10 Natural Follow-Up Questions Every ESL Student Should Know
A great conversation isn’t built on great questions. It’s built on great follow-up questions — the ones that come after someone answers, that show you were actually listening, and that give the conversation somewhere to go.
Most ESL students learn to ask basic questions. ‘Where are you from? What do you do? Do you have any hobbies?’ These are fine as conversation starters. But the students who can hold a conversation for ten minutes without it dying? They know how to follow up.
Here are ten follow-up questions that work across almost any topic, any level, and any ESL conversation context. Teach them. Drill them. Post them on the wall. Your students will use them.
📚 ESL Conversation Practice Books
Structured conversation practice books give students the repeated exposure they need to make follow-up questions automatic — not something they have to think about.
The 10 Follow-Up Questions
1. How long have you been doing that?
Use when: After someone mentions a job, hobby, or habit
Example: “I’ve been working there for about three years now.” → “Really? How long have you been doing that?”
2. What was that like?
Use when: After any experience is mentioned — travel, school, a job, a difficult situation
Example: “I studied abroad in Australia for a year.” → “Wow — what was that like?”
3. What do you enjoy most about it?
Use when: After someone describes their job, hobby, or daily routine
Example: “I teach kindergarten.” → “Oh, interesting — what do you enjoy most about it?”
4. How did you get into that?
Use when: After someone mentions a skill, career, or interest that sounds specific or unusual
Example: “I make furniture in my spare time.” → “That’s cool — how did you get into that?”
5. What happened after that?
Use when: After someone tells the beginning of a story or describes a past event
Example: “I got lost on my first day in the city.” → “Oh no! What happened after that?”
6. Do you think you’ll keep doing it?
Use when: After someone describes a change, challenge, or new experience
Example: “I’ve been trying to run every morning.” → “That’s great — do you think you’ll keep doing it?”
7. What was the hardest part?
Use when: After someone describes something they accomplished, learned, or went through
Example: “I learned to drive last year.” → “Nice! What was the hardest part?”
8. Would you recommend it?
Use when: After someone mentions a place, book, show, food, or experience
Example: “I tried that new restaurant near the station.” → “Oh yeah? Would you recommend it?”
9. How did you feel about that?
Use when: After someone shares news — good or bad — about something that happened to them
Example: “I didn’t get the job I applied for.” → “I’m sorry to hear that. How did you feel about that?”
10. What’s next for you?
Use when: As a natural conversation closer — or after someone finishes describing a plan or project
Example: “I just finished my master’s degree.” → “Congratulations! So what’s next for you?”
Why These 10 Questions Work
Every question on this list shares two qualities. First, it’s open-ended — it can’t be answered with a yes or no. Second, it responds to what the other person just said rather than changing the subject. These are the two ingredients of a follow-up question that actually extends conversation.
Notice also what these questions don’t do: they don’t require the speaker to know anything new. They work with whatever information is already on the table. That makes them low-pressure — students can use them without worrying about running out of vocabulary for a new topic.
How to Teach Them in the Classroom
The Repetition Loop
Have students practice pairs of exchanges: one student makes a statement, the other chooses the most natural follow-up question from the list, and the first student answers. Then switch. Run three or four loops before introducing free conversation.
The Observer Challenge
Assign one student as observer in each group. Their job: count how many follow-up questions from the list they hear. This makes the activity a game and builds awareness before it becomes a habit.
The No-List Version
After two rounds with the list visible, remove it. Students continue the same activity from memory. Most will retain 6-7 of the 10 immediately. The ones they forget are worth revisiting.
For a complete set of practice exercises — reactions, comments, and follow-up questions together — see the full activity here:
Follow-Ups in Conversation for ESL Learners — teachingenglishisfun.com
Pairing Follow-Up Questions with Other Activities
Follow-up questions work best when they’re embedded in activities that give students something real to talk about. Two that work especially well:
The News Report Activity gives students roles — anchors, reporters, interviewers — that require follow-up questions naturally. Interviewers who don’t follow up sound like robots. Students figure this out quickly.
The News Report ESL Activity — teachingenglishisfun.com
The Stereotypes Discussion Activity generates genuine opinions and reactions that create natural opportunities for follow-up questions. When a student says something surprising about their culture, every other student in the room wants to ask ‘What do you mean? How did that happen?’ — which is exactly the kind of authentic follow-up that builds real fluency.
The Stereotypes ESL Discussion Activity — teachingenglishisfun.com
📚 English Conversation for Intermediate and Advanced Learners
Once students have the follow-up question toolkit, leveled conversation practice books help them apply these skills to a wider range of topics and registers.
Browse Conversation Books for Intermediate Learners on Amazon →
A Note on Drilling vs. Naturalness
Some teachers worry that drilling specific questions will make students sound scripted. The opposite tends to be true. When a question becomes automatic, when a student doesn’t have to search for it, it sounds more natural, not less.
The goal isn’t for students to run through a mental checklist while speaking. It’s for these questions to become habits that surface without effort. That takes repetition. Drilling is not the enemy of naturalness. Uncertainty is.
