Personal Questions

Do you own a collection of something?  What do you collect? 

Do you feel safe in the area you live?  Do you consider your neighborhood a safe one? 

How do you spend your time when you're not working? 

What do you do after you finish a work shift?

For people who are 40 or older.  have you made / did you make any over the hill resolutions? How has your life changed since you turned 40?  is 40 just another year?  (same question if people are just reaching 30, 50, etc)

When you hear about a terrible accident or horrific event that was caught on video, do you search for it?

How many people do you know in a wheelchair?  Do you know anyone with serious visible deformities?

What is: 

What is something you want to have accomplished by 2030?  

What are 3 problems in your life that you'd like to have fixed right now.  

What’s one thing that makes you different than most people? 

What’s one thing you are sure you share in common with most people? 

What are your strengths and weaknesses? 

What is your ‘superpower’? 

What is something you admire in other people/ another specific person? 

Something you're good at / something you're bad at

Something you hope to achieve in the near future.  

Something you hope happens in the world in the near future.  

Something you're skeptical about?

something you wish people would stop doing? 

What is something most people don't know about you?  

What is something most people are surprised to learn about you? 

What is your favorite time of year?

Do you...

Do you think you think more about death than other people, or less about it than other people? 

Do you think you're more patient or less patient than most other people? 

Do you think you're smarter or less smart than most other people?  

Do you think you're braver or less brave than most other people? 

Do you think public perception of you and your self-perception are aligned, or different? 

Do you think you're more patient or less patient than most other people? 

Do you think you're smarter or less smart than most other people?  

Do you think you're braver or less brave than most other people?


Who is someone you really respect in media (entertainment, sports, journalism, etc)? 

Tell me about an activity that you enjoy doing once in a while (not every day  or every weekend, but maybe once a month, or less)  Why don't you do it more often?  

Are there subjects you don't like to talk about?  

Are there subjects you find special fascination in that most people don't?  (ex, insects, biological diseases, things people usually do not like to focus on)

what things are you anxious about?  

Can you listen to music and concentrate on studying a topic at the same time?  

are you a patient person?  

which of hte following do you know and use?  tenedor.es, privalia, benteprive, atrapalo

Do you use a website that you assume the majority of people DON´T use or even know about?

Do you have any long term work or personal projects?  

What things are you anxious about?  

Do you have an easy time getting to work?  

Do you dream a lot?  Do you have recurring dreams?  Do you remember your dreams easily?  Do you think your dreams are important?

What is something you envy about other people? 

What do you hate the most in life?   

What is something you’re good at?  

What is something you’re terrible at?  

Who is your celebrity crush?

Do you have trouble sleeping? 

Do you have trouble getting along with people? 

Do you have a hard time getting everything done? 

Who do you get along with most in your family? who do you get along with the least? 

What are you afraid of? 

Do you have a trick or special way to maintain focus?   When you don't want to think about something, how do you avoid thinking about it? 

Do you put one sock and then on shoe, or both socks and then both shoes?

How long have you been living in your current apartment? 

What is something most people don't know about you? 

What is something most people are surprised to learn about you? 

Do you think public perception of you and your self-perception are aligned, or different? Do you feel misunderstood by society? 

What’s one thing that makes you different than most people? 

What’s one thing you are sure you share in common with most people? 

What are your strenghts and weaknesses? 

What would you change about yourself? 

What is your ‘superpower’? 

What is something you admire in other people/ another specific person? 

Who do you get along with most in your family? who do you get along with the least? 

What are you afraid of? 

if you had to give up one of your modern conveniences, which would it be? 

What is the longest relationship you've had? What are some of the difficulties you experience in your relationships? 

Do you have a trick or special way to maintain focus?   When you don't want to think about something, how do you avoid thinking about it? 

Do you worry about your finances?

Do you imagine you could ever be homeless?  How do you think most homeless people end up there?

how much do you know about fishtank etiquette? 

how much do you know about dinner table etiquette?

how much do you know about cellular biology

Is there a 'chapuza' that you have made in your life? describe it. 

Describe a behavior that you want to change? mine is plastic consumption. What are the solutions? 

How many times have you sneezed today? 

How many people do you know in a wheelchair? 

What are your guilty pleasures? 

Do you ever feel like you would have been a better person if you never met someone in your life? 

Do you resent the way you were raised? 

Do you hold any grudges against anyone? 

Are you more likely to avoid conflict or engage it head-on? 

Do you prefer that people shoot straight with you or temper their words? 

Do you know what kind of energy your house runs on?

Do you know how to respond to a gas leak?  

MONEY QUESTIONS

Do you invest? what would you invest in?  Is the stock market unethical?  

What are your spending habits like?  (one student says she is a fiscal conservative.  Do you consider yourself a fiscal conservative?   How does being fiscally conservative show?   Do you save most of your money?)

In your opinion, is Madrid a safe city? 
In your opinion, will the pandemic be over soon?  

In your opinion, are bell bottoms still fashionable?
In general, do you consider yourself a hardworking person? 
In general, what time do you fall asleep at night?

