HOW TO ANSWER ANY ENGLISH QUESTION

there are seven categories of questions that's right questions that you as an English learner need to know how to answer fluently but in order to answer them fluently you must know what each category is why the questions are asked and how you can answer them in a very confident and fluent way are you ready well then I'm teacher Tiffany let's Jump Right In category number one personal questions now the very first category you as an English learner must understand is the personal question category Now personal questions refer to questions that focus on someone's personal life

background family and individual experiences these questions help build connections and understand someone's life story now these are the questions you are probably the most familiar with for example think about these simple personal questions the first one is hey what is your age a very tricky question though be careful you can't really ask ladies that question but it's a personal question a second example is where were you born then we have how many siblings do you have once again these are personal questions questions but what about deeper questions here are some deeper personal questions someone might

ask you could you tell me about your family and where you grew up notice that these deeper questions require longer answers than the simple questions here's another example of a deeper question a deeper personal question what was the most important lesson your parents taught you again still a personal question but a lot deeper and here's the other example how would you describe your childhood memories now these are the questions that when you're asked they can be a little bit tricky you can get a little bit uncomfortable so I want to actually break this down for

you let's check out some example answers for these deep questions all right so we're looking at again the first category being personal questions and I want us to check out this question could you tell me about your family and where you grew up you're going to notice something about the responses remember for you as an English learner you want to answer questions like a native English speaker with confidence and fluently well the first example shows how Native English speakers use three examples to answer questions this is something that I personally learned throughout my entire education

period Middle School High School College University I always learned to give examples when I was answering a question so the question once again is could you tell me about your family and where you grew up check out the answer I grew up in a small town in Texas with my parents and two younger sisters let me share three examples that shaped my childhood first we lived on a ranch where we raised horses which taught me responsibility through daily feeding and grooming duties second our house was next to my grandparents property so we had weekly family

dinners where three generations shared stories and traditional recipes third my mother was a music teacher so our home was always filled with the sound of piano lessons and singing practice now just from this one response you can see how good the answer was why because of the three examples the first example living on a ranch and raising hes hes then the second example speaking about living next to their grandparents property third the mother being a music teacher again remember if you want to speak English confidently if you want to speak English fluently when someone asks

you a personal question your first option is to give three examples but it's not the only option now we're going to check out the exact same question but this time give three reasons again the exact same question could you tell me about your family and where you grew up again personal question but a deeper question now check out this response here we go I love sharing about my family and Hometown because firstly growing up in a rural community instilled strong values of neighborly support and community service second secondly being raised with siblings taught me important

lessons about sharing and compromise thirdly living near extended family created a strong support system that continues to influence my approach to relationships today what did we see three reasons again when you are asked a deeper question you don't want to give a simple answer you don't want to give a one-word answer you want to be fluent you want to be confident what do you do you need to either give three examples or three reasons and you're going to see as we continue through our lesson the fact that this can be applied to each category so

the first category again personal questions now we're going to move to the second category of questions you will be asked as an English learner the second category is is professional questions now you've probably already got questions related to your professional experience these professional questions let me explain what this actually refers to professional questions relate to I'm leaving this in the video sometimes even native English speakers we get Tongue Tied I said all right professional questions relate to work career choices and professional goals they help understand someone's career path and aspirations so someone will ask you

a professional question because they want to know more about your career your background what you did and what you are currently doing but just like the personal questions there are simple professional questions and there are deeper questions so some example of simple professional questions are what is your job J title requiring a simple answer oh I'm an English teacher or for example a simple professional question where do you work you can tell them oh I work two blocks from here or I work for IBM I work for Apple again simple question simple response and this

other simple question how long is your workday do you work 8 hours 9 hours 5 hours how long is your workday but just like the personal questions there are also deeper questions within this category the professional questions category here are some deeper questions first what made you choose your current career path all of a sudden you have to start giving more details explaining a bit more here's the second deeper question again in the professional questions category how do you handle challenges at work and thirdly what are your career goals for the next few years once

