Questions · Neighbors

Questions to ask your neighbors after two years of waving

Conversation starters for neighbors: quick ones for the driveway or the elevator, a few for the block party table, questions about the neighborhood itself, and some for when you’re on a first-name basis.

  • 17 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
  • Free in the app
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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№ 04

When you try a place to eat, what makes it feel worth visiting again?

Kapag may tinry kang kainan, ano yung nagpapaisip sa'yo na worth balikan ito?

Tap to flipkumustahan
A note

It could be taste, comfort, price, people, or memory. Places become favorites for different reasons.

Puwedeng lasa, comfort, presyo, tao, o memory. Iba-iba yung dahilan kung bakit may places tayong binabalikan.

Tap to returnkumustahan

The questions

17 questions to ask your neighbors

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.

Over the fence or in the lobby

5 questions

Short enough to finish before the groceries get warm.

  1. When you get home, what’s the first thing you usually do?

    Pag-uwi mo, ano yung unang bagay na usually mong ginagawa?

    Back of the card

    That first move can be funny, tired, quiet, or automatic. It can say something about how you settle in.

    Yung first move na iyon pwedeng nakakatawa, pagod, tahimik, o automatic. May sinasabi rin siya kung paano ka nagse-settle.

  2. Before leaving the house, what do you always check?

    Bago umalis ng bahay, ano yung lagi mong chine-check?

    Back of the card

    Small checks are tiny protection from future hassle. Everyone has one thing they refuse to leave up to memory.

    Maliit lang yung check, pero nakakaiwas sa future hassle. Lahat tayo may isang bagay na hindi pwedeng memory lang.

  3. 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?

  4. Which small outside task do you secretly like doing, like buying something, picking something up, or dropping something off?

    Anong maliit na task sa labas ang secretly gusto mong gawin, like bumili, kumuha, o maghatid ng something?

    Back of the card

    A small task outside can feel strangely satisfying. It gives the day a tiny mission with a clear finish line.

    May small task sa labas na strangely satisfying. Parang may tiny mission yung araw, tapos malinaw kung kailan tapos.

  5. 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.

At the block party table

5 questions

Food and big ideas, paper plate in hand.

  1. If someone funded one helpful idea for your neighborhood, what would you build or improve?

    Kung may sasagot sa gastos, ano ang gagawin o aayusin mo para makatulong sa lugar ninyo?

    Back of the card

    Picture its first day in use. What would you be happy to see people doing?

    Isipin ang unang araw na ginagamit na ito. Ano ang ikatutuwa mong ginagawa ng mga tao?

  2. Choose one food that tastes better when it’s left over for the next day.

    Pumili ng isang pagkain na mas masarap kapag tira siya hanggang kinabukasan.

    Back of the card

    Some food needs an overnight plot twist. Leftovers can be humble, practical, and somehow better than round one.

    May pagkain talaga na mas gumaganda kinabukasan. Simple lang siya, practical, pero minsan mas panalo pa.

  3. When you try a place to eat, what makes it feel worth visiting again?

    Kapag may tinry kang kainan, ano yung nagpapaisip sa'yo na worth balikan ito?

    Back of the card

    It could be taste, comfort, price, people, or memory. Places become favorites for different reasons.

    Puwedeng lasa, comfort, presyo, tao, o memory. Iba-iba yung dahilan kung bakit may places tayong binabalikan.

  4. 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?

  5. Would you rather have someone cook or clean for you?

    Mas gusto mo bang may magluto o maglinis para sa'yo?

    Back of the card

    Picture doing something you enjoy while they handle the task.

    Isipin ang masayang gagawin mo habang sila ang bahala.

About the neighborhood

5 questions

Everyone has a story about where they live.

  1. When you think of home, what small detail comes up first?

    Kapag naiisip mo ang home, anong maliit na detail ang unang pumapasok?

    Back of the card

    Home can be a smell, a sound, a person, a room, or one ordinary detail that stayed.

    Pwedeng amoy, tunog, tao, kwarto, o isang ordinaryong detail ang home. Minsan yun ang unang bumabalik.

  2. Tell us about a place that left a memory or feeling you still carry.

    Ikuwento yung lugar na may iniwang memory o feeling na dala mo pa rin.

    Back of the card

    Some places stay with us quietly. You may not notice it right away, but later you realize you carried something from there.

    May mga lugar na tahimik lang ang iniiwan sa atin. Hindi mo agad napapansin, pero may dala ka pala mula roon.

  3. How could you help a friend who was new to a school or neighborhood?

    Paano mo matutulungan ang friend na bago sa isang school o lugar?

    Back of the card

    Being shown where things are or having someone stay nearby — either might help.

    Puwedeng makatulong ang ituro kung nasaan ang mga bagay o ang samahan lang sila.

  4. Where do you feel like you can finally breathe a little?

    Saan mo nararamdaman na parang nakakahinga ka na ulit?

    Back of the card

    The place does not have to be special to anyone else. If your body softens there, it counts.

    Hindi kailangang special sa ibang tao yung lugar. Kung doon ka lumuluwag, counted yun.

  5. 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.

On a first-name basis

2 questions

For the neighbor who now has your spare key.

  1. 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.

  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.

How to use them

Before you ask

Getting to know your neighbors usually takes one good question at the right moment, like while you’re both hauling bins to the curb. Most neighbor relationships stall at the wave because there’s never a reason to say more, and after a year it feels too late to ask their name.

It isn’t. Start with the shared routine: what they always check before leaving the house, whether they’d rather know the weather or the traffic. At a block party or a building potluck, try a bigger question: if someone funded one helpful idea for the neighborhood, what would they build? That one gets neighbors talking to each other, not just to you.

Neighbors who know each other look out for each other. They notice packages, lend ladders, check in during storms. A few minutes of real conversation is how that starts.

Good for

  • Block parties and street fairs
  • Apartment building potlucks
  • Driveway and mailbox chats
  • Welcoming new neighbors
  • Neighborhood association socials

Tips

  1. Introduce yourself by name even after years of waving. Everyone is relieved.
  2. Bring something small when a new neighbor moves in, and ask one question at the door.
  3. At a block party, introduce two neighbors with a question they can both answer.
  4. Don’t open with complaints about parking or noise. Start friendly; the issues can wait.

Decks for this

Neighbors

Frequently asked questions

What should you ask your neighbors?

Start with easy, shared things: routines, the weather, a favorite local place to eat. At a block party, ask what helpful idea they’d bring to the neighborhood. Once you know each other, ask what helped them feel welcome when they moved in.

How do you start a conversation with a neighbor?

Use a moment you already share, like the mailbox or the elevator, introduce yourself by name and ask one light question. Follow up the next time you see them.

What are good conversation starters for a block party?

Questions about food, the neighborhood and playful ideas, like a new holiday everyone gets to celebrate or a project for the street. They get several neighbors talking at once.

Bring a better question to the table.

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