The American Center in Moscow invites English learners of all ages, backgrounds, and speaking abilities to join us on Zoom for weekly meetings of the English Conversation Club every Thursday at 20:00 MSK. 

Each session, 6-8 native English-speaking hosts facilitate breakout rooms, which are divided by level of English proficiency (Beginner A1/A2, Intermediate B1, Upper Intermediate B2, and Proficient C1/C2). You are able to choose which room feels like the best fit based on your confidence in English conversation, and you can change rooms at any time throughout the meeting. Each week, discussions are supplemented by a new list of topics & questions.

The English Conversation Club is a wonderful opportunity to practice your English conversation skills under the guidance of native speakers, meet new people, and engage in interesting conversations with people from around the world. We hope to see you there!

Topics for Thursday, May 21st

Topic #1: Animals

• Do you have any pets, if so, what are they?
• What is your favorite animal and why?
• What pet is most popular in your country?
• Are there any dangerous animals in your country?
• What animal are you most scared of?
• What is the cutest animal in the world?
• If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
• Do you think it’s ethical to keep animals as pets?
• What do you think of zoos and aquariums?
• Have you ever ridden an animal? (Horse, elephant, camel, etc.)?
• What are 3 animals that you would never eat?
• Do you think animals can understand human emotions?
• Do you think animals have personalities like humans?

Topic #2: Urban vs Rural Living

• Would you rather live in a busy city or in the quiet countryside, and why?
• Do you prefer historical or modern cities? Why?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a small town?
• Where do you think it’s best to grow up and why?
• If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
• When you visit a new city, which places do you go to first?
• Did you grow up in the city or in the countryside, or somewhere in between?

Topics for Thursday, May 28th

Topic #1: Friends

• What makes you a good friend?
• Do you prefer to have many friends or just a few that you are close to?
• What are the benefits of having just a few close friends? How about the benefits of having many friends?
• Do you still have friends from childhood that you keep in touch with?
• What kind of qualities do you look for in a friend?
• Do you have online friends that you’ve never met in person?
• At what stages of life is it easiest to make friends?
• Do you have any long-distance friends? How do you maintain these friendships?
• What qualities help you to have good relationships with others?
• What is the relationship between love and friendship?

Topic #2: Mind & Body

• What do you do to relax after working hard or experiencing other challenging or stressful situations?
• Do you think life is more stressful today than fifty years ago?
• Than one hundred years ago?
• Than in the distant past?
• Have you ever done meditation or mindfulness practices? Do you find that they help to relieve stress or anxiety?
• In what ways are mind and body connected?
• Can you give some examples?
• Discuss the relationship between stress and physical health.
• Do you always follow the same pattern to relieve stress or do you try different things?
• How can you live a stress-free life?
• Can you give five suggestions that would be inexpensive?
• Can you explain the fight-or-flight response?
• How does social media influence our mental well-being?

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ALL AMERICAN CENTER IN MOSCOW EVENTS ARE FREE OF CHARGE / ALL EVENTS OF THE AMERICAN CENTER IN MOSCOW ARE FREE OF CHARGE

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These sessions are hosted on  Zoom, so if you are interested in joining, please create a Zoom account beforehand. When registering below, please submit your valid email address to receive a link to the Zoom meeting 30 minutes before the session begins.

To join other AMC Online programs, please check the American Center’s  TimePad  calendar.