Questions · Calling home

Questions for video calls with family in the Philippines

Your Sunday evening is their Monday morning. The call starts with a frozen face, someone yelling “naririnig mo ba ako?”, and the phone passing from cousin to tita to lola. These questions give each person something real to say before they hand the phone on.

  • 16 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
  • Free in the app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

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№ 23

What small things make a room feel welcoming to you?

Anong maliliit na bagay ang nagpaparamdam sa'yo na welcome ka sa isang room?

Tap to flipkumustahan
A note

Welcome can come from tone, space, food, faces, or small signals that say you do not have to prove yourself.

Puwedeng galing sa tono, space, pagkain, mukha ng tao, o maliliit na sign na hindi mo kailangang patunayan ang sarili mo.

Tap to returnkumustahan

The questions

16 questions for calling family back home

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.

Quick ones while the phone is passed around

5 questions

One question per person, about thirty seconds each.

  1. Pick your ideal weather: a warm rainy afternoon or a cool sunny morning.

    Pumili ng gusto mong panahon: maulan pero mainit na hapon o maaraw pero malamig na umaga.

    Back of the card

    Choose a sound to go with your weather.

    Pumili ng tunog na bagay sa pinili mong panahon.

  2. Which would you want free for life: breakfast or dessert?

    Pumili ng libreng pagkain habambuhay: breakfast o dessert.

    Back of the card

    Make your first order. You can choose something familiar or invent a dish.

    Piliin ang unang oorderin mo. Puwedeng paborito mo na o pagkaing iimbentuhin mo.

  3. Pick one drink that makes an ordinary day feel a little special.

    Pumili ng isang drink na nagpaparamdam na medyo special ang ordinary day.

    Back of the card

    A drink can turn an ordinary pause into a tiny celebration. Sometimes that small upgrade is the whole point.

    Minsan isang drink lang, parang may small celebration na sa ordinary day. Yun na yung tiny upgrade.

  4. Would you rather know the exact weather or the exact traffic before leaving home?

    Bago umalis, alin ang gusto mong siguradong alam: lagay ng panahon o lagay ng traffic?

    Back of the card

    Imagine you check before a day out. What would you pack differently?

    Isipin na nag-check ka bago ang lakad. Ano ang iibahin mo sa mga dadalhin mo?

  5. Name one item you always seem to lose, like keys, earphones, a pen, a charger, or your wallet.

    Magbanggit ng isang item na parang lagi mong nawawala, like susi, earphones, pen, charger, o wallet.

    Back of the card

    Some items have a talent for vanishing at the worst time. At some point, it starts to feel like a relationship issue.

    May items na ang galing mawala sa worst time. Dumadating sa point na parang relationship issue na siya.

Show and tell on camera

6 questions

Questions that make people turn the camera around.

  1. Name one pambahay item you always reach for, like a shirt, shorts, slippers, blanket, or mug.

    Magbanggit ng isang pambahay item na lagi mong ginagamit, like shirt, shorts, tsinelas, kumot, o mug.

    Back of the card

    The best pambahay items are not trying to impress anyone. They just show up, stay comfortable, and do their job.

    Yung best pambahay items, hindi kailangan magpa-impress. Comfortable lang, reliable, at laging ready sa bahay.

  2. What small things make a room feel welcoming to you?

    Anong maliliit na bagay ang nagpaparamdam sa'yo na welcome ka sa isang room?

    Back of the card

    Welcome can come from tone, space, food, faces, or small signals that say you do not have to prove yourself.

    Puwedeng galing sa tono, space, pagkain, mukha ng tao, o maliliit na sign na hindi mo kailangang patunayan ang sarili mo.

  3. Describe a funny photo of yourself that you would happily show your friends.

    Ikuwento ang isang funny photo mo na okay lang sa'yong ipakita sa friends.

    Back of the card

    No need to show it. What caption would fit the photo?

    Hindi kailangang ipakita. Anong caption ang babagay sa photo?

  4. Describe a tiny routine you do even if nobody notices.

    I-describe yung tiny routine mo kahit walang nakakapansin.

    Back of the card

    Tiny routines can be private proof that you have your own way of moving through the day.

    Yung tiny routines, private proof minsan na may sarili kang way gumalaw sa araw, sa sarili mong style.

  5. 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.

