Questions · Thanksgiving icebreakers
Thanksgiving icebreakers for a table of near-strangers
For the Thanksgiving where someone brought a new partner, the in-laws are meeting the other in-laws, and a neighbor or coworker with nowhere else to go has a seat. Easy questions that make introductions without the interview.
- 18 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.
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?
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.
The questions
18 Thanksgiving icebreakers
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.
At the door, with appetizers
6 questions
Easy picks for the first ten minutes, when people are standing around holding a drink.
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On a plane, would you choose a window seat or more room for your legs?
Sa eroplano, mas gusto mo ba ng upuan sa tabi ng bintana o mas maluwag para sa mga paa mo?
Back of the card
For this flight, would you rather chat, nap, or watch the view?
Sa biyaheng ito, mas gusto mo bang makipagkuwentuhan, umidlip, o tumingin sa tanawin?
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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?
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Would you rather always arrive twenty minutes early or exactly on time?
Mas gusto mo bang laging dumating nang twenty minutes early o laging sakto sa oras?
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "While everyone else is getting ready, I..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Habang naghahanda pa ang iba, ako..."
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Would you rather have one long vacation or several short ones?
Mas gusto mo ba ng isang mahabang bakasyon o ilang maiikli?
Back of the card
Give your break a title, as if it were a movie.
Bigyan ng pamagat ang break mo, na parang movie.
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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.
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After a tiring day, would you rather get a funny message, a call, or a quiet hangout?
Pagkatapos ng nakakapagod na araw, mas gusto mo ba ng funny message, tawag, o tahimik na bonding?
Back of the card
Choose the first five minutes: a little catching up, a little laughter, or no talking yet.
Piliin ang unang limang minuto: kumustahan, tawanan, o wala munang usapan.
Pass the stuffing, and a question
6 questions
Small, specific answers that tell you something about the person.
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When you enter a new place, what’s one small thing you notice right away?
Kapag nasa bagong lugar ka, ano yung isang maliit na bagay na una mong napapansin?
Back of the card
What you notice first can hint at what makes a place feel interesting, calm, or welcoming to you.
Minsan clue yung una mong napapansin kung ano ang nakaka-curious, nakakapagpakalma, o nagpapagaan ng pakiramdam mo.
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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.
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Name one harmless opinion you take seriously, like food, movies, habits, or small preferences.
Magbanggit ng isang harmless opinion na seryoso ka, like food, movies, habits, o small preferences.
Back of the card
Harmless opinions are a safe place to be dramatic. The stakes are low, but the conviction can still be strong.
Safe maging dramatic sa harmless opinions. Low stakes lang, pero pwedeng strong pa rin ang conviction.
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When you enter a classroom, meeting room, or café, where do you usually choose to sit?
Pagpasok mo sa classroom, meeting room, o café, saan ka usually pumipili umupo?
Back of the card
Seat choices can reveal comfort, strategy, or pure habit. Somehow we all have a spot our body chooses first.
May sinasabi rin yung seat choice: comfort, strategy, o habit lang talaga. Minsan katawan na ang pumipili.
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Which part of the day usually feels easiest for you?
Anong part ng araw usually pinaka-madali para sa'yo?
Back of the card
Some people come alive in the morning, some at night, and some during one quiet pocket in between.
May taong buhay na buhay sa umaga, may gabi ang favorite, at may isang tahimik na part lang sa gitna na hinihintay.
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While waiting for food, a ride, or someone late, how do you pass the time?
Habang naghihintay ng pagkain, sasakyan, o late na tao, paano mo pinapalipas yung oras?
Back of the card
Waiting brings out our tiny survival styles. Some people scroll, some observe, and some start making stories in their head.
Lumilitaw yung tiny survival style natin kapag naghihintay. May nag-scroll, may nag-oobserve, may gumagawa na ng kwento sa isip.
So, how do you know everyone?
6 questions
For the person who is new here, without it turning into an interrogation.
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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.
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When you meet a new friend or group, how do you usually get comfortable?
Kapag may bago kang friend o group, paano ka usually nagiging comfortable?
Back of the card
People warm up at different speeds. Some start with jokes, some with listening, some by quietly showing up again.
Iba-iba ang pace ng pag-warm up. May dumadaan sa jokes, may sa pakikinig, at may tahimik lang na bumabalik ulit.
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When joining a conversation, what helps you feel comfortable enough to take part?
Ano ang tumutulong para maging komportable kang sumali sa kuwentuhan?
Back of the card
You can invent a first line you would enjoy hearing when you join.
Puwede kang gumawa ng unang linyang gusto mong marinig kapag nakisali ka.
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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.
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On a free day, what activity do you enjoy even if nothing gets done?
Sa free day, anong activity ang enjoy gawin kahit wala kang natatapos?
Back of the card
Not every good thing needs to be useful. Some activities are good because they give the day room to breathe.
Hindi lahat ng magandang gawin kailangang useful. May mga bagay na okay dahil binibigyan lang nila ng luwag yung araw.
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Recall a moment when talking to a new friend started to feel easy.
Kailan ka nagsimulang maging komportable sa pakikipagkuwentuhan sa bago mong friend?
Back of the card
Remember the first thing you no longer felt shy about saying.
Balikan ang unang bagay na hindi ka na nahiyang sabihin.
How to use them
Before you ask
A Thanksgiving icebreaker should be something a stranger can answer in one sentence without giving away anything they’d rather keep: window or aisle, early or on time, what they notice first when they walk into a room. Those small answers hand the rest of the table something to ask about.
The usual mistake is the job interview. A new boyfriend at his first family Thanksgiving gets asked what he does, where he’s from and what his plans are, by six people in a row. A few light questions spread the attention around the whole table, so the new person gets to ask, too.
Hosts can help by giving every new face one person who looks out for them. Seat the newcomer next to a talker, and hand that talker a couple of these. If the table is mostly family with one or two guests, the Thanksgiving table questions fit better.
Good for
Tips
- Ask everyone the same question, not just the new person, so it feels like a game rather than a screening.
- Lead with travel and food picks; they work across ages and cultures.
- Hold “so what do you do?” until dessert. It’s the question they’ve already answered five times today.
- Give the newcomer a job, like carving or refilling water. A task is an icebreaker, too.
- If two guests share a hobby, introduce them by it, not just by name.
Decks for this
Thanksgiving icebreakers
Frequently asked questions
What are good icebreakers for Thanksgiving with people you don’t know?
Light pick-one questions and small preferences: window or aisle seat, plans or surprises, what you notice first in a new place. They take a sentence to answer and give everyone something to follow up on.
How do I make a new partner feel welcome at Thanksgiving?
Ask the whole table easy questions instead of interviewing them, seat them next to a friendly relative, and give them a small job. Being included feels better than being the center of attention.
What questions should I avoid at Thanksgiving with new people?
Money, politics, weight, religion, and anything about when they’re getting married or having kids. Stay with food, travel and small preferences until people know each other.
Do these work for international guests?
Yes. The questions are short and plain, and none assume you grew up with Thanksgiving. They come from the free Kumustahan app, in English with a Filipino translation.
Bring a better question to the table.
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