Questions · Positive questions
Positive questions that let people talk about the good stuff
People rarely get asked about what’s going well. These questions do exactly that: the small win, the compliment they still remember, the friend who makes every meal more fun.
- 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.
What is something you can handle better now than before?
Ano yung mas kaya mo nang i-handle ngayon kaysa dati?
Growth is often noticed in comparison. What used to shake you may now take less from you.
Madalas napapansin ang growth kapag may comparison. Yung dati kang kinakabahan, baka ngayon mas kaya mo nang harapin.
The questions
16 positive 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.
Small wins
5 questions
Things you did, learned or got through.
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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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After finishing something hard, how do you usually celebrate or recover?
Kapag natapos mo ang mahirap na bagay, paano ka usually nagse-celebrate o nagre-recover?
Back of the card
Finishing something hard deserves a landing. Some people mark it loudly; some just need a quiet exhale.
Kapag may natapos kang mahirap, kailangan din ng landing. May nagse-celebrate nang malakas; may tahimik na hinga lang.
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What goal would you like to reach and celebrate with friends?
Anong goal ang gusto mong maabot at i-celebrate kasama ang friends?
Back of the card
Pick the celebration's mood: quiet, silly, or a little of both.
Piliin ang gusto mong celebration: tahimik, makulit, o kaunti ng pareho.
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What is something you can handle better now than before?
Ano yung mas kaya mo nang i-handle ngayon kaysa dati?
Back of the card
Growth is often noticed in comparison. What used to shake you may now take less from you.
Madalas napapansin ang growth kapag may comparison. Yung dati kang kinakabahan, baka ngayon mas kaya mo nang harapin.
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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?
Compliments and being seen
4 questions
Kind words people still carry.
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Which compliment have you remembered long after someone said it?
Anong compliment ang tumatak sa'yo kahit matagal na itong sinabi?
Back of the card
The exact words are optional. Notice which part of the compliment stayed with you.
Hindi kailangan ang eksaktong salita. Balikan kung aling bahagi ng papuri ang tumatak sa'yo.
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Which compliment from a friend made you smile recently?
Anong compliment mula sa friend ang nagpangiti sa'yo lately?
Back of the card
Did you believe it right away, or did it sink in later?
Naniwala ka ba agad, o saka mo lang ito naramdaman?
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Which ability did a friend notice in you before you noticed it yourself?
Anong galing mo ang unang napansin ng friend bago mo ito nakita sa sarili mo?
Back of the card
You could borrow their words to describe your ability once.
Puwede mong gamitin ang sinabi nila para ilarawan ang galing mo.
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What are you good at that your friends rarely get to see?
Saan ka magaling na bihirang makita ng friends mo?
Back of the card
Imagine a friend seeing you do it for the first time.
Isipin na unang nakita ng friend kung paano mo ito ginagawa.
Good things lately
3 questions
Recent moments worth a second look.
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Pick one small thing lately that helped you breathe easier.
Pick one maliit na bagay lately na nakatulong sa'yo huminga nang mas maluwag.
Back of the card
Relief can be small and still be real. Notice what gave your body or mind a little more room.
Puwedeng maliit ang ginhawa pero totoo pa rin. Pansinin kung ano ang nagbigay ng konting luwag sa katawan o isip mo.
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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.
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What made you laugh when you least expected it?
Ano ang nagpatawa sa'yo noong hindi mo inaasahan?
Back of the card
Give the scene a caption if you like.
Kung gusto mo, bigyan ng caption ang eksenang iyon.
People who make it better
4 questions
The friends and family who lift a room.
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Think of someone who makes simple meals more fun. What do they do?
Isipin yung taong nagpapasaya kahit simpleng kain lang. Ano yung ginagawa niya?
Back of the card
A meal does not need to be fancy to feel full of life. Sometimes one person's energy changes the whole mood.
Hindi kailangang fancy ang kain para maging masaya. Minsan energy lang ng isang tao, nag-iiba na yung mood.
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Who do you enjoy eating with, even if the food is simple?
Sino yung masarap kasamang kumain kahit simple lang ang pagkain?
Back of the card
The company can change the meal. Some people make even ordinary food feel warmer.
Iba ang pagkain kapag okay ang kasama. May mga taong kahit simpleng meal, gumagaan yung moment.
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Think of someone in your circle who can turn anything into a funny story.
Isipin yung tao sa circle niyo na kayang gawing funny story kahit simpleng bagay lang.
Back of the card
Every circle has someone who makes ordinary stories funnier than expected. Naming them is also a tiny thank-you.
May tao talagang nagpapasaya ng simpleng kwento. Kapag naalala mo siya, parang small thank-you na rin.
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How would you like friends to react when you share good news?
Paano mo gustong mag-react ang friends kapag may good news ka?
Back of the card
A loud cheer or a quiet “I'm happy for you” — which fits this news?
Malakas na cheer o tahimik na “Masaya ako para sa'yo” — alin ang bagay sa balitang ito?
How to use them
Before you ask
Positive questions give people a reason to talk about what’s going right. That sounds obvious, but most conversations drift toward complaints: traffic, work, the weather. A question about something you’re pleased you did recently, or a compliment you’ve remembered for years, flips the direction, and people visibly brighten as they answer.
They’re also generous. Asking someone about their small wins tells them you think they have some. That makes this page a good fit for a team that has had a long quarter, a classroom on a Friday, a friend who has been hard on themselves, or a family dinner that keeps sliding into grumbling.
Positive doesn’t mean fake. Let people give small, honest answers, like a skill they can finally do or a moment that helped them breathe. Celebrate them properly and ask for the details. To go further into thankfulness, the gratitude questions are next door.
Good for
Tips
- Ask for details. “What did you do, exactly?” makes the win real.
- Celebrate the answer out loud before moving on.
- Go first with a small win of your own.
- Don’t compare wins. Every answer counts.
- End with the people round. It lifts the whole room.
Decks for this
Positive questions
Frequently asked questions
What are positive questions to ask?
Questions about small wins, compliments people still remember, good moments lately and the people who make life better. They turn a conversation toward what’s going well.
Why ask positive questions?
They help people notice good things they’d otherwise skip past, and they make the person asking easy to talk to. Groups usually relax after one positive round.
Are positive questions good for work?
Yes. The small wins and good things lately groups suit team meetings and one-on-ones, especially after a long or stressful stretch.
Bring a better question to the table.
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