Questions · Brother
Questions to ask your brother, beyond the sports scores
Questions to ask your brother when the usual topics run out: easy openers, growing up in the same house, what’s actually going on with him now, and a few of the things brothers rarely say out loud.
- 15 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
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.
During a busy week, what signs tell you that you are still doing okay?
Kapag busy ang week, anong signs ang nagsasabi sa'yo na okay ka pa naman?
Your signs may be small: sleep, patience, appetite, humor, or the ability to answer messages without dread.
Puwedeng maliit lang yung signs: tulog, pasensya, gana kumain, humor, o kaya mong sumagot ng messages nang hindi mabigat.
The questions
15 questions to ask your brother
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
Easy openers
4 questions
Food orders, awkward silences and the ride home.
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When the conversation goes quiet, how do you usually react?
Kapag tumahimik yung usapan, paano ka usually nagre-react?
Back of the card
Quiet moments reveal different instincts. Some people fill the space, some enjoy it, and some suddenly inspect their drink.
May kanya-kanyang instinct kapag tumahimik. May nagfi-fill ng space, may okay lang, may biglang titingin sa drink.
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When your brain is tired, what is your go-to order?
Kapag pagod na utak mo, ano yung go-to order mo?
Back of the card
The reliable order deserves respect. It shows up when decisions are too much and hunger is already making a case.
Respect sa reliable order. Lumalabas siya kapag ayaw mo nang mag-decide at gutom na rin ang nagsasalita.
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Name a food that tastes better when it's free.
Sabihin mo yung pagkain na mas masarap kapag libre.
Back of the card
Free food has its own seasoning. Sometimes the best flavor is the tiny thrill of not paying for it.
May sariling sarap ang libreng pagkain. Minsan yung best flavor, yung small joy na hindi ikaw ang nagbayad.
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Tell about a ride home with friends that you still remember.
Magkuwento ng pag-uwi kasama ang friends na naaalala mo pa.
Back of the card
You could remember just the last thing someone said before you parted.
Puwedeng balikan ang huling sinabi bago kayo naghiwa-hiwalay.
Growing up together
4 questions
Same house, different memories. Compare notes.
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What failed plan with friends turned into a good memory?
Anong pumalpak na plano kasama ang friends ang naging masayang memory?
Back of the card
The failed plan can be the story's best plot twist.
Puwedeng ang pumalpak na plano ang pinakamagandang plot twist sa kuwento.
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Which song takes you back to a particular time with friends?
Anong kanta ang nagpapaalala sa'yo ng isang panahon ninyo ng friends mo?
Back of the card
Picture where everyone was when the song came on.
Isipin kung nasaan ang lahat noong tumugtog ang kanta.
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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...”
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Share one time your timing was really off and it became funny later.
Mag-share ng time na sobrang sablay ng timing mo at naging funny later.
Back of the card
Bad timing can be annoying in the moment and hilarious later. It has a way of turning itself into comedy.
Yung bad timing, nakakainis sa moment pero funny later. Parang kusa siyang nagiging comedy pag binalikan.
What’s going on with him now
4 questions
Work, energy and what he wants more time for.
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During a busy week, what signs tell you that you are still doing okay?
Kapag busy ang week, anong signs ang nagsasabi sa'yo na okay ka pa naman?
Back of the card
Your signs may be small: sleep, patience, appetite, humor, or the ability to answer messages without dread.
Puwedeng maliit lang yung signs: tulog, pasensya, gana kumain, humor, o kaya mong sumagot ng messages nang hindi mabigat.
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How would you like a friend to respond when you are too tired to join a plan?
Kapag sobrang pagod ka para sumama, paano mo gustong mag-react ang friend sa pagtanggi mo?
Back of the card
Missing one plan does not mean you want to stop being invited.
Hindi ibig sabihin na ayaw mo nang yayain kapag hindi ka nakasama minsan.
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What have you been putting off that might bring relief once you start?
Ano yung matagal mo nang pinapabukas na baka gumaan kapag nasimulan mo na?
Back of the card
Starting can be the hardest part because it makes the thing real. Relief may come before everything is finished.
Minsan pinakamahirap magsimula kasi nagiging real na yung bagay. Pero minsan nauunang dumating ang relief bago matapos lahat.
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What would you like to make more time for this month?
Ano ang gusto mong bigyan ng mas maraming oras ngayong buwan?
Back of the card
Imagine an extra afternoon opens up. Would you spend it all on this or leave some time free?
Isipin na nabakante ang isang hapon. Ilalaan mo ba lahat ng oras dito o magtitira ka pa ng libreng oras?
Things brothers don’t say often
3 questions
One of these per visit is plenty.
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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?
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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.
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What is something I handled well recently that meant more to you than I realized?
Ano yung isang bagay na nahandle ko nang maayos recently na mas malaking bagay pala sa'yo kaysa akala ko?
Back of the card
Specific appreciation helps your partner see what felt caring, steady, mature, or brave in real life.
Nakakatulong ang specific appreciation para makita ng partner mo kung ano yung naging caring, steady, mature, o brave sa totoong buhay.
How to use them
Before you ask
Plenty of brothers can talk for an hour about a game and never mention their own lives. That’s fine until you realize you don’t know how his job is really going or what he does when he’s burned out. Questions to ask your brother work best when they start on familiar ground and move one step at a time.
The growing-up questions are a good bridge. Two brothers raised in the same house remember it differently, and comparing versions of a failed family plan or a song from a certain summer gets you talking without anyone feeling put on the spot.
The last group is short on purpose. Telling your brother a strength of his you noticed, or asking what you’d want to ask if you’d been talking less often, can mean a lot. One per conversation is plenty.
Good for
Tips
- Ask during halftime, not instead of the game.
- Compare memories; don’t argue about who’s right.
- Say the appreciation plainly. No joke to soften it.
- Text one question between visits; brothers often answer better by text.
- Don’t push if he passes. Try again next visit.
Decks for this
Brother
Frequently asked questions
What are good questions to ask your brother?
Start easy with his go-to order or how he handles an awkward silence, then trade memories from growing up. Later ask what signs tell him he’s still okay during a busy week.
How do I have a real conversation with my brother?
Do something side by side, start with shared memories, and move one step deeper at a time. Answer the questions yourself, and let him pass without making it a thing.
Can I use these over text?
Yes. One question at a time works well over text, especially the easy openers and the growing-up ones.
Bring a better question to the table.
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