{"id":616,"date":"2025-01-14T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/?p=616"},"modified":"2025-01-14T01:00:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T01:00:06","slug":"how-to-conquer-free-talk-lessons-with-absolute-beginners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/how-to-conquer-free-talk-lessons-with-absolute-beginners\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Conquer Free-Talk Lessons with Absolute Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/how-to-conquer-free-talk-lessons-with-absolute-beginners\/#Suggest_Materials\" >Suggest Materials<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/how-to-conquer-free-talk-lessons-with-absolute-beginners\/#Ask_Beginner-Friendly_Questions\" >Ask Beginner-Friendly Questions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/how-to-conquer-free-talk-lessons-with-absolute-beginners\/#During_the_Conversation\" >During the Conversation<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/how-to-conquer-free-talk-lessons-with-absolute-beginners\/#1_Break_down_your_questions\" >1. Break down your questions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/how-to-conquer-free-talk-lessons-with-absolute-beginners\/#2_Help_the_student_to_reply\" >2. Help the student to reply<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/how-to-conquer-free-talk-lessons-with-absolute-beginners\/#%F0%9F%93%8C_Takeaways\" >\ud83d\udccc Takeaways<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Sometimes beginner students request \u201cfree-talk\u201d lessons even though they aren\u2019t able to \u2026 talk freely. \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d How should we handle lessons like these? What questions should we ask? And how can we best help the student?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here's some advice from experienced tutors to help make these lessons more enjoyable for you and the student!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Suggest_Materials\"><\/span>Suggest Materials<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Luckily, many absolute beginners are open to using materials. As Tutor Jeff C. (\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\udded) shares, \u201cMany absolute beginners request free-talk lessons because they are new to the service and not familiar with the materials. They tend to appreciate it when you suggest materials.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if we suggest materials too early in the lesson, the student may feel that we are disrespecting their request or are underestimating them.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/10\/18082500\/absolute-beginner-free-talk-materials.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-621\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/10\/18082500\/absolute-beginner-free-talk-materials.png 602w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/10\/18082500\/absolute-beginner-free-talk-materials-300x170.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Instead, we can start a conversation about an easy topic (hobbies, for example), then softly suggest using a basic Conversation lesson focusing on that topic (such as <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/conversation-getting-started-what-does-he-like-doing\/mZgHtsejEemamoPdyd-ABA?category_id=4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg&amp;course_id=Prw1rO-JEemu5uddujZ5YA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this lesson on hobbies<\/a>).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For your convenience, here are the topics covered in our<a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/materials\/conversation\/4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> basic Conversation course<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/conversation-getting-started-what-do-you-do\/xj5UUL4CEem4TcNgZkZ4sA?category_id=4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg&amp;course_id=Prw1rO-JEemu5uddujZ5YA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Work<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/conversation-getting-started-family\/sTSsrsH9EemTH5dPE_OPKA?category_id=4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg&amp;course_id=Prw1rO-JEemu5uddujZ5YA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Family<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/conversation-getting-started-do-you-have-a-pet\/naW7CMk1Eem1tBfF6jFzzA?category_id=4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg&amp;course_id=Prw1rO-JEemu5uddujZ5YA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pets<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/conversation-getting-started-how-is-the-weather\/tQlnJqjyEem0tRtnuISutA?category_id=4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg&amp;course_id=Prw1rO-JEemu5uddujZ5YA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Weather<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/conversation-getting-started-what-does-he-like-doing\/mZgHtsejEemamoPdyd-ABA?category_id=4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg&amp;course_id=Prw1rO-JEemu5uddujZ5YA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Likes and Dislikes (Hobbies)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/conversation-getting-started-what-foods-do-you-like\/07q_RKkVEemvaw-cuVdrhQ?category_id=4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg&amp;course_id=Prw1rO-JEemu5uddujZ5YA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Likes and Dislikes (Food)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/conversation-getting-started-what-time-is-it\/a5qxJskEEem83ud4Bi5Kgw?category_id=4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg&amp;course_id=Prw1rO-JEemu5uddujZ5YA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Telling Time &amp; Daily Routines<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/conversation-getting-started-what-is-your-daily-routine\/8oYTrMdzEemXi9c7xq5eaA?category_id=4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg&amp;course_id=Prw1rO-JEemu5uddujZ5YA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Times of the Day &amp; Daily Routines<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/conversation-getting-started-what-is-your-weekly-routine\/jbNSaseGEemCDK-OhwKKZg?category_id=4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg&amp;course_id=Prw1rO-JEemu5uddujZ5YA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Days of the Week &amp; Weekly Routines<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/conversation-getting-started-what-does-she-do-on-the-weekend\/9XlNZsoOEemCGRPMT6dSDA?category_id=4g-usmSuEeirTddASFJXxg&amp;course_id=Prw1rO-JEemu5uddujZ5YA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Free Time Activities (Hobbies)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Ask-Beginner-Friendly-Questions\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ask_Beginner-Friendly_Questions\"><\/span>Ask Beginner-Friendly Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If the student insists on not using materials, you'll need to switch gears and continue the conversation. Here are some short, easy questions that you can ask:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"624\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/10\/18082324\/questions-to-ask-absolute-beginner.