Questions · Barkada abroad

Questions for your Pinoy barkada abroad, your family away from family

Abroad, the barkada (your close group of friends) becomes family: the people you spend Christmas with, who drive you to the airport, who you call when a parent back home is sick. These questions are for that group, at the weekend hangout and the late night after.

  • 16 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
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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.

Just for fun№ 29

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

Tapusin yung line: Laging nauuwi sa tawanan kapag ___.

Tap to flipkumustahan
A note

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.

Tap to returnkumustahan

The questions

16 questions for a Filipino friend group abroad

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.

From the group chat to the table

6 questions

The memes, mishaps and lateness stories that make this barkada yours.

  1. What do you usually send in the group chat: updates, memes, reactions, or something else?

    Ano ang madalas mong ipadala sa group chat: updates, memes, reactions, o iba pa?

    Back of the card

    If your messages had a signature, what would it be: an emoji, a phrase, or something else?

    Kung may tatak ang messages mo, ano iyon: emoji, linya, o iba pa?

  2. Tell a funny story about overreacting to a tiny problem.

    Kailan ka napasobra ng reaction sa simpleng problema na natatawanan mo na ngayon?

    Back of the card

    How would you tell it if the tiny problem were the villain in the story?

    Paano mo ito ikukuwento kung ang maliit na problema ang kontrabida sa kuwento?

  3. What funny experience made you late to meet a friend?

    Anong nakakatawang nangyari kaya ka na-late sa pagkikita ninyo ng friend?

    Back of the card

    Retell the delay as a very dramatic excuse, if you like.

    Kung gusto mo, ikuwento ang pagka-late na parang sobrang dramatic na palusot.

  4. 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?

  5. Choose a nearby place you would like to explore with a friend.

    Pumili ng malapit na lugar na gusto mong puntahan kasama ang friend.

    Back of the card

    Imagine finding an unexpected favorite corner there.

    Isipin na may makikita kang sulok doon na magiging paborito mo.

  6. 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.

The barkada back home and the one here

4 questions

For the friends you left and the traditions you rebuilt.

  1. If you and a friend talk less often, what would you want to ask them?

    Kung bihira na kayong mag-usap ng friend, ano ang gusto mong itanong sa kanila?

    Back of the card

    Would you ask now or wait for a quieter time to talk?

    Itatanong mo ba ngayon o hihintayin mong mas tahimik ang oras ng usapan?

  2. Picture meeting an old friend after a few years. What would you want to do together first?

    Isipin na nagkita kayo ng dating friend makalipas ang ilang taon. Ano ang una mong gustong gawin ninyo?

    Back of the card

    You could begin with the most ordinary thing you used to do together.

    Puwedeng magsimula sa pinakasimpleng dati ninyong ginagawa nang magkasama.

  3. Choose a short message you could send a friend you have not talked to lately.

    Kung hindi mo nakakausap lately ang isang friend, anong maikling message ang ipapadala mo?

    Back of the card

    The first message does not need to contain the whole catch-up.

    Hindi kailangang nasa unang message ang buong kumustahan.

  4. What fun activity would you like to introduce your friends to?

    Anong masayang activity ang gusto mong ipakilala sa friends?

    Back of the card

    Imagine their first try going wrong in a harmless, funny way.

    Isipin na may simpleng sablay sa unang pagsubok nila na puwede ninyong pagtawanan.

Later in the night

6 questions

For when the karaoke is off and it’s just the closest few.

  1. What makes sharing a quiet moment with a friend comfortable for you?

    Ano ang nagpapakomportable sa'yo kapag tahimik lang kayo ng friend?

    Back of the card

    The silence can stay silent. You do not need to fill it for this answer.

    Puwedeng manatiling tahimik. Hindi kailangang punuin ng usapan para sa sagot na ito.

  2. How would you like a friend to respond when you are too tired to join a plan?

    Kapag sobrang pagod ka para sumama, paano mo gustong mag-react ang friend sa pagtanggi mo?

    Back of the card

    Missing one plan does not mean you want to stop being invited.

    Hindi ibig sabihin na ayaw mo nang yayain kapag hindi ka nakasama minsan.

  3. After you and a friend disagree, what helps things feel okay again?

    Pagkatapos ninyong hindi magkasundo ng friend, ano ang nakakatulong para maging okay ulit kayo?

    Back of the card

    You can notice a small improvement without calling everything fixed.

    Puwedeng mapansin na may umaayos kahit hindi pa okay ang lahat.

  4. 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?

  5. Who is a friend you can sit quietly with without it feeling awkward?

    Sino yung friend na kaya mong samahan nang tahimik without it feeling awkward?

    Back of the card

    Comfortable quiet is its own kind of closeness. It means the friendship does not always need talking, joking, or trying hard.

    May closeness din sa tahimik na hindi awkward. Ibig sabihin, hindi laging kailangang magsalita, magpatawa, o mag-effort nang todo.

  6. Which fear gets smaller when you talk about it?

    Anong takot ang gumagaan kapag naikukwento mo?

    Back of the card

    Some fears grow in silence and shrink in safe air. Talking can help you see their true size.

    May takot na lumalaki kapag tahimik lang. Kapag naikuwento sa safe na lugar, mas nakikita mo ang totoong laki niya.

How to use them

Before you ask

A Filipino barkada abroad is often built from people who would never have met at home: a nurse from Iloilo, an engineer from Manila, a Fil-Am who was born in Jersey City. What holds it together is time: weekend hangouts, birthdays, shared Christmas. The questions here are for making that time count beyond the usual catching up on work.

Start with the stories only this group shares, the funny late arrivals and the group-chat lore. Then ask about the barkada back home, which many people miss more than they say. The last group is for the late, quiet hour when it’s just the closest few; it is about how this barkada handles hurt feelings, tired weeks and the things that are hard to say, which every long friendship eventually runs into.

Answer in Taglish, English or Bisaya. Every card has English and Filipino.

Good for

  • Weekend hangouts and birthdays
  • Christmas and New Year with the barkada
  • Road trips and weekends away
  • A friend’s despedida before moving or going home

Tips

  1. Let the newest member of the barkada pick the first card.
  2. Toast the friends back home: one card per person about someone they miss.
  3. Keep the late-night questions for the small group, not the whole party.
  4. No drinking required. The questions work just as well over halo-halo.

Decks for this

Pinoy barkada abroad

Frequently asked questions

What are good questions for a Filipino barkada?

Questions about the group’s own stories (group chat habits, funny late arrivals, inside jokes), about friends back home, and later in the night about how the barkada handles tiredness, disagreements and the things people rarely say.

How do Filipinos abroad stay close to friends back home?

Group chats, video calls on special days, and seeing each other on visits home. A short message to a friend you haven’t talked to lately goes a long way.

What does barkada mean?

Barkada means your close group of friends in Filipino. See our guide to the meaning of barkada for where the word comes from and how it’s used.

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