HOW BIG OF A ROLE DO THE FOLLOWING THINGS PLAY IN YOUR LIFE?

chocolate

wine

TV, movies, series

What are your top 10:  movies, songs, places to visit (or that you would like to visit), hobbies or weekend activities? character traits that you appreciate?

how well do you know your future?  

how confident are you in your vision of the future (your future, specifically)?

so far in 2021, what are your obstacles? goals?  

do you think in terms of years, or is your vision shorter or longer?

What gives you joy?  When do you feel joy?  

How much do you spend per week on groceries?
How much worth of food do you think you eat per week?

Do the harsh industrial conditions subjected to many farm animals in large operations bother you?  if so, do you think they bother you more or less than they do other people?

Is there anyone who has been important in your life that you no longer speak to, either by choice or by circumstance? (excluding death).  Tell me about them. 

What is something you've never tried but you think you would be good at?
Have you used the electrified scooters that now exist all over Madrid?
How many times have you been ticketed for speeding?
What is the most profound change that has happened in your life?
What has been the luckiest moment of your life?  What is the most luck you´ve had in your life? or just any lucky moment you remmeber
what is the worst temporary handicap you´ve ever had?
what is the longest term plan you´ve made?
have you ever had to use crutches, wheelchair, received an IV, respirator?   local/general anesthesia?
Have you ever experienced any of these emergency situations: an earthquake, a tsunami, a hurricane, a tornado, a flood, a burglary, a car accident, a mugging or assault, food poisoning, bodily trauma, ICU, seriously lost, an explosion, a fire, broken vessel (train, elevator, etc)
Have you ever bullied someone or been bullied yourself?

have you ever written a poem
do you / have you ever kept a diary?

have you ever written a story

Are you good at acting?  Is lying like acting?  At what times in your life have you had to act in order to pretend you felt in a way that you didn´t actually feel? (surprise birthday, receiving a gift you didn´t like, for ex)

What´s the worst thing you´ve stepped on barefoot?
What's the best relationship advice you've ever received or would pass along? (Regina´s question)

have you ever taken a DNA test?

how far can you go back in your family tree?

What are some of the most interesting things you´ve ever seen?  Make a list, keep a list.  

Have you ever run a marathon? 

Have you ever crashed your car?  

Have you ever won an award?
Have you ever been bitten by a dog. 

Have you ever gone to a psychic?   

Have you ever tried Bananas with Peanut Butter? 

Have you ever been to an Arabic-speaking country? 

Have you ever watched more than 5 hours of TV at one time? 

Have you ever broken a bone? 

Have you ever ridden a horse? 

have you ever been to a casino?
Have you ever met someone who was missing an arm or leg? 

Have you ever blacked out from drinking too much? 

Have you ever slept in the street? 

Have you ever wanted to be President? 

Have you ever milked a cow?  

Have you ever owned a dog?  

Have you ever almost died? 

Have you ever picked fruit from a tree? 

Have you ever made a collect call?  

Have you ever sent a telegram?  

Have you ever spilled coffee on something really important?  

Have you ever sneezed and a long snot came out of your nose and it was really not a good time for that to happen?  

Have you ever had a serious surgery, one that was absolutely necessary?  (appendicitis, heart disease, etc)

Have you ever had a surgery for cosmetic reasons? (removal of a benign cyst, or lasik eye surgery, for ex)

Have you ever been to the circus? 

Have you ever snowboarded?

Have you ever surfed? 

Have you ever played tennis? 

Have you ever slept outside without a tent?  

Have you ever needed an ambulance? 

What is the most important or significant thing that has ever happened to you?

Where did you grow up? 

Were you a well behaved child?

Did you play outside a lot as a child?

did you fight a lot as a child?

did you play atari when you were young?
did you respect your teachers? your parents?
did you have a bully? were you a bully?

What’s a game you played as a kid, in your neighborhood, on the schoolyard, at home, that you loved? Particularly interested in made-up/original games. (Walter P.)

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Do you have a favorite picture of yourself?  When was it taken?  What are you doing in the picture?  Who are you with?  

What memorable injuries have you suffered over the years?  

Tell me about a time you were sad, and how you got over it.  

Tell me about a time you had a problem, and how you resolved it.  

Tell me about a phase you went through.  (una epoca en tu vida)

What is the longest relationship you've had? What are some of the difficulties you experience in your relationships?

What did you want to be when you grew up?

What things did you used to do that you don't do anymore?   Why don’t you do them anymore?  What changed?  How did it change? 

What are some of the most important past events in your life, until now?   Meeting the love of your life?  Getting married?   having kids?   the death of someone close?  A certain job?

What things did you used to do that you don't do anymore?   Why don’t you do them anymore?  What changed?  How did it change? 

What are some of the most important events in your life, until now?   Meeting the love of your life?  Getting married?   having kids?   the death of someone close?  A certain job?   

What is the most significant thing that has happend in your life recently?  Yesterday? 

How do you think the human race will go extinct? 