again these are questions that you will be asked and in order for you to speak English fluently and confidently you must do the same thing you learned for the previous category either give examples or reasons so let's check out the question for this category again category number two the professional category the question we want to dive deeper into is how do you handle challenges at work so for you as the English learner how can you respond to this question and speak fluently and confidently first using examples again you want to use three examples so check

out this example response using three example the question again how do you handle challenges at work here's the response using three examples I approach workplace challenges with a systematic problemsolving mindset let me share three examples first when we faced a tight project deadline last month I created a detailed timeline and delegated tasks effectively which helped us complete the project on time that was the first example continuing second when dealing with a difficult client I scheduled regular check-ins and documented all Communications which improved our relationship significantly and third when our team experienced technical issues I implemented

a backup system and trained colleagues on troubleshooting Basics reducing downtime by 50% what did you recognize as I read through this response to the deeper question you noticed that there were three examples this individual first mentioned a tight project deadline that he or she had then dealing with a difficult client and then the third example her team or his team experienced technical issues when you give three examples you sound more confident and you're able to speak English more fluently by following this simple process now the exact same question instead of using three examples now we're

going to use three reasons remember we're speaking about the second category the professional category for questions that you'll be asked in English so the question once again once again is how do you handle challenges at work now we're going to use three reasons here we go I believe in addressing workplace challenges headon because firstly quick resolution prevents small issues from becoming bigger problems that could affect team morale and productivity secondly giving the second reason secondly each challenge presents an opportunity to improve our systems and processes for the future and thirdly successfully overcoming challenges helps build

confidence and res resilience within the team what did we just do we answered the exact same question again a professional question a deeper question but this time we used three reasons why firstly secondly and thirdly again when you are trying to speak English fluently when you want to give a fluent and confident response in English to a professional question remember to either give examples or reasons now the third category again the third category of questions is lifestyle questions lifestyle questions now what are lifestyle questions so lifestyle questions refers to questions that explore daily habits routines

and how someone chooses to live their life how do you live your life are you an early bird Are you a Night Out do you enjoy hanging with friends do you enjoy private time these questions refer to your life lifestyle questions so what are some simple lifestyle questions here are some simple lifestyle questions that you might have already received first do you exercise regularly yes I do next what time did you wake up I woke up at around actually 3:30 this morning I was fine but I woke up a little early today again simple question

simple answer and next do you cook at home indeed I do again simple questions that you can respond to but now we have to see the deeper questions for this topic lifestyle questions again this category some deeper questions are how do you usually spend your weekends I want to know more give me more information not just a onew or a two-word response second deeper question what activities help you relax after a busy day and finally could you describe your typical morning routine again look at the differences between the simple questions and the deeper questions so

how can you respond to one of these deeper questions let's take a look again again we're on this category of lifestyle and the question I want us to look at closer is how do you usually spend your weekends we're going to look at two example responses how do you usually spend your weekends for the First Response let's check out a response that includes three examples here we go I dedicate my weekends to outdoor activities and personal growth for example last weekend I went hiking on a new Trail and discovered a beautiful waterfall I'd never seen

before then I attended a local cooking class where I learned to make authentic Italian pasta from scratch finally I spent Sunday afternoon at a community garden where I helped plant vegetables and met some wonderful neighbors what did we see in this response what did we hear three examples again these examples help us understand the person's point of view deeper questions require deeper responses what about this second response to the exact same question now we're going to use three reasons once again the question how do you usually spend your weekends now we'll give reasons here's the

response I prioritize an active and social weekend schedule that's how I spend it why because firstly it helps me reach charge after a demanding Work Week secondly dedicating time to hobbies and Friends maintains a healthy work life balance thirdly engaging in different activities during the weekend provides fresh perspectives that boost my creativity and productivity during the work week we have three reasons to support our answer again for this category this the same applies we're speaking about the lifestyle category giving reasons and giving examples now the fourth category is also very important the fourth category of

