Casual questions to get to know someone

These questions are great for getting to know casual acquaintances a little bit better. Engaging in small talk and taking an active interest in others is a great way to build rapport and develop a deeper connection.

Breaking the Ice

Sometimes you meet someone and need a bit of an icebreaker activity to get to know each other a little bit better. Using questions from this list is a great way to do that, but you can also play some icebreaker games. Brightful Meeting Games is a collection of online social games built for connecting family, friends and co-workers. Give it a try, it's free!

27 of the Best Questions to Ask Someone You've Just Met

The next time you want to take your conversations to the next level, hop on over to Brightful and we’ll take care of all the hard work. The best part is it’s free!

The game will automatically give everyone a timer as well as an interesting conversation starter prompