Conversation tips
Open-Ended Questions: 45 Examples That Spark Conversation
Open-ended questions can't be answered with a simple yes or no. They start with words like what, how or tell me about, and they invite a story: "What was the best part of your trip?" gets you far more than "Did you have a good trip?" Use them to open topics, and closed questions to pin down details.
Below: side-by-side rewrites, 45 examples of open ended questions for chatting with strangers, the trap of asking questions that are too open, and three short drills that make the habit automatic.
Closed vs open questions: side-by-side rewrites
Closed questions aren't bad. They're quick, clear and useful for facts. The problem starts when a whole conversation is built from them, because each one ends in a full stop.
| Closed question | Open rewrite |
|---|---|
| Do you like your job? | What's a part of your job most people wouldn't guess? |
| Is it nice where you live? | What's your favorite thing about where you live? |
| Did you have a good weekend? | What did your weekend turn into? |
| Are you a good cook? | What's the dish you're known for? |
| Have you traveled much? | Which place surprised you most when you traveled? |
| Do you read? | What's a book you keep recommending to people? |
| Is it late there? | What does a normal evening look like for you? |
| Is English hard to learn? | What's been the trickiest part of learning English? |
| Was the movie good? | What did you think of the ending? |
| Do you have any hobbies? | What do you do with a completely free afternoon? |
Quick test: could someone answer your question with one word? If yes, put "what," "how" or "tell me about" at the front and see what changes.
How to ask open-ended questions: five starters
| Starter | Use it to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| What... | Ask about things, choices and opinions | "What got you into climbing?" |
| How... | Ask about process and experience | "How did you end up living there?" |
| Tell me about... | Invite a story when a question feels too formal | "Tell me about the trip you mentioned." |
| What's it like... | Ask them to describe their world | "What's it like working nights?" |
| What made you... | Ask for reasons without a blunt "why" | "What made you pick that city?" |
Rotate between them. Five "what" questions in a row start to feel like a survey, even when every one of them is open.
45 open-ended questions for conversation with strangers
Grouped by topic, all easy enough for someone you've just met on a video chat, and none of them personal. Pick one, then follow the answer wherever it goes.
Everyday life
- What's the first thing you do when you get home?
- How do you usually spend a slow Sunday?
- What's something you do every day that you genuinely enjoy?
- What's the most useful thing you own?
- How do you wind down after a long day?
- What's a small routine you'd hate to give up?
- What do you listen to while you do chores?
- What's the last thing you made from scratch?
Their part of the world
- What's your city like on a Friday night?
- What would you cook for a visitor who wanted a taste of your country?
- How do people where you live usually celebrate birthdays?
- What's the weather doing to your plans this week?
- What's something about your country that's hard to explain to outsiders?
- How has your town changed over the years?
- What's a word in your language you wish English had?
- Where would you take a friend who was visiting for just one day?
Work and what keeps them busy
- What's keeping you busiest at the moment?
- How did you get into the work you do?
- What's a skill your job taught you that you use everywhere?
- What would you do with a year off?
- What's a part of your work you'd happily do for free?
- How do you decide what to learn next?
- What does a really good day at work look like?
Interests and tastes
- What are you into now that you weren't a year ago?
- How did you discover your favorite band or artist?
- What's a show you'd recommend to someone who barely watches TV?
- What hobby would you like to be better at?
- What's a game you could play for hours?
- What makes a movie worth watching twice?
- What's the most useful thing you've learned from a video or podcast?
- How do you choose what to read next?
Opinions and ideas
- What's a trend you've been happy to see?
- How would you improve the city you live in?
- What's an invention you think we could do without?
- What makes someone easy to talk to?
- What's a small kindness that makes your day?
- How do you decide whether to trust an online review?
- What do you think people will find old-fashioned about today in 20 years?
- What's a tradition you'd like to start?
Looking back and ahead
- What were you excited about this time last year?
- How have your weekends changed over the past few years?
- What's something you're working toward at the moment?
- What would make next month a good one?
- What's a place you'd love to see again?
- What's a small goal you set yourself recently?
When a question is too open
There's such a thing as too open. "Tell me about yourself" or "What's your story?" gives people so much room they don't know where to start, especially a stranger speaking their second language.
Fix it by narrowing the frame with a time, a place or a size:
| Too big | Just right |
|---|---|
| Tell me about yourself. | What's one thing people usually learn about you in the first five minutes? |
| What's your life like? | What did today look like for you? |
| What do you think about technology? | Which app would you delete first if you had to? |
| What are your dreams? | What's something you'd like to try this year? |
| What's your culture like? | What's a normal Saturday like where you live? |
Offering two options is a good middle ground: "Is it more of a beach town or a mountain town?" It's easier to answer than a wide-open question and still leaves room to explain.
Mixing open and closed questions
The best conversations use both. A closed question settles a fact; an open one follows it into a story.
| Type | You ask | They answer |
|---|---|---|
| Closed | "Do you cook much?" | "Yeah, most nights." |
| Open | "What's the dish you make when you want to impress someone?" | "Probably my grandmother's soup. It takes all day." |
| Closed (to clarify) | "All day?" | "Six hours, minimum." |
| Open | "What makes it worth six hours?" | "The smell, mostly. The whole apartment..." |
The closed questions are short and quick, and the open ones pick up on what was just said. That rhythm, plus good follow-up questions, is most of what it takes to keep a conversation going.
Three drills to practice open-ended questions
Drill 1: The rewrite (two minutes)
Write down five closed questions you often ask, like "Do you like it there?" Rewrite each one with what, how or tell me about. Say the new versions out loud so they feel natural.
Drill 2: Starter rotation (one chat)
In your next conversation, use each of the five starters at least once. Notice which one gets the longest answer from this particular person.
Drill 3: Compliment, then ask (one chat)
Pair a genuine comment with an open question: "You explain things really clearly. How did you get so good at it?" It's one of the warmest ways into a new topic, and our guide on how to compliment a stranger has more ideas.
Try the drills on a few random video chats with Omlet, where every match is a fresh chance to practice. If a question still lands in silence, see how to handle awkward silence, and for ready-made lists sorted by mood, try our questions to ask strangers.