OPIc English starter phrases for Japanese speakers
This starter deck is built for Japanese speakers preparing for OPIc English: the prompt is in Japanese, and the answer is an English phrase you can reuse inside many different speaking responses.
What this deck teaches
OPIc is not a test of memorized model answers. It is a speaking assessment, so the useful practice is learning flexible blocks you can combine under pressure: opening an opinion, adding a reason, telling a past experience, explaining a problem, comparing two choices, asking a role-play question, and closing naturally.
That is why the cards are short but sentence-like. You are not learning a word list; you are training the rhythm of phrases such as "A few years ago, I had a chance to..." and "At first, I was not sure what to expect." Those pieces are useful across travel, work, school, hobbies, family, shopping and daily-life topics.
The Japanese side keeps the task clear without forcing you through English explanations before you speak. The English side is what you say out loud. In Listen mode, the answer blocks become familiar sounds; in Speak mode, you practice producing them quickly enough to keep a response moving.
How to practice OPIc phrases with VoiceCards
- Do not memorize one full answer. Use each card as a building block. Say the English phrase, then add your own detail after it: a place, a person, a reason or a result. That keeps the practice flexible instead of rehearsed.
- Loop one function at a time. Work in small groups: opinions first, then past experiences, then problem-and-solution cards. OPIc responses are easier when each function has a phrase that comes out automatically.
- Add a real detail after the phrase. After "In my own experience..." add one true sentence from your life. The phrase starts the response, but your detail makes it spontaneous.
- Use Listen mode for rhythm. English speaking scores are helped by flow as much as vocabulary. Let the deck play while you commute or walk, then repeat the phrases aloud until they sound natural.
Sample cards
Get this deck
Open VoiceCards, tap Add a deck → From a link, and paste this URL:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1467R2ftlJeOyXLMbY1yIBt6p5w2LMH2H3cDwxt9cLUQ/editDo not have the app yet? Install it first, then come back and import the deck.