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Come back to our blog and leave a comment. Did you bring up one of these topics on a first date? What happened? Tell us your story: http://www.allearsenglish.com/299\nGet our free IELTS Chat Sheet at http://www.allearsenglish.com/evaluation\n\xa0\nJessica is the author of Hopeful Disasters where she explores dating in New York City.\nShe is also an ESL teacher in New York City.\nCheck out her blog here!\n\xa0\nWhen you meet someone for the first time in English, whether it\u2019s a date or just a first-time meeting with a friend or colleague, there are certain topics that you should NEVER discuss.\nToday you\u2019ll find out what they are with our favorite AEE dating consultant, Jessica Coyle.\nA few weeks ago we talked about what four things you SHOULD talk about on a first date in English or at a first meeting but today we\u2019ll show you what you should avoid.\n\xa0\n4 Topics to AVOID on a first date or first meeting in English:\n\nPolitics: You can casually mention your political interests but don\u2019t get drawn into a political debate or discussion. Jessica calls this \u201cquicksand\u201d because you can start to sink and you\u2019ll get stuck and you won\u2019t be able to get out of it. It\u2019s better to bring up this topic once you already know someone well and after you know their triggers well.\n\nAge:\xa0You should definitely avoid asking the person their exact age. Also, this means that you should not ask people about their timeline in terms of when they want to get married or have kids. It\u2019s too direct and too intense for a first date or first conversation. You might terrify the person if start asking these questions too early.\n\nReligion: You probably have a rough idea of your date\u2019s religion and it will be important later but it\u2019s too personal to get into during a first date. It\u2019s ok to share your own religion if you want to but don\u2019t ask the person directly what their religion is.\n\n\xa0Education:\xa0This is tricky. Jessica says that the goal in not asking this question is to avoid coming off as arrogant or judgmental. If you ask the person where they went to school or how many degrees they have, it will be clear that you are fishing for information regarding their intelligence or social status. You might make the other person feel bad if you ask this question. Try to figure out if there is an intellectual connection instead.\n\n\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices