Questions · Couples journal
Couples journal prompts for a notebook you both write in
Prompts for a couples journal, the kind you pass back and forth or fill in together on Sunday. A weekly entry, a monthly look back, some about yourself so your partner can understand you, and letters to your future selves.
- 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.
What small action helps us reconnect after a misunderstanding?
Anong maliit na action ang tumutulong sa atin mag-reconnect after a misunderstanding?
Reconnecting does not erase what happened. It helps both of you return to the conversation with a little more care.
Hindi binubura ng pag-reconnect ang nangyari. Tinutulungan lang kayong bumalik sa usapan nang may mas care.
The questions
15 couples journal prompts
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.
The weekly entry
4 questions
Five minutes on a Sunday. Write, swap, read.
-
What is something we laughed about recently?
Ano yung something na napagtawanan natin recently?
Back of the card
Laughter is not a small thing. Sometimes it brings warmth back quickly when life feels full.
Hindi maliit na bagay ang tawa. Minsan mabilis nitong binabalik yung warmth kapag puno ang buhay.
-
After a long day, what small thing helps us reconnect?
After a long day, anong maliit na bagay ang tumutulong sa atin mag-reconnect?
Back of the card
Reconnection does not have to be dramatic. Sometimes it is a snack, a walk, a hug, or ten quiet minutes together.
Hindi kailangang dramatic ang reconnection. Minsan snack, lakad, yakap, o sampung tahimik na minuto lang together.
-
Point to one pattern you notice in your week, like energy, mood, time, habits, or relationships.
Magbanggit ng isang pattern na napapansin mo sa week mo, like energy, mood, time, habits, o relationships.
Back of the card
Understanding a pattern is already movement. You do not have to fix everything before you begin to notice.
Movement na rin yung maintindihan ang pattern. Hindi mo kailangang ayusin agad lahat bago ka magsimulang makapansin.
-
Name one small choice that keeps affecting your mood, like sleep, food, screen time, movement, or who you talk to.
Magbanggit ng isang small choice na paulit-ulit na nakakaapekto sa mood mo, like tulog, food, screen time, galaw, o kung sino ang kausap mo.
Back of the card
Small choices become loud when they repeat. Noticing one can give you a kinder place to start.
Lumalaki ang epekto ng maliit na choice kapag paulit-ulit. Kapag napansin mo ang isa, may mas gentle kang starting point.
The monthly look back
4 questions
Patterns are easier to see a month at a time.
-
What small action helps us reconnect after a misunderstanding?
Anong maliit na action ang tumutulong sa atin mag-reconnect after a misunderstanding?
Back of the card
Reconnecting does not erase what happened. It helps both of you return to the conversation with a little more care.
Hindi binubura ng pag-reconnect ang nangyari. Tinutulungan lang kayong bumalik sa usapan nang may mas care.
-
What small thing could make our next date feel more like our kind of date?
Anong maliit na puwede nating gawin para mas bagay sa atin yung next date natin?
Back of the card
A good date does not have to impress anyone else. It just needs to fit the rhythm that feels real for both of you.
Hindi kailangang magpa-impress sa iba ang magandang date. Mas okay kapag bagay sa totoong rhythm ninyong dalawa.
-
What is one little promise we keep well?
Ano yung maliit na promise na maayos nating natutupad?
Back of the card
Trust grows through small kept promises. Seeing them clearly can make reliability feel less invisible.
Lumalaki ang trust sa maliliit na promises na natutupad. Kapag nakita ang mga ito, hindi na invisible ang reliability.
-
What is one way I show love that I might not realize means a lot to you?
Ano yung isang paraan ng pagpapakita ko ng love na baka hindi ko alam na malaking bagay pala sa'yo?
Back of the card
Steady care can become easy to miss. Naming it helps both of you notice the love that is already there.
Kapag steady ang care, minsan hindi na napapansin. Kapag pinangalanan natin, mas nakikita ninyo yung love na nandiyan na.
Writing about yourself, for them
4 questions
Things that are easier written than said.
-
What has your body or mood been telling you these days?
Ano ang sinasabi ng katawan o mood mo sa'yo lately?
Back of the card
Your tiredness, restlessness, or steadiness can give honest signals. Listening can help you choose with more care, not just more effort.