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/10\/18082324\/questions-to-ask-absolute-beginner.png 624w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/10\/18082324\/questions-to-ask-absolute-beginner-300x158.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Notice that the questions are in the simple present tense. For instance, instead of \u201cWhy are you learning English?\u201d (present continuous tense), you should say, \u201cWhy do you learn English?\u201d This is easier for beginners to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"During_the_Conversation\"><\/span>During the Conversation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What should you do if your student doesn't understand your questions? You\u2019ll need to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Break down your questions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Help them say something (anything!) in English<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Break_down_your_questions\"><\/span><strong>1. Break down your questions<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several tools available that can help you get a point across when speaking alone doesn't do the job. For example, you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Type it into the chat box<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Send them pictures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use a translation site<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t feel bad if you need to translate the question; many experienced tutors said they use <a href=\"http:\/\/translate.google.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google Translate<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bing.com\/translator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Microsoft Translator<\/a> when tutoring absolute beginners. After all, it\u2019s most important that your student understands you, and we don\u2019t want the following to happen:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"624\" height=\"162\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/10\/18082321\/absolute-beginner-first-lesson.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-619\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/10\/18082321\/absolute-beginner-first-lesson.png 624w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/10\/18082321\/absolute-beginner-first-lesson-300x78.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Also, in situations like these, in which you need to take the lesson beyond the Lesson Page itself, our <a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/updates\/new-bellbird-feature-screen-sharing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">screen sharing feature<\/a> makes it easier for you and your student to stay in sync with one another. So take advantage of it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Help_the_student_to_reply\"><\/span><strong>2. Help the student to reply<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once your student understands your question, they may still struggle to respond to it. In this case, you\u2019ll want to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Make some suggestions (\u201ca dog?\" ... \"a cat?\u201d)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide a sentence structure they can repeat (\u201cI have \u2026\u201d)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide a sample response (\u201cYou can say, 'I have a dog.'\")<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, don\u2019t be frustrated if the student only gives one-word answers \u2014 even after all your patience and encouragement. As one tutor (\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) put it, \u201cSometimes it's just \u2018yes\u2019 and \u2018no\u2019 for the rest of the lesson \u2026 I do my best, and that's most important for me.\u201d Give yourself an A for effort, and even if it doesn\u2019t feel like it, know that you\u2019ve helped the student!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%F0%9F%93%8C_Takeaways\"><\/span>\ud83d\udccc Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To recap, here's our game plan for free-talk lessons with absolute beginners:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ask if they want to use materials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If they don't, start asking them beginner-friendly questions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Break down your questions using all of the tools you have available.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Help them say something (anything!).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>And if the student only gives one-word responses, know that you've tried your best!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sometimes beginner students request \u201cfree-talk\u201d lessons even though they aren\u2019t able to \u2026 talk freely. \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d How should we handle lessons like these? What questions should we ask? And how can we best help the...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":6434,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"unified_meta_tagline_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,51],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teaching-beginners-and-kids","category-teaching-conversation","tag-free-talk-lessons"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Conquer Free-Talk Lessons with Absolute Beginners | Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Free-talk lessons with students who are just starting out can be especially hard. 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