questions is opinion questions opinion questions now you as an English learner need to really Master this category because people are going to ask you all the time to give your thoughts your opinions so what are opinion questions these questions ask for personal views and thoughts on various topics encouraging people encouraging you to share your perspective even more and the person listening to you to also share their perspective so let's check out some simple questions for this category of simple questions for opinion questions here are some examples do you like spicy food again simple opinion question

next is winter your favorite season no it's not my favorite season is fall I also like spring so I have two and finally do you prefer cats or dogs simple questions that require simple responses but what about deeper questions for this category here are the deeper opinion questions what do you think about social media's influence on Society whoa this question is going to require a bit more thought a bit more details what about this next deeper question for opinions how do you feel about working from home versus working in an office and finally what's your

view on learning foreign languages so we have SIMPLE and deep questions for the opinion category let's check out some respon to one of these deeper questions all right looking at this category of opinion right here's the question I want us to go deeper on what's your view on learning foreign languages now this is a question you could probably answer very quickly why because you are currently learning a foreign language English is not your first language it's a foreign language and you're learning it so if someone says hey so what's your personal view on learning foreign

languages you can now give your response based on what you're learning either three examples or three reasons so let's check out the first example response to this question here's the first example response I strongly believe that learning foreign languages is incredibly enriching and valuable in today's interconnected World strong opinion now we're going to give three examples for instance when I started learning Spanish I was able to connect with my neighbors who didn't speak English well which led to wonderful cultural exchanges and shared meals second learning Japanese helped me secure a job promotion because our company

expanded to Tokyo and I could communicate directly with our international team all right Spanish and Japanese this person's amazing third studying French allowed me to travel through France independently and have authentic experiences like negotiating at local markets and chatting with Cafe owners about their family histories you see what happened right three examples answering this question that's in the opinion category giving three examples related to learning Spanish related to learning Japanese and finally related to learning French but what about three reasons the exact same question what's your view on learning foreign languages here's the response using

three reasons I'm passionate about uhoh we don't want that to cross out let's use the highlighter here we go I'm passionate about learning foreign languages because firstly it opens up countless opportunities for personal and professional growth in our globalized world secondly it enhances cognitive abilities by improving memory problem solving skills and multitasking capabilities thirdly it promotes cultural understanding and empathy by allowing us to see the world through different linguistic and cultural perspectives what do we see here again three reasons being given for the response for the opinion this is what happens for each category we

you have seven categories for questions that you will be asked as an English learner even that I get asked as a native English speaker for each of the questions in each of the categories you can use either three examples or three reasons we're talking about speaking English like a native English speaker in other words speaking English confidently and fluently using three examples or three reasons now the fifth category is cultural questions cultural questions your culture is amazing no matter where you are from your culture is amazing so when someone asks you cultural questions what are

they trying to find out you see these questions explore Traditions customs and cultural perspectives helping you understand different ways of life so when someone asks you a question a cultural question they want to know more about who you are your background your traditions and your perspective based on your culture now some of the simple questions they'll ask you are these like this let's say they ask you what language do you speak very simple question or they could ask you what's your religion or finally what is your nationality again still cultural questions but very simple questions

now what about the deeper questions for this category again helping you understand the seven categories of questions that you need to know how to answer here are the deeper questions how do people celebrate special occasions in your culture how do they celebrate birthdays how do you celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving how do people in your culture celebrate these holidays you have to give more details next what are some unique traditions in your country and finally how has your culture influenced your daily life think about your daily life and how your culture has affected it so let's

check out another question all right again we're on this fifth category of cultural questions so let's check out this question how has your culture influenced your daily life we're going to look at two responses to this question once again using examples and reasons so looking at the first response which uses examples once again the question is how has your culture influenced your daily life here's the response my Southern American culture has deeply shaped my daily routines and interactions for instance here's the first example I always greet my neighbors engage in small talk when I see

