Short answer
Use a familiar problem to ask “What would you do if…?” questions. In S06E08, Gav and Em talk through online lesson problems such as a headset that is not working, a microphone that is muted or a student who cannot be heard.
Learners can suggest a response, ask a follow-up question and compare solutions. The real-life situation gives the hypothetical language a clear purpose, while the teacher can choose the level of support the group needs.
Try this in your next lesson
Ask what a learner would do if the microphone stopped working. Give one model with if + past form and would + verb, then change the problem.
👇 Scroll down for our practical checklist or activity and download.
Listen to the whole S06E08 discussion in our podcast episode guide here🔊.
Choose a relatable situation
Online class technology offers plenty of prompts: What would you do if the sound stopped? What if your headset would not connect? What would you say if you could not hear your teacher? Use problems learners have experienced or can easily imagine.
Practise the exchange
Learners can take turns describing the problem and responding with a possible action. Encourage them to explain why they would choose that response, then invite a different suggestion. This supports both conditional language and conversation skills.
Keep the language focus manageable
The episode models “if” questions but does not prescribe one grammar sequence. Choose the form your learners are ready to practise, give an example, and focus on communicating a possible response. You can review or extend the grammar after learners understand the situation.
Give the hypothetical a clear form
For an imagined problem, we can model: If my microphone stopped working, I would type a message in the chat. The if-clause uses a past form to frame the imagined situation; would introduces the proposed response. This is our classroom example. It is not a claim that every if-question in the recording follows the same conditional pattern.
Ask learners to complete two new prompts: If the sound disappeared, I would… and If I could not open the file, I would… . There is no single correct solution, but the response should fit the problem. Partners ask why, then swap one detail. For learners working on real troubleshooting instead, use an immediate instruction such as check the audio setting, rather than forcing every useful exchange into a hypothetical.
Our suggested classroom adaptation of the episode discussion.
Gav and Em suggest: build hypotheticals from real problems
- ☐ Choose a familiar situation such as a microphone not working.
- ☐ Ask What would you do if…?
- ☐ Give learners time to propose a solution.
- ☐ Ask one follow-up about why or what might happen next.
- ☐ Change one detail and let them adapt their answer.
📥 Download the free teacher practice card (PDF)
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