Guide · The basics

What are conversation cards?

Conversation cards are decks of questions written to be asked out loud, so a group or a pair can take turns answering. They give people something to talk about besides work and the weather, and they give quieter people a turn.

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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.

Getting to know№ 33

Tell us about a small habit at home that you thought was normal for everyone.

Kuwento mo yung maliit na habit sa bahay na akala mo normal sa lahat.

Tap to flipkumustahan

A note

Every home has its own normal. Sometimes you only notice it when another house does things differently.

Bawat bahay may sariling normal. Minsan doon mo lang napapansin kapag iba pala ang style sa ibang bahay.

Tap to returnkumustahan

In short

The idea

A conversation card is one question, usually printed on a card or shown in an app, that anyone at the table can answer. You draw a card, read it aloud, answer it, and the next person goes. Decks are written for a kind of room: strangers, friends, couples, families, teams, small groups at church, or yourself.

They work because they take the hardest part of a conversation off everyone’s plate: thinking of what to ask. And because the question comes from the card, nobody feels nosy for asking it.

Tips

Choose a deck for the people, then for the mood.
Read the card aloud and answer it yourself first.
Let anyone pass without explaining.
Start light; save the deep cards for later.
Stop while people still want another card.

Decks for this

The main kinds of conversation cards

Icebreakers: light, quick questions for people who don’t know each other yet.
Getting to know you: questions that ask for stories about home, habits and the people who shaped you.
Fun and party: what-ifs, this-or-thats and silly opinions to get a group laughing.
Deep or reflective: questions about values, change and hopes, for small groups or solo journaling.
Couples: check-ins and questions for two people in a relationship.
Family: questions every generation can answer, often for the dinner table.
Faith: questions for small groups and Bible studies.

How to play

There are no official rules, but these work almost everywhere:

One person draws a card and reads it out loud.
They answer first, or choose who answers.
Everyone else listens; one follow-up question is welcome.
Anyone can pass, any time, no explanation needed.
Start with light cards and go deeper later in the night.

For more house rules and setups by group, see how to play conversation cards.

Where people use them

At dinner tables and dinner parties, on dates and long drives, in classrooms and English lessons, at the start of team meetings, in youth groups and Bible studies, on video calls with family far away, and at home alone as journal prompts. Teachers, therapists, youth leaders and hosts all keep a deck around for the same reason: a good question changes the room.

Paper decks and apps

Conversation cards come as physical decks or as apps. A physical deck is a nice object and a good gift. An app can hold many decks, let you choose the depth, avoid repeats and go anywhere offline. We compare the two in conversation card app or physical deck, and the well-known games in conversation card games for adults.

Kumustahan’s cards

Kumustahan is a conversation card app. Each card has a question on the front and a short reflection on the back to read after the answers. You choose the decks and how deep the night goes, then pass the phone. Every card also has a Filipino version, because the app was made in the Philippines. 420 cards are free, with no account.

The questions

A few conversation cards, one of each kind

Real cards from Kumustahan’s decks, so you can see the difference between an icebreaker, a get-to-know question and a reflection card.

Icebreakers and fun

4 questions

For new people and big groups.

Choose a safe tour: outer space or the bottom of the ocean.

Pumili ng ligtas na tour: outer space o ilalim ng dagat.

Back of the card

Choose one sight from the tour you would want as your phone wallpaper.
Pumili ng tanawin sa tour na gusto mong gawing wallpaper sa phone.
If you could lend someone a superpower for one day, what power would you give?

Kung mapapahiram mo ng superpower ang isang tao nang isang araw, anong power ang ibibigay mo?

Back of the card

Imagine their first reaction when they try the borrowed power.
Isipin ang unang reaction nila kapag sinubukan ang hiniram na power.
Pitch one useless invention you would still buy.

I-pitch ang useless invention na bibilhin mo pa rin.

Back of the card

A useless invention can still understand your heart. Sometimes the appeal is not usefulness, just delight.
May useless invention na gets pa rin ang puso mo. Hindi laging usefulness ang point; minsan delight lang.
Name the song that should play when you enter a room.

Sabihin yung song na dapat tumugtog pagpasok mo sa room.

Back of the card

An entrance song is mostly about energy. It says what kind of moment you want everyone to feel.
Yung entrance song, energy talaga ang usapan. Sinasabi niya kung anong moment ang gusto mong dala.

Getting to know you and friends

4 questions

For stories and catching up.

Tell us about a small habit at home that you thought was normal for everyone.

Kuwento mo yung maliit na habit sa bahay na akala mo normal sa lahat.

Back of the card

Every home has its own normal. Sometimes you only notice it when another house does things differently.
Bawat bahay may sariling normal. Minsan doon mo lang napapansin kapag iba pala ang style sa ibang bahay.
How do you usually show a friend that you care?

Paano mo usually pinapakita sa friend na may care ka?

Back of the card

Care has many shapes: checking in, feeding people, remembering details, giving space, or staying when it gets inconvenient.
Maraming itsura ang care: nangangamusta, nagpapakain, nakakaalala ng details, nagbibigay ng space, o nananatili kahit hassle.
What harmless habit of a friend have you come to enjoy?

Anong habit ng friend ang mas nagugustuhan mo habang tumatagal?

Back of the card

Was it something you liked immediately or grew to like?
Nagustuhan mo ba agad o nasanay ka muna bago mo nagustuhan?
When doing something with friends, which small job do you enjoy helping with?

Kapag may ginagawa kayo ng friends, anong parte ang gusto mong akuin para makatulong?

Back of the card

Would you still enjoy that job with a much bigger group?
Gusto mo pa rin ba ang gawaing iyon kung mas marami ang kasama?

Couples

3 questions

For two people at any stage.

What little thing has gone well for us lately that we should celebrate more?

Anong maliit na bagay ang naging okay sa atin lately na dapat nating i-celebrate pa?

Back of the card

Good moments grow when they are noticed. Celebrating what went well keeps the relationship from feeling like only tasks and problems.
Mas lumalakas yung magagandang moments kapag napapansin. Kapag sine-celebrate natin yung naging okay, hindi puro tasks at problema ang relationship.
What is one practical thing I do that makes life easier for you?

Ano yung practical na ginagawa ko na nagpapadali ng buhay mo?

Back of the card

Practical love is easy to overlook because it blends into the day. Naming it makes invisible effort visible.
Madaling hindi mapansin ang practical love kasi sumasama lang siya sa araw. Kapag nasabi, nakikita ang effort.
What do you appreciate about the way we handle busy seasons together?

Ano yung naa-appreciate mo sa paraan natin kapag busy season?

Back of the card

Busy seasons can show what already works between you. Noticing those small systems makes them easier to repeat when life gets full again.
Kapag busy season, lumalabas kung ano yung gumagana na sa inyo. Kapag napansin ninyo yung small systems, mas madali silang ulitin kapag puno ulit ang life.