OK, first thing first: what does ‘get to know someone’ mean? It refers to the process of finding out more and more information about a person you have met recently.
- Have you met the new HR Director? What do you think of her?
- Yes, we met in the canteen last week. We talked for a few minutes, but I didn’t really get to know her.
- I think you and Chris should get to know each other a bit better before you decide to move in together.
When meeting someone for the first time, it may be better to avoid questions that are too personal. You don’t want to scare off your new acquaintance by invading their privacy.
FIRST QUESTIONS
- What do you do?
- How long have you been doing that?
- What’s the best part of your job?
- What did you do before?
- Which (secondary) school/ university did you go to?
- Did you like it?
- Where do you live?
- How long have you been living there?
- What’s the best part of living there?
- Are there any good clothes shops/ restaurants/ swimming pools etc. in the neighbourhood?
- Where did you live before?
- Do you have any hobbies?
- What do you like doing in your free time?
- Do you do any sports?/ Do you play any musical instruments?
- How long have you been doing it?
- Do you speak any foreign languages?
- Are you interested in films/ music/ literature?
- Who’s your favourite actor/ singer/ writer?
- Why do you like him/her?
- What’s your favourite food?
- Do you like cooking?
- Do you have any children?
- Do you have any brothers or sisters?
- What do they do?
- What does your husband/ wife do?
- Do you have any pets?
Everybody loves talking about themselves, so most probably new people you meet will like you for showing an interest in them. However, be careful not to turn the chat into an interrogation. Don’t forget to offer them the same amount of information about yourself and then you can go on to talk about the areas of interest you have in common.
MORE PERSONAL QUESTIONS
Once you’ve made sure that your new friend is comfortable in your presence and ready to open up, you can come up with questions that are more delicate in nature. If you sense that they find a particulary topic of conversation too embarrassing to talk about, just change the subject. Also, always respect your friend’s cultural background. Some topics may be considered taboo where he or she comes from.
- Do you get on well with your colleagues/ boss?
- What’s the worst part about your job?
- Are you planning to get a new job?
- What are your professional goals?
- Why did you leave your last work place?
- Why did you leave your hometown?
- Why did you move here?
- How do you get on with your neighbours?
- What were you like as a child?
- Do you think you have changed much?
- Did you have a happy childhood?
- Did you ever get in trouble as child/ teenager?
- Do you have a lot friends?What are they like?
- What would your friends say about you?
- Do you make friends easily?
- Are you on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram?
- Do you drink alcohol?
- Do you like partying?
- What’s your religion?
- Are you religious?/ Do you go to church?
- Are you interested in politics?
- What’s your take on the current financial situation?
- If you could live in any country in the world, where would you like to live?
- If you could work in any type of job, what would you like to do?
- If you could live in any historical period, which era would you choose?
- Describe an ideal home. What would it be like?
- Describe a perfect day. What would you do?
- What do you feel most grateful for in life?
- What are you proud of?
I hope you like this list of questions and they will help you break the ice the next time you meet someone you’d like to get to know better. For tips on how to have a great conversation, have a look at this blog post:
And for help with interrogatives:
I’m not good at asking questions in English. Can you help?
Questions and Answers to Prepare You for a Job Interview
