FAMILY QUESTIONS 

What is a family? What is its place in society? What is your immediate family or your nuclear family?  What is
your extended family?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of an extended family?  What is a step
family?  What is your family like?  Who are the members of your immediate family?  Describe the members
of your family.  What do they look like?  What are their personalities like?  What are their character traits
(see the vocabulary list)?  Who do you most take after, your mother or your father?  Who are you most like
in character?  Who is your favorite person in your family and why?  What kinds of jobs do your mother and
father have?  Who is the head of the family?

Who are the members of your extended family that you are close to, and why?  Do you feel closer to your
family members than to your friends?  Why or why not?  What kind of family gatherings/celebrations do you
have with your extended family?  When do you get together?

What are some of the family rules in your family?  Do the children help make the rules?  Have the rules
changed as you have become older?  Are your parents quite strict, or are they lenient with the rules?  What
are your parents' responsibilities and rights?  What are the children's responsibilities and rights?  Do you do
some housework and other chores at home?  Who does what in your family?  Do your parents treat boy and
girl children equally?  If not, what are the differences?  Are you and your siblings spoiled by your parents?

How many siblings do you have?  What is it like to be the oldest, youngest, or middle child?  What is it like
to be an only child?   How much time do you spend with your siblings?  Do you share a room?  Do you
quarrel or argue?  If so, how often?  What do you usually quarrel about?  Do you help your siblings?  How? 
What things do you do together with your siblings?  

Do you live with your grandparents in the same household?  If not, would you like to live with your
grandparents?  What are the pros and cons of living with your grandparents?  What is the role of
grandparents in the family?  How often do you get together with your grandparents?  

What does your family give you?  Is it important to live in a family?  In your view, what are the most
important factors which keep families together?  What is the function of a family unit?  Should parents
educate their children?  In what way?  What do you expect from your family?  How important is trust in your
family?  Who do you talk to when you have problems or when you need advice?  Do you spend free time
together with your family?  Do you spend your weekends together?  Do you go on holiday together?

How much generation gap is there between you and your parents or grandparents?  What is the difference
between your generation and that of your parents?  What do young people think of older people?  What do
older people think of younger people?  What sorts of things should older people teach to younger people?

What are the pros and cons of being single?  Who is a fiancée, widower, and spinster?  Why do people get
married?  How long should a couple know each other before they get married?  Describe a typical wedding
in Slovakia.  When do young people leave home in Slovakia?  What do you think about arranged marriages
(where your spouse is chosen by your parents)?

Describe your future family.  What qualities should your spouse have?  How many children would you like to
have?  How will you raise them?  Do you think it is best for both parents to raise a child, or would you be ok
as a single parent? What additional problems might a single parent face? If you couldn't have your own
children, would you consider adopting a child, or raising a foster child?  What would you think about being a
step-parent?  Is it harder than raising your own kids?

What do you think about adopting a child from another country/continent?

Are friends more important than family? What do you think?