Do you ever think about the far future?  Like, a time in the future when you´re no longer alive and your descendants don´t know you.  Do you wonder how their lives will be?  how advanced their technology might be, or what they might eat, or how any of their systems work, like post office or supermarkets, highways; how things will have improved, or devolved?

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY NOW IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU ASSUME WILL END OR BECOME UNAVAILABLE AT SOME POINT IN YOUR LIFETIME?

Do you ever think about how you might die?  health, or by way of some external event?

If you didn't have to work, how would you spend your time?  

What do you wish you were better at? 

What do you wish you had studied more of in school?  

if you had to give up one of your modern conveniences, which would it be?  What would be one of the last ones you´d give up?

If you only ate once a day, what time would you prefer? 

Travel question:  corona qustion:  if you could only live in on more place in your life.  let’s say th covid thing goes away for a little while and everyone can travel again, but you knew you could only travel once and that could be it for the next 5 years, or maybe ever.  where would you go?  I would go back to my family, but my second choice would be to Canada, or Colorado.   Whre would you go? 

which of these would you give up before giving up hot showers? your car, your job, your pet, your free time, your kitchen / a stove and oven to cook food, half your wardrobe, or what?


Could you be a surgeon? Could you be a lawyer?  Could you be a soldier?  Could you be an astronaut?  Could you be a business owner?  Could you be an assassin?  Could you make a movie?  Could you survive in the wild?  Could you live in a communist party?   Could you live in a tent?
What things could you live without (that you currently  have), and what things could you not?

do you have a drier, or do you hang your clothes to dry?

have you ever washed your clothes by hand?

do most people (in the north) have dryers?

who do you have the most patience with?  or is patience more a  matter of your momentary disposition?  

Do you ever drink a mug of hot milk?  do you ever add anything to it?   

(for spanish) When did you get your first dental cleaning?

(dental checkups normal, but not cleanings, according to one)

How well do you know your future?   How solid are your plans for the future?

How confident are you in your vision of the future (your future, specifically)?

So far in 2021, what have been  your obstacles? goals?  

Do you think in terms of years, or is your vision shorter or longer?

What is the longest term plan you have?

If you could eliminate one weakness or limitation in your life, what would it be? 

How difficult is it for you to forgive someone who refuses to apologize? 

Do you hold any convictions that you would be willing to die for?

 Do you ever feel some people will be better off without you in their life?

Are you currently happy with your life? 

favorite possessions What was the last time you cried? Why? 

If you die today, what are you happy to have experienced?  Marriage? Love?  Friendship?   

describe your history of relationships, what you’ve learned about love and commitment, etc.   What is the perfect partner? What are your deal breakers? What are the most annoying things that men/women do in a relationship? 

What have you always wanted to try Have you ever experienced something you couldn’t explain? 

Do you ever feel held back by your status or background in life? 

Do you stay in touch with people forever or maintain distance when they are not part of our life anymore? 

What is the best thing about your best friend? 

When you’re upset, do you want space or attention? 

What is your favorite little-known place in your city? 

What’s left to do in your life?  big goals?   

How do you relax when frustrated? 

Do you have a vacation spot you typically go to?  

Who inspires you the most? 

What was your most successful relationship? Why  was it so successful?
What was the best birthday of your life and why?
When was the last time you screamed at the top of your lungs?
What is the worst thing that somebody has walked in on you doing? 

What are your favorite flowers?

What is the dumbest thing you have ever believed?

How do you manage your work and personal life? 

What is the weirdest nickname people call you? 

How do you handle the people you don’t like?

 How difficult is it for you to be honest, even when your words may be hurtful or unpopular? 

How often do you sing, dance, ?  

Who is the kindest person you know or can think of?   

Who is the worst person you know or can think of?   

What is the dumbest thing you have ever done?  

What is the best dream you’ve ever had?  

Who is the happiest person?  

Who is the smartest person? 

What is something about life that people don’t appreciate as much as they should? 

If you died today, how would you be remembered? 

Would you like to start your own business?  What would be the business? 

How have your friends influenced your personality? 

What small things make you happy? 

What was it like? 

What are your siblings like? 

How’d you meet your best friend? 

What’s the best part of your daily routine? 

What is something that you know a lot about? 

Why do you think it’s so hard to date these days? 

What was the most dangerous or most challenging thing that you have ever done? 

Do you have a deep, dark secret?

Who is in your immediate family?

Who is in your extended family? 

How large is your extended family?
How has your relationship with your family changed over time?

Do you have a partner?  

How long have you been with him or her?

How many serious relationships have you had in your life?

Who is your best friend?  

Who are your closest friends?  

How often do you keep in contact with them?

Who are your most memorable teachers from school and university?

Did you grow up with pets, or do you have pets now?

What is your most prized posession?

What are some of your most important belongings?

How meaningful is your professional work to you?

What are the activities you do outside of work that are most meaningful to you?

Name some of the places you´ve travelled to, visited, lived in, or grown in that are most meaningful for you?