Questions · Language exchange
Language exchange topics for both halves of the hour
In a language exchange you spend half the time in each language, and the conversation has to work in both. These questions are about everyday life and home habits, the topics that are easy to ask and surprisingly different from one country to the next.
- 16 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.
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.
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.
The questions
16 language exchange questions
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.
Home, the way you grew up
6 questions
The habits you only notice once someone from elsewhere asks.
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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.
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Which everyday sound reminds you of home right away?
Anong everyday sound ang nagpapaalala agad sa'yo ng home?
Back of the card
Home is not always a place first. Sometimes it is a sound you recognize before you even think about it.
Hindi laging lugar agad ang home. Minsan sound siya na kilala mo na bago mo pa isipin.
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Share one food rule your household still follows.
Mag-share ng isang food rule na sinusunod pa rin sa bahay niyo.
Back of the card
House rules around food can be funny, practical, or oddly sacred. They carry the flavor of how people grew up.
Yung food rules sa bahay, minsan funny, minsan practical, minsan oddly sacred. May flavor siya ng kinalakihan natin.
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Tell us about a food that reminds you of someone taking care of you.
Ikuwento yung pagkain na nagpapaalala sa'yo ng alaga ng isang tao.
Back of the card
Food can carry care without needing big words. Sometimes the simple act of feeding someone well becomes a memory by itself.
Kayang magdala ng care ang pagkain kahit walang malaking salita. Minsan yung simpleng pag-alaga sa pagkain, nagiging memory na.
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Name a topic your family or friends can discuss forever.
Sabihin yung topic na kayang pag-usapan forever ng family o friends mo.
Back of the card
Every group has a topic that refuses to end. It keeps coming back because everyone has one more detail to add.
May topic talaga na ayaw matapos. Paulit-ulit bumabalik kasi laging may dagdag na kwento ang bawat isa.
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As you got older, which habit at home started to make more sense to you?
Habang tumatanda ka, anong habit sa bahay ninyo ang mas nagme-make sense na sa'yo ngayon?
Back of the card
Getting older can change the way you see home. A habit may look different once you know more of the story.
Habang tumatanda, nag-iiba rin minsan ang tingin natin sa bahay. May habit na mas naiintindihan kapag alam mo na ang kuwento.
Small opinions
5 questions
Quick, fun and easy to ask in both languages.
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Complete the line: I'm chill, but please don't ___.
Kumpletuhin: Chill naman ako, pero please wag ___.
Back of the card
Tiny pet peeves are usually harmless, but they still deserve their moment. Everyone has a small line somewhere.
Harmless lang ang tiny pet peeves, pero deserve din nila ng moment. Lahat tayo may small line somewhere.
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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.
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What line do your friends often hear you say?
Anong linya ang madalas marinig ng friends mo sa'yo?
Back of the card
Imagine your usual line printed on a shirt.
Isipin na naka-print sa shirt ang madalas mong sabihin.
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Create a new holiday that everyone gets to celebrate. What happens that day?
Gumawa ng bagong holiday na puwedeng i-celebrate ng lahat. Ano ang ginagawa sa araw na iyon?
Back of the card
What tradition would belong to your holiday?
Anong tradisyon ang bagay sa holiday mo?
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Tell us a food combo you like that people might question.
I-share yung food combo na gusto mo pero baka kuwestiyunin ng iba.
Back of the card
Questionable does not always mean wrong. Some pairings just need one brave person to admit they work.
Hindi porket questionable, mali na agad. Minsan kailangan lang ng isang brave person na umaming masarap siya.
Words and first impressions
5 questions
Misheard lines, new places and changing your mind about someone.
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Name a word or line you misheard that made the conversation funny.
Magbanggit ng word o line na mali mong narinig at naging funny yung usapan.
Back of the card
Mishearing one word can send a conversation somewhere else completely. Sometimes the mistake is funnier than the original point.
Isang maling dinig lang, ibang direction na yung usapan. Minsan mas funny pa yung mali kaysa original point.
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When you enter a new place, what’s one small thing you notice right away?
Kapag nasa bagong lugar ka, ano yung isang maliit na bagay na una mong napapansin?
Back of the card
What you notice first can hint at what makes a place feel interesting, calm, or welcoming to you.
Minsan clue yung una mong napapansin kung ano ang nakaka-curious, nakakapagpakalma, o nagpapagaan ng pakiramdam mo.
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What helped you feel welcome in a new place?
Ano ang nakatulong para maramdaman mong welcome ka sa isang bagong lugar?
Back of the card
Would you do something similar for someone new? You can also leave it as a good memory.
Gagawin mo rin ba iyon para sa bagong dating? Puwede ring magandang alaala na lang muna ito.
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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.
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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...”
How to use them
Before you ask
Good language exchange topics are everyday and personal (home, food, habits, small opinions), because they are easy to ask in both languages and they reveal real differences between cultures.
Exchanges often stall after the first meeting. You have both covered where you’re from and what you do, and the second hour drifts into silence or slides entirely into the stronger speaker’s language. A short stack of questions fixes both: you always have the next topic, and you can agree to ask each card twice, once in each language.
Try this format: pick one card, discuss it for fifteen minutes in your partner’s language, then the same card for fifteen minutes in yours. Hearing the same topic in both languages makes new words stick. Kumustahan’s cards also come in Filipino, which helps if your exchange partner is learning Tagalog.
Good for
Tips
- Agree on the split before you start and keep a timer, so neither language takes over.
- Correct only what your partner asks you to; ask them at the start.
- Keep a shared note of new words and send it after each session.
- Ask “Is that normal where you’re from?” It turns every card into a culture swap.
- Use the same card in both languages to recycle vocabulary.
Decks for this
A one-hour exchange format
- Five minutes of small talk in either language.
- Twenty-five minutes in language A: two or three cards, the native speaker asks follow-ups and notes useful words.
- Twenty-five minutes in language B: the same cards, roles reversed.
- Five minutes swapping notes: each person shares three words or corrections for the other.
Language exchange
Frequently asked questions
What should I talk about in a language exchange?
Everyday topics that differ between cultures: home habits, food rules, small opinions, first impressions of new places. They are easy to ask in both languages and lead to good follow-up questions.
How do you structure a language exchange session?
Split the time evenly between both languages with a timer, use the same questions in each half, and spend a few minutes at the end swapping new words and corrections.
Do these questions work in languages other than English?
Yes. They are simple enough to translate on the spot, so either partner can ask them in their own language.
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