you never will.
  • What is the average salary in your country?
  • What is the most expensive thing you've ever bought?
    • How much did it cost?
  • What is your opinion of discount stores?
  • What kind of things do you often shop for?
  • What kinds of things are you saving your money for?
  • What store did you like best and what store did you like least?
  • What was the last thing you bought for someone else?
  • What was the last thing you bought for yourself?
    • Where did you buy it?
    • why did you buy it?
  • What was the last thing you spent money on?
  • What's the most expensive thing you have ever bought?
  • What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought?
  • What's the most money you have spend on one thing?
  • What's the most money you have spent on something to eat?
  • What's the most money you have spent on something to wear?
    • What did you buy?
  • What's your favorite place to shop?
  • What's your favorite shopping area or store?
  • Where did you buy ___? (your shoes / your watch / etc.)
    • How much did you pay?
    • When did you buy it/them?
  • Where do you keep your money?
  • Where do you usually buy food?
  • Where is your favorite shopping area?
  • Which costs more, a hamburger in America or a hamburger in your country?
  • Which costs more, your telephone bill or your electric bill?
  • Which do you prefer, large stores or small stores?
  • Which do you think is more important, love or money?
  • Which store do you go to the most often?
    • Where is it?
    • Why do you like to go there?
  • Who do you often go shopping with?
  • Who do you spend money on?
  • How do you think money helps make us happy?
  • Do you think money is more important than love?
  • How much money do you want to earn each month?
  • What qualities must a person have to make BIG money?
  • Should children get an allowance (pocket money) from their parents?
  • When do you get your allowance?
    • How long does it last?
    • Is it enough money?
  • How do you usually spend your money? What do you usually buy?
  • How much should you give to your children?
  • How much do you give to your children?
  • Do you ever give money to beggars on the street? Why or why not?
  • Do you ever give money to charity? Why or why not?
  • If you found 100,000 won (or local currency) in a bag on the street, what would you do? Keep it?
  • What are you saving your money for?
    • Do you want to buy something special?
  • Who takes care of the money in your house?
  • When you buy something, do you "shop around" and go to many stores to compare prices?
  • When you buy something, what is most important to you: price, quality, fashion trend, status/image?
  • Explain these proverbs: What do they mean? Say them in other English words.
    • The best things in life are free.
    • Time is money.
    • Save your pennies for a rainy day.
    • Money talks.
    • You can't take it with you when you go.
    • Money doesn't grow on trees
  • Your rich uncle just died and gave you 50,000,000 won. (or local currency)
    • How would you spend it?
    • What would you buy?
    • Would you spend it on yourself, put it in the bank or buy something for your family?
    • Would you spend it all?
  • What is the most you have ever spent on a gift?
    • What was it?
    • Who did you give it to?
    • What was the occasion?
  • If you had to save money, what can you do without?
    • I would stop spending money on ___.
  • If you needed to earn some extra money, how would you do that?
  • What do you do if you can't get the clerk's attention at the store?
  • Is it easier to return items in the U.S. or in your country?
  • If you can't find an item at the store, do you find a clerk and ask for help, or do you leave and go somewhere else?
  • If you don't want help when the clerk asks if you need help, what do you say?
  • Is it OK to bring children to the market or the department store?
  • Is it bad if one person or company controls the market that it specializes in?
    • For example, is it wrong for Microsoft to control most of the operating system software in the world?
    • Do you consider companies like Microsoft and people like Bill Gates smart and shrewd?
  • Some questions about Taxation.
    In New Zealand at the moment the government is thinking of imposing a "flatulence tax" on farmers for the livestock they own, as the flatulence contributes to Ozone depletion (supposedly).
    • What is the most ridiculous tax in your country, past, or present?
    • Do you think taxes in your country are too high/low?
      • What about New Zealand Taxes? / What about taxes here?
    • What is the effect on the economy of high taxation?
    • What is the effect on the economy of low taxation?
    • What are some of the different kinds of taxes your country has?
    • If you were the ruler of your country, what would you do to change the taxation system?
      • What is the funniest tax you can think of to introduce?