Questions · Questions about life
Questions about life, as it is right now
Not the meaning of life, just yours, this year. Where you are, what has changed since the last time you really talked, and what you’d like the next few months to hold.
- 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.
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
16 questions about life
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.
Right now
4 questions
How things are, without the summary everyone gives at parties.
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Which part of your personality has been showing up more lately?
Anong part ng personality mo ang mas lumalabas lately?
Back of the card
The parts showing up may be asking to be noticed, used, or cared for. Curiosity can be a gentle start.
Yung parts na mas lumalabas, baka gusto lang mapansin, magamit, o maalagaan. Puwedeng curiosity muna ang start.
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Share something you wish people understood about your life lately.
Ikuwento ang gusto mong maintindihan ng mga tao tungkol sa buhay mo lately.
Back of the card
You can keep this general or pass. Which part of your day would help someone understand your answer?
Puwedeng general lang o mag-pass. Anong part ng araw mo ang makakatulong para maintindihan nila ang sagot mo?
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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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What have you done recently that you are pleased about?
Anong nagawa mo kamakailan ang ikinatuwa mo?
Back of the card
If your win had a tiny trophy, what would be written on it?
Kung may maliit na trophy ang nagawa mo, ano ang nakasulat dito?
What’s changed
5 questions
The skills, habits and confidence that came with time.
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Name something that matters to you more now than it used to.
Magsabi ng isang bagay na mas mahalaga na sa'yo ngayon kaysa dati.
Back of the card
What matters can change as you grow. That shift is not betrayal; it may be a clearer kind of honesty.
Puwedeng magbago ang mahalaga habang naggo-grow ka. Hindi agad betrayal yun; baka mas malinaw na honesty.
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From when you were younger, what habit or interest do you still carry now?
Mula nung bata ka, anong habit o hilig ang dala mo pa rin ngayon?
Back of the card
Some parts of us do not disappear; they just grow up with us. It can be nice to notice what stayed.
May parts tayo na hindi naman nawawala; lumalaki lang kasama natin. Nakakatuwang mapansin kung ano yung naiwan.
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Share the first time you did something on your own and felt more capable afterward.
Ikuwento ang unang beses mong gumawa ng isang bagay mag-isa at naisip mong, "Kaya ko pala."
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "That was when I realized I could..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Doon ko naisip na kaya ko palang..."
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Which small adulting skill are you proud you can do now?
Anong small adulting skill ang proud kang kaya mo na ngayon?
Back of the card
Adulting skills can be funny and real at the same time. Paying, fixing, calling, cooking, asking: they all count.
Nakakatawa pero real ang adulting skills. Magbayad, mag-ayos, tumawag, magluto, magtanong: counted lahat yan.
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Tell us about a small thing you can do now that would have amazed you as a kid.
Kuwento mo yung maliit na bagay na kaya mo na ngayon na maa-amaze ka kung bata ka pa.
Back of the card
Progress can look ordinary from the outside. But younger you might know exactly how big that ordinary thing is.
Mukhang ordinaryo minsan ang progress. Pero baka alam ng batang ikaw kung gaano kalaki yung ordinaryong bagay na yan.
What you want more of
4 questions
Time, hobbies and plans worth protecting.
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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?
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If you had one free hour every week, what hobby would you go back to?
Kung may isang free hour ka every week, anong hobby ang babalikan mo?
Back of the card
A hobby you miss can point to a part of you that still wants some space.
Yung hobby na nami-miss mo minsan tumuturo sa part ng sarili mo na gusto pa rin ng konting space.
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Which small plan are you looking forward to?
Anong small plan ang nilu-look forward mo?
Back of the card
Looking forward to something simple can help a week feel kinder. Small plans are allowed to matter.
Nakakagaan ng week kapag may simpleng nilu-look forward. Puwedeng maging mahalaga kahit maliit na plan lang.
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What are you looking forward to over the next few weeks?
Ano ang inaabangan mo sa susunod na mga linggo?
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "The part I cannot wait for is..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Ang pinaka-inaabangan ko ay..."
Where it’s heading
3 questions
Hopes and directions, even the ones that aren’t clear yet.
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Name one small hope that helps you keep going.
Magbanggit ng isang maliit na hope na tumutulong sa'yo magpatuloy.
Back of the card
A small hope can still carry real strength. It may be quiet, but it is not nothing.
May totoong lakas din ang maliit na hope. Tahimik man siya, hindi ibig sabihin wala siyang bigat.
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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.
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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.
How to use them
Before you ask
Questions about life are really questions about a season. “How’s life?” gets a one-word answer because it asks for everything at once. Asking what someone would like more time for this month, or what they can handle now that they couldn’t before, gets the actual update.
These are for the catch-up that deserves more than “busy, you?”: an old friend in town for a weekend, a sibling on a long call, a birthday dinner where someone is turning a year that feels big. They move from now, to what has changed, to what’s next, which is also the order people find easiest to talk in.
Let the answers be unfinished. Most people don’t know exactly where their life is heading, and the last group is written for that. A half-formed hope said out loud to someone who listens is one of the better things a conversation can do.
Good for
Tips
- Replace “how’s life?” with one specific question from this page.
- Start with now. The future is easier after the present.
- Notice what has grown, not just what’s gone wrong.
- Don’t turn their plans into advice unless they ask.
- Ask again in a few months, and compare.
Decks for this
Questions about life
Frequently asked questions
What are good questions to ask about life?
Specific ones about this season: what they want more time for, what they handle better than before, what they’re looking forward to. They get a real update instead of the usual “busy, you?”
What should I ask a friend I haven’t seen in a long time?
Start with how things are right now, then ask what has changed since you last talked, and finish with what they’re hoping for next. That order makes it easy to catch up without an interview.
Are these deep questions?
Some go deeper than others. Most are reflective but easy to answer, and the last few, about hopes and direction, are best with someone you know well.
Bring a better question to the table.
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