Language learning conversation starters

Learning a foreign language is a challenge and it requires practice. Both listening and speaking practice on a regular basis is required for learners to become fluent.

I am doing business in Turkey and during work hours in my office, we tend to speak Turkish because my employees are Turks and I am trying to learn Turkish. However at lunch times, we speak English because they are trying to learn English.

Starting conversations (even in your own language can be scary) so here are some conversation starters that we have been using during our lunch breaks to help our employees learn English as a second language. These are people who have passed the "Hello, how are you?" stage and we already know them; but we want to get to know them even better and help them overcome their fear of speaking in a foreign language.

Please add your conversation starters to help us out.

Many of these conversation starter ideas are good lens starter ideas too!

My first computer was the Sega SC-2000.

I bought my first computer on the Thursday before Easter (19 April) in 1984. I was 14 years old at the time and I had saved up $NZ 300. I spent it on a SEGA SC-3000 computer.

The SEGA SC-3000 was an 8-bit computer based on the Z80 chip. Physically it consisted of a qwerty rubber button keyboard with ports for various peripherals, a wall wart AC/DC adapter and RF modulator to plug it into a TV screen for output.

But I haven't seen them play for ages

As a New Zealand citizen, my only responsibilities are obey and promote the laws of New Zealand and not act in any way that is contrary to the interests of New Zealand. Therefore even though it has been a while since I have seen an All Blacks (rugby) game, I have a responsibility to support them (and any team playing against Australia).

A great All Black tradition is to perform the Haka before the match and my Turkish friends all love the Haka dance.

Pronunciation of some English words can be hard. Watch how Steve Martin as Jacques Clouseau in The Pink Panther 2 tries to pronounce a simple phrase. The second video is dubbed into Turkish - a language that is relatively easy to pronounce because the pronunciation rules are almost always consistent.

By strategically travelling between the Southern and Northern hemispheres, I have enjoyed more Autumns than my age.

Self propelled: 1500 kilometres around the central North Island of New Zealand by bicycle.

Longest bus journey: From Aswan to Cairo.

Longest single flight: From Abu Dahbi to Sydney.

I have many other movies that I like to re-watch, but these two would be at the top of the list.