Discussing Politics (Intermediate-Advanced)

Practice on Your Own

• Practice asking and answering questions about political matters.
  • Who is the French president?
  • Does Canada have a president?
  • What is China’s political system?
  • Does Germany have a parliament?
  • Are there elections in Saudi Arabia?
  • Who is the British prime minister?
  • What is Japan’s capital city? Who is its president? Does it have a president?
  • How many representatives does the U.S. Congress have? What about the Senate? Where does the U.S. president live?
• Create a dialogue about the political system of a country where the language is spoken.
  • You: What is X country’s political system?
  • Your Friend: It is democratic.
  • You: Who is the most powerful person in the country?
  • Your Friend: The president is the most powerful person.
  • You: How is the president elected?
  • Your Friend: Every five years people vote in a presidential election. You need to be 18 years old or older to be able to vote…
• Practice talking about what people think about politics in the U.S. and the country/ies where the language is spoken. For instance:
  • People are not happy with politicians. They think that they are corrupt, that there is no justice and politicians can do anything…

Practice in Conversation Session

• Have a dialogue with your conversation partner about the U.S. political system.
• Now discuss the political system in the country/ies where the language is spoken.
• Discuss public opinion about the political matters in that country. What are the main issues people are concerned about? Compare it with the United States.
• Compare what you consider to be a good political system with one that you consider to be bad. What are the characteristics of the good one compared with the bad one?