  6. Two choices: unlimited snacks or perfect sleep for one week. Defend your pick.

    Dalawa lang: unlimited snacks o perfect sleep for one week. I-defend ang pick mo.

    Back of the card

    Low-stakes choices still reveal priorities. Snack joy and good sleep are both valid campaign platforms.

    Kahit low-stakes, may priorities pa rin. Snack joy at good sleep, parehong valid campaign platform.

For lola and the titas

5 questions

Slower questions for the person who stays on the line longest.

  1. At family gatherings, where do you usually end up: helping, chatting, eating, or observing?

    Kapag may family gathering, saan ka usually napupunta: tumutulong, nakikipagkwentuhan, kumakain, o nag-oobserve?

    Back of the card

    Gatherings bring out our natural moves. Some people serve, some talk, some watch, and some happily stay near the food.

    Sa gatherings, lumalabas yung natural move natin. May tumutulong, may nagkukuwento, may nag-oobserve, at may masaya sa tabi ng pagkain.

  2. Which small kindness from other people do you notice right away?

    Anong small kindness mula sa ibang tao ang napapansin mo agad?

    Back of the card

    It could be someone checking in, saving you a seat, helping quietly, or remembering a small detail. The kindness you notice may be the kind you needed before.

    Puwedeng may nag-check in, nagtira ng seat, tumulong quietly, o nakaalala ng small detail. Baka yung kindness na napapansin mo ang kind na kinailangan mo dati.

  3. Finish this: our barkada or family always laughs when ___.

    Tapusin yung line: Laging nauuwi sa tawanan kapag ___.

    Back of the card

    Shared laughter becomes part of a group's language. Sometimes one unfinished sentence is enough to bring everyone back there.

    Yung shared laughter, nagiging sariling language ng group. Minsan isang bitin na sentence lang, gets na agad.

  4. Point to one blessing from this week that you almost overlooked.

    Magbanggit ng isang blessing this week na halos hindi mo napansin.

    Back of the card

    Some blessings are quiet. Noticing them can help you look back on the week with more gratitude.

    May blessings na tahimik lang. Kapag napansin mo sila, mas nagiging grateful ka habang binabalikan yung week.

  5. What is a recent act of kindness that caught you by surprise?

    Anong magandang ginawa sa'yo lately ang hindi mo inaasahan?

    Back of the card

    Keep names private if you like. Picture the instant you realized what they had done for you.

    Puwedeng itago ang mga pangalan. Balikan ang sandaling naisip mo kung ano ang ginawa nila para sa'yo.

How to use them

Before you ask

Video calls with family in the Philippines go wrong in a familiar way: everyone asks “kumusta?”, everyone says “okay lang”, the connection lags, and twenty minutes later nobody has said anything. The fix is a question that is quick, specific and fun to answer on camera.

Use the first group when the phone is being passed around a crowded room: each person gets one card and a turn. The show-and-tell questions are good for kids, who love an excuse to run and fetch something. Keep the last group for when it’s down to lola, a tita and you.

Since every card shows English and Filipino, you can read the Tagalog to the elders and the English to your own kids, and it is the same question. Mind the time difference: the Philippines is twelve to sixteen hours ahead of the US mainland, so their breakfast is your dinner.

Good for

  • Sunday calls to Manila, Cebu or Davao
  • Birthday calls when you can’t be there
  • Kids abroad keeping up with cousins
  • Christmas and New Year greetings across time zones

Tips

  1. Agree on one question before the call. It saves the first awkward minute.
  2. Let your kids ask the question in Tagalog, even badly. It always gets a cheer.
  3. Turn the camera to the food, the pet, the new paint. Show-and-tell beats talking heads.
  4. End with something to look forward to on the next call.

Decks for this

Video calls with family in the Philippines

Frequently asked questions

What can I talk about on a video call with family in the Philippines?

Quick, specific questions work best: a drink that makes the day special, the weather or the traffic, the item someone always loses, their favorite spot at home. Ask one per person as the phone gets passed around.

What time should I call family in the Philippines from the US?

The Philippines is 12 to 16 hours ahead of the US mainland, depending on your time zone and daylight saving. A US evening is the next morning in Manila, which often works for both sides.

How do I keep my kids interested in calls with relatives abroad?

Give them a job: asking the question of the day, or showing something on camera. Kids stay on calls they get to run.

Bring a better question to the table.

Free on iPhone and Android. 420 cards free, no account, works offline.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play