Yung pagod, restlessness, o pagiging steady mo pwedeng magbigay ng honest signals. Kapag pinakinggan mo, mas makakapili ka nang may care, hindi puro effort lang.
-
Where are you spending energy that you wish you could save?
Saan napupunta ang energy mo na sana naiipon mo na lang?
Back of the card
Energy is limited, even when love or responsibility is real. Noticing the drain is the first step toward caring for it.
Limited ang energy, kahit totoo ang love o responsibility. Kapag napansin mo kung saan ka nauubos, mas maalagaan mo siya.
-
How do you talk to yourself when you fall short?
Paano ka makipag-usap sa sarili mo kapag nagkukulang ka?
Back of the card
The voice you use with yourself matters. It can either add weight or make room for a wiser next step.
Mahalaga yung boses na gamit mo sa sarili mo. Puwede siyang magdagdag ng bigat o magbigay ng space para sa mas wise na next step.
-
Name one expectation of yourself that feels too heavy lately.
Magsabi ng isang expectation mo sa sarili mo na parang ang bigat lately.
Back of the card
Some expectations sound responsible but leave no room to breathe. You can ask whether they are still fair.
May expectations na responsible pakinggan pero walang space huminga. Puwede mong tanungin kung fair pa ba sila.
Letters to the future
3 questions
Write them now, read them in a year.
-
Point to one direction you feel drawn toward, even if it is not fully clear yet.
Magbanggit ng isang direction na feeling mo tinutulak ka, kahit hindi pa fully clear.
Back of the card
Clarity sometimes arrives after movement. You can honor the direction without pretending you know the whole path.
Minsan dumarating ang clarity habang gumagalaw ka na. Puwede mong i-honor ang direction nang hindi nagpapanggap na alam mo ang buong path.
-
Finish this sentence: “In this next season, I hope I get to experience...”
Tapusin mo yung sentence: “Sa next season, sana ma-experience ko...”
Back of the card
This sentence can stay small or open wide. Either way, it gives your hope a place to begin.
Puwedeng maliit lang o biglang lumawak yung sentence. Either way, may starting point yung hope mo.
-
What habit of ours do you hope we keep in the next season?
Anong habit natin ang sana ituloy natin sa next season?
Back of the card
Keeping what works is also growth. Not every next step has to be about fixing a problem.
Growth din ang pagpapatuloy ng gumagana. Hindi lahat ng next step kailangang tungkol sa pag-aayos ng problema.
How to use them
Before you ask
A couples journal is a shared notebook where you each answer the same prompt, then read each other’s answers: something you laughed about this week, a small promise you keep well, what your mood has been telling you lately. Writing slows people down, and you get answers you would never get across a dinner table.
Shared journals tend to die by week three because the prompts are too big. “Write about your relationship” is a blank page. Specific prompts make it easy to start, and short entries make it easy to keep going.
Pick a rhythm you can keep: a weekly entry on Sunday, a monthly look back, and a letter to the future now and then. The third group is the unusual one, prompts about yourself written for your partner to read. Some people find those easier to share on paper than out loud.
Good for
Tips
- Keep the journal somewhere visible, like the kitchen or the nightstand.
- Set a five-minute timer so it never feels like homework.
- Read the letters to the future on your next anniversary.
- Write about yourself honestly; the third group only works without polish.
- If one of you hates writing, voice notes count.
How to keep a couples journal going
Any notebook works. A shared note on your phones works too, but paper feels more personal and keeps you off screens.
- Same prompt, two answers: each of you writes on your own page, then you swap.
- Read, don’t debate: respond with a line of thanks or a question, not a correction.
- Keep it short: a few sentences is a good entry.
- Date every entry, so the old ones become a record of your year.
- Skipping is allowed. Missing a week is fine; just pick it up again.
Couples journal prompts
Frequently asked questions
What should I write in a couples journal?
Short answers to the same prompt from each of you: something you laughed about, what helped you reconnect, what your mood has been telling you, and the occasional letter to your future selves.
How often should we write in a couples journal?
Weekly works for most couples, with a slightly longer monthly look back. A short, regular habit beats an ambitious one you abandon.
Can we do this in an app instead of a notebook?
Yes. In Kumustahan you can draw a card, answer it together, and save a note on it. A paper notebook is lovely too; use whichever you’ll actually keep.
Bring a better question to the table.
Free on iPhone and Android. 420 cards free, no account, works offline.