Questions · Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving table questions that go past “pass the gravy”
Conversation starters for the Thanksgiving table: food talk while the plates go round, thanks said out loud without the speeches, and a few deeper ones for whoever is still sitting there after pie.
- 27 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.
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?
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.
The questions
27 Thanksgiving conversation starters
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.
While the plates are going round
8 questions
Food, house rules and family habits. Everyone has an opinion.
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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.
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Pick one snack you would still accept even when you're already full.
Pick one snack na tatanggapin mo pa rin kahit busog ka na.
Back of the card
Some cravings stay charmingly powerful. The snack you still make room for usually knows exactly how to find your soft spot.
May cravings talaga na malakas pa rin kahit busog. Yung snack na yan, alam kung saan ka mahina.
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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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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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At family gatherings, where do you usually end up: helping, chatting, eating, or observing?
Kapag may family gathering, saan ka usually napupunta: tumutulong, nakikipagkwentuhan, kumakain, o nag-oobserve?
Back of the card
Gatherings bring out our natural moves. Some people serve, some talk, some watch, and some happily stay near the food.
Sa gatherings, lumalabas yung natural move natin. May tumutulong, may nagkukuwento, may nag-oobserve, at may masaya sa tabi ng pagkain.
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At home, who usually notices the chores, mess, or little things first?
Sa bahay ninyo, sino yung madalas unang nakakapansin ng chores, kalat, o maliliit na kailangan gawin?
Back of the card
Every home has someone who notices first. That kind of attention can be quiet, but it keeps many things moving.
Sa bawat bahay, may taong unang nakakapansin. Tahimik minsan yung ganung attention, pero marami siyang napapaandar.
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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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Tell us the funny memory your friends or family still bring up.
Ikuwento yung funny memory na binabalikan pa rin ng friends o family mo.
Back of the card
Some stories become part of a group's archive. If people still bring it up, it probably earned its place.
May stories na parte na ng group archive. Kapag binabalikan pa rin, malamang deserve niya yung spot.
Thanks, without the speech
9 questions
Gratitude about specific people and small things, which is easier to say than “I’m thankful for my family”.
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Point to one blessing from this week that you almost overlooked.
Magbanggit ng isang blessing this week na halos hindi mo napansin.
Back of the card
Some blessings are quiet. Noticing them can help you look back on the week with more gratitude.
May blessings na tahimik lang. Kapag napansin mo sila, mas nagiging grateful ka habang binabalikan yung week.
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Share one simple kindness someone showed you recently.
Mag-share ng simple kindness na pinakita sa'yo recently.
Back of the card
Small kindness can become a quiet picture of God's care. It does not need to be big to stay with you.
Yung simple kindness, puwedeng maging maliit na picture ng care ni Lord. Hindi kailangang grand para maalala mo.
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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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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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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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Tell us about a time someone was fair to you in a way you still remember.
Ikuwento yung time na naging fair sa'yo ang isang tao, at natatandaan mo pa rin.
Back of the card
Fairness can be memorable because it gives people room to breathe. It says, I see the whole situation, not only the mistake.
Natatandaan ang fairness kasi nakakahinga ang tao. Parang sinasabi nito, nakikita ko yung buong situation, hindi lang yung mali.
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Who knows what you like, and what do they usually get right for you?
Sino yung alam ang gusto mo, at ano yung madalas nilang natatama para sa'yo?
Back of the card
Being known can feel ordinary like that. Someone remembers your usual, your no-thanks, or the thing you always reach for.
Minsan ganun kasimple yung feeling na kilala ka. May nakakaalala ng usual mo, ayaw mo, o lagi mong pinipili.
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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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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?
Stories from the kitchen
5 questions
For the relatives who were there when the habits started.
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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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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.
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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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Who taught you a useful skill or habit you still use in daily life?
Sino yung nagturo sa'yo ng useful skill o habit na gamit mo pa rin sa daily life?
Back of the card
Practical lessons are easy to overlook, but they stay close. They show up in the small ways you move through a day.
Madaling ma-overlook ang practical lessons, pero dala-dala mo pala. Lumalabas sila sa maliliit mong galaw araw-araw.
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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.
After pie
5 questions
For the people still at the table, looking back on the year.
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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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What recent choice shows something that matters to you?
Anong pinili mo lately ang nagpapakita ng mahalaga sa'yo?
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "I chose it because I care about..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Iyon ang pinili ko dahil mahalaga sa'kin ang..."
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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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Name one small wish you have for yourself this year.
Ano yung isang maliit na wish mo para sa sarili mo this year?
Back of the card
Small wishes can still be honest. They may be easier to say out loud because they do not demand a perfect life.
Maliit man yung wish, honest pa rin. Minsan mas madaling sabihin kasi hindi niya hinihingi na perfect ang buhay.
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What do you like more about yourself than you used to?
Ano ang mas nagugustuhan mo sa sarili mo kaysa dati?
Back of the card
Would you appreciate the same thing in another person? Your story can stay private.
Magugustuhan mo rin ba iyon sa ibang tao? Puwedeng itago ang sarili mong kuwento.
How to use them
Before you ask
The classic Thanksgiving move is going around the table and saying what you’re thankful for. It usually produces twelve versions of “my family and my health” and an uncle who passes. Specific questions work better: a kindness someone did for you this year, the blessing you nearly missed, the person who taught you something you still use.
Start with food. Leftover rankings, the dish you’d eat even when full and the house rules nobody remembers making get every generation talking, from the grandparents to the cousin home from college. Save the gratitude questions for when people are relaxed, and the year-in-review ones for after dessert.
Plenty of Filipino-American families do Thanksgiving with pancit next to the turkey. Every card here also has a Tagalog version, so lolo can read his in Filipino while the kids read theirs in English. For the December version of the same table, see Christmas dinner questions.
Good for
Tips
- Replace the “what are you thankful for” round with one specific gratitude card per person.
- Ask a food question first. It’s the topic nobody at Thanksgiving can stay out of.
- Steer clear of politics, weight and job-hunt questions; nobody asked for a checkup.
- Let a grandparent and a teenager answer the same card, then compare.
- Anyone can pass a card. The point is a better table, not a confession.
Decks for this
Thanksgiving
Frequently asked questions
What are good questions to ask at Thanksgiving dinner?
Questions about food, family habits and specific moments of gratitude. Ask about the dish someone can’t stop eating, a house rule that survived the years, or a kindness someone noticed this year. They are easy for every age and rarely start an argument.
How do you make the “what are you thankful for” round less awkward?
Make it specific. Instead of asking what everyone is thankful for in general, ask about one small kindness, one person or one moment from this year. Specific answers are easier to give and much better to hear.
How do I avoid politics at Thanksgiving?
Have the next question ready. A deck of light questions about food, childhood and old family stories gives the table somewhere else to go, and the person asking sets the tone.
Are these Thanksgiving questions in English?
Yes. Every card works fully in English and also has a Filipino/Tagalog version, which helps at Filipino-American tables where grandparents prefer Tagalog. They come from the free Kumustahan app.
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