them which is a Cornerstone of southern hospitality second I prepare traditional Sunday dinners for my family Where We Gather to share homecooked meals like fried chicken and Cornbread maintaining our family's culinary Traditions third I incorporate the practice of Storytelling into my daily life by sharing family histories and anecdotes with my children during our evening meals keeping our oral tradition alive what happened we have this deeper question again in the category of cultural questions and the response was given using three examples now same question but now instead of examples we're now going to give three reasons

the question once again is how has your culture influenced your daily life I hope you're recognizing what's happening when you're answering questions yes there's seven different categories but you can follow the same method either three examples or three reasons so here's the second response using three reasons I embrace my culture's influence on my daily life because firstly it provides a strong sense of identity and belonging in an increasingly globalized world secondly it helps preserve important values and traditions that can be passed down to Future generations and thirdly it creates meaningful connections with others who share

similar cultural backgrounds fostering a supportive Community now what are you seeing in this response what did you just hear you heard three reasons remember giving three examples or giving three reasons will help you speak English fluently and with confidence the fifth category again cultural questions now we move to the sixth category our sixth category is values questions questions related to your values let me explain values questions these questions explore personal beliefs your personal principles and what you as an individual consider to be important in life what's important to you what drives you what moves you

each day what causes you to do right instead of doing wrong again values questions so here are some example questions example simple questions related to values first is family important to you yes or no simp simple question right secondly do you value honesty do you value honesty yes or no simple question and thirdly is money important to you simple questions but then when we come to the other side we have deeper questions related to your values first what qualities do you value most in friendships I just watched a short video earlier this morning actually true

story I was in bed short video clip where a couple was talking about friendship you see how I naturally started to answer this question I've practiced so much so we're going to help you be able to answer questions related to values as well here's the second deeper question what does success mean to you and finally how do you define happiness in your life once again deeper questions Rel related to your values so how do you answer these questions let's look at the second question the second question for values we have is what does success mean

to you what does success mean to you and we're going to be using again examples three examples to answer this question so we have the question once again what does success mean to you here's the response using three examples listen closely I view success as continuous personal growth and making a positive impact on others here we go for example last year I mentored three Junior colleagues who have since been promoted to leadership positions which gave me a profound sense of achievement second I completed a challenging certification program while working full-time proving to myself that I

could push beyond my comfort zone third I initiated a community literacy program that has helped over 50 Children improve their reading skills demonstrating that success isn't just about personal achievements but about uplifting others it's interesting when you answer a question using this either three examples or three reasons the person listening to you will be able to understand you more have a better understanding of who you are and they'll feel like your English is amazing because you're giving enough information but what about giving three reasons for this response so three reasons for this response again the

question again is what does success mean to you here's the response I define success ESS Beyond traditional metrics like wealth or status because firstly true fulfillment comes from personal growth and continuous learning rather than material achievements secondly making a positive impact on others creates lasting value that extends Beyond individual accomplishments thirdly maintaining a healthy work life balance allows for sustainable long-term success in all areas of Life once again we see that three reasons were given in order to speak English fluently and confidently answering the question in this category what about category number seven experience questions

now these questions are questions you will get very often as well along with personal questions so experience questions are questions that that are focused on specific events specific memories or specific situations that you have lived through a question that I get very often is hey Tiffany can you tell me about your time in South Korea experience people want to know about what happened the different situations that happened while I lived in Korea experience questions so here are some examples of simple experience questions first we have this one have you traveled abroad next can you drive

a car again experience simple question can you drive a car and finally have you been skydiving simple questions that honestly require just a yes or no answer but what about the deeper questions here's a deeper question for the experience category what was your most memorable travel exper experience next could you tell me about a challenge you overcame and finally what's an experience that changed your perspective on life what's an experience that completely changed you so we have these simple questions and we have the deeper questions within this category of experience so let's check out a

response our first response again we're going to check out this question the second question for this category the question is could you tell me about a challenge you overcame an experien question again could you tell me about a challenge you overcame so we're going to give three examples in the First Response the question again could you tell me about a challenge you overcame here's the response one significant challenge I overcame was adapting to living in a foreign country for example I initially struggled with the language barrier but committed to Daily Language Lessons and practice with

locals until I became fluent within 6 months second I had to navigate an entirely different banking and Health Care system which I managed by seeking help from local friends and carefully researching all procedures third I overcame cultural isolation by joining Community groups and organizing International dinner parties which helped me build a strong support network again three examples found in this one response we again we have the second response the second example excuse me first example we have struggling with the language barrier second navigating and then thirdly over coming cultural isolation three examples what about reasons

so same question but this time we're going to give three reasons here's the question once again could you tell me about a challenge you overcame here's the response I successfully managed to overcome my fear of public speaking because firstly I recognize that effective communication is crucial for professional growth in today's world secondly I understood that sharing my ideas and experiences could positively impact and Inspire others thirdly I knew that conquering this fear would boost my self-confidence in all areas of life three reasons once again when you are answering a question no matter which category which

of the seven categories you're trying to answer a question from give three examples or give three reasons you can do it I believe in you I'll talk to you next time you still there you know what time it is here we go it's Story Time hey I said it's story time all right so today's Story Time actually is about one of my favorite memories from high school so you know that I enjoy drawing and painting I love things that are beautiful I love artwork I love going to the museum and just looking at paintings and

photographs so when I was in high school I had an awesome art teacher her name was Miss Hallstead and I remember one day it was after lunch and I just happened to be walking through the hallway and I was about to pass her classroom and I noticed that Miss Hallstead was sitting in her room the art room at her desk very quietly and she looked like she was focused intently on something but her shoulders were kind of down and she had a pen in her hand and she was dra looked like she was drawing something

and my curiosity got the best of me so I I walked into the classroom and even though I walked into the classroom she still didn't look up I had to walk all the way to her desk and then she looked up oh hey Tiffany how are you and I Saidi fine Miss holstead what are you up to she said oh I'm just sketching and I said oh wow Miss holstead I love sketching too and that's when she put her pen down and she also put her Sketchbook down and she said oh really Tiffany you really

like sketching I said yeah I I really like sketching but sometimes I try not to sketch when I'm in class because I don't want the teacher to think I'm not paying attention and I want to focus and she started to talk to me and started to explain how important sketching and doodling actually was she told me how she again as a full adult at that time I think she was in her 40s she even in church while the pastor was preaching a sermon she would sketch and doodle in her notebook now I was in shock

because you know the the parents usually tell their children hey when you're in church pay attention focus on the sermon so to hear another adult telling me that she actually sketched and doodled during the sermon it really blew my mind mind but she said Tiffany here's the thing that people that aren't artists don't know you see when we as artists are sketching or doodling were actually the most focused she said when I'm sketching in church and doodling I'm actually paying more attention to what the pastor is saying she said it's just the way the creative

mind is has been made she said that she wanted me to start sketching and doodling more she wanted me to do it even when I was at church and again I have great parents so they were okay with me sketching because they knew I loved art but she encouraged me to do it in class to do it in church she said Tiffany even when you're about to go to bed an idea May pop in your head I want you to also sketch then write down what Pops in your head she said Tiffany you're an artist

and it's actually not a bad thing now I never forgot that and I remember as I went through the rest of my high school years and then went to college I continued to Doodle and sketch in class and I remember specifically when I was in college I had a science class and we were talking about the anatomy of a frog and while the teacher was teaching I was drawing a frog and I was drawing the different parts of the Frog and labeling the parts in my notebook and what happened was when I took an exam

that image that I had drawn I added colors and I added all of the information about the Frog popped up in my mind and I aced that exam and I realized how powerful creativity is and how important it is to visualize something because visualizing helps you to remember so even now I sketch when I'm listening to a sermon I sketch when I'm doing something or listening to a presentation because it helps me remember what I'm listening to maybe you're the same maybe you're an artist and you love sketching but maybe you're not remember creativity is

so important and that's why I hope you enjoyed today's lesson and today's story I'll talk to you next time