Guide · Alternatives
A We’re Not Really Strangers alternative, in English and Tagalog
We’re Not Really Strangers made conversation cards a thing. If you love how it moves from easy to deep but want Filipino questions, more decks, or cards on your phone, here is how Kumustahan compares.
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
Tell us about a place that left a memory or feeling you still carry.
Ikuwento yung lugar na may iniwang memory o feeling na dala mo pa rin.
Some places stay with us quietly. You may not notice it right away, but later you realize you carried something from there.
May mga lugar na tahimik lang ang iniiwan sa atin. Hindi mo agad napapansin, pero may dala ka pala mula roon.
In short
The idea
We’re Not Really Strangers is an American card game with three levels that move from perception to connection to reflection. It’s great, and if your group loves it, keep playing it.
Kumustahan was built for a different table: Filipino friends and families who switch between English and Tagalog, who want one set of cards for barkada nights, dates, family reunions and lifegroups, and who already have their phone in hand.
The idea is the same. Start easy, earn the deeper questions, and let anyone pass.
Tips
- Play Kumustahan’s depths like levels: three or four light cards, then Open up, then Go deeper.
- Mix decks in setup to get the mixed-bag feel of a party game.
- Switch the card to Tagalog for whoever answers better in it.
- Flip the card after someone answers; the reflection on the back often starts the next conversation.
Decks for this
Side by side
A quick comparison, as each is described by its makers.
| We’re Not Really Strangers | Kumustahan | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Physical card game, with expansion packs | App for iPhone and Android |
| Language | English | English and Filipino on every card |
| Levels | Three levels of depth | Three depths: Keep it light, Open up, Go deeper |
| Decks | A core game plus editions | 7 decks, from Icebreakers to Couples, which you can mix |
| Back of the card | Question cards and wildcards | A short reflection on the back of every card |
| Cost to start | Buy the deck | 420 cards free, no account |
Which one fits your table?
- Choose We’re Not Really Strangers if you want a physical deck, your group speaks English, and you love its design and wildcards.
- Choose Kumustahan if someone at the table prefers Tagalog, you host different kinds of groups, or you want to start for free on the phone you already have.
- Use both if you like: a paper deck for date night, the app for the family reunion.
The questions
Three levels of questions, from Kumustahan
Kumustahan’s three depths do what WNRS’s levels do: start easy, then open up. These are real cards, in English and Filipino.
Keep it light
5 questions
First impressions and easy answers.
-
How did your first impression of a friend change once you got to know them?
Anong first impression mo sa isang friend ang nagbago nang makilala mo sila?
Back of the card
You can finish: “I thought they were..., then I noticed...”
Puwedeng ituloy: “Akala ko..., tapos napansin ko...”
-
Back when you were a kid, what game or activity could keep you busy for hours?
Nung bata ka, anong laro o activity ang kaya mong pagkaabalahan nang ilang oras?
Back of the card
Childhood focus has its own sweetness. It remembers a time when getting lost in play was enough.
May sariling saya yung focus nung bata tayo. Naalala nito yung panahon na sapat na ang maglaro nang maglaro.
-
What food is hard for you to say no to?
Anong pagkain ang hirap mong tanggihan?
Back of the card
Food answers can be light, but they usually carry a little story: comfort, habit, craving, or someone who introduced it.
Light lang ang food answer, pero madalas may kasamang kuwento: comfort, habit, craving, o taong nagpakilala nito sa'yo.
-
For a good hangout, what matters most: tasty food, a comfy place, or good conversation?
Sa bonding, ano ang pinakamahalaga: masarap na pagkain, komportableng lugar, o masayang kuwentuhan?
Back of the card
Imagine a hangout with your top choice and nothing fancy. Where would it happen?
Isipin ang simpleng bonding na mayroon ng pinili mo. Saan ito mangyayari?
-
Name one harmless opinion you take seriously, like food, movies, habits, or small preferences.
Magbanggit ng isang harmless opinion na seryoso ka, like food, movies, habits, o small preferences.
Back of the card
Harmless opinions are a safe place to be dramatic. The stakes are low, but the conviction can still be strong.
Safe maging dramatic sa harmless opinions. Low stakes lang, pero pwedeng strong pa rin ang conviction.
Open up
5 questions
Stories, people and what shaped you.
-
Tell us about a place that left a memory or feeling you still carry.
Ikuwento yung lugar na may iniwang memory o feeling na dala mo pa rin.
Back of the card
Some places stay with us quietly. You may not notice it right away, but later you realize you carried something from there.
May mga lugar na tahimik lang ang iniiwan sa atin. Hindi mo agad napapansin, pero may dala ka pala mula roon.
-
Who taught you a useful skill or habit you still use in daily life?
Sino yung nagturo sa'yo ng useful skill o habit na gamit mo pa rin sa daily life?
Back of the card
Practical lessons are easy to overlook, but they stay close. They show up in the small ways you move through a day.
Madaling ma-overlook ang practical lessons, pero dala-dala mo pala. Lumalabas sila sa maliliit mong galaw araw-araw.
-
Which ability did a friend notice in you before you noticed it yourself?
Anong galing mo ang unang napansin ng friend bago mo ito nakita sa sarili mo?
Back of the card
You could borrow their words to describe your ability once.
Puwede mong gamitin ang sinabi nila para ilarawan ang galing mo.
-
Describe one thing that feels different about you lately.
I-describe ang isang bagay na parang nag-iba sa'yo lately.
Back of the card
Change often shows up quietly before anyone else notices. Giving it words helps you see it more clearly.
Minsan tahimik lang dumadating ang pagbabago bago mapansin ng iba. Kapag nilagyan mo ng words, mas malinaw mo siyang nakikita.
-
Name something that matters to you more now than it used to.
Magsabi ng isang bagay na mas mahalaga na sa'yo ngayon kaysa dati.
Back of the card
What matters can change as you grow. That shift is not betrayal; it may be a clearer kind of honesty.
Puwedeng magbago ang mahalaga habang naggo-grow ka. Hindi agad betrayal yun; baka mas malinaw na honesty.
Go deeper
5 questions
For later, and you can always pass.
-
If you could tell your younger self one piece of good news, what would it be?
Kung may isang good news kang masasabi sa batang ikaw, ano yun?
Back of the card
This is a gentle way to name progress. Not everything is fixed, but maybe there is something younger you would smile about.
Gentle way ito para makita yung progress. Hindi man ayos lahat, baka may isang bagay na ikakangiti ng batang ikaw.
-
What would you try if failure felt less embarrassing?
Ano ang susubukan mo kung hindi gaanong nakakahiya ang pumalya?
Back of the card
Embarrassment can make the room feel smaller than it is. The thing you would try may still be worth naming.
Kayang paliitin ng hiya ang mundo mo. Pero yung bagay na susubukan mo, baka worth pa ring pangalanan.
-
Say one brave thing you can admit you want.
Sabihin ang isang brave na bagay na kaya mong aminin na gusto mo.
Back of the card
Wanting can feel risky when the answer is not guaranteed. Naming the desire is already a brave kind of honesty.
Risky minsan umamin ng gusto mo kapag walang guarantee. Pero courage na rin yung kaya mo siyang sabihin nang honest.
-
Name something you are outgrowing, even if you still care about it.
Magsabi ng isang bagay na parang ino-outgrow mo na, kahit may care ka pa rin doon.
Back of the card
Outgrowing something does not always mean rejecting it. Sometimes it means honoring what was real while making room to change.
Hindi laging rejection ang pag-outgrow. Minsan pag-honor siya sa naging totoo, habang gumagawa ng space para magbago.
-
If you and a friend talk less often, what would you want to ask them?
Kung bihira na kayong mag-usap ng friend, ano ang gusto mong itanong sa kanila?
Back of the card
Would you ask now or wait for a quieter time to talk?
Itatanong mo ba ngayon o hihintayin mong mas tahimik ang oras ng usapan?
A We’re Not Really Strangers alternative
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Tagalog version of We’re Not Really Strangers?
We’re Not Really Strangers is in English. For a similar three-level conversation game in English and Filipino, Kumustahan has English and Tagalog on every card.
What is a good alternative to We’re Not Really Strangers?
It depends on your table. For Filipino groups, Kumustahan offers three depths of questions across 7 decks in English and Filipino, with 420 cards free on iPhone and Android.
Is there a We’re Not Really Strangers app?
We’re Not Really Strangers is mainly a physical card game. Kumustahan is a conversation card app that works in a similar way, moving from light to deeper questions.
Bring a better question to the table.
Free on iPhone and Android. 420 cards free, no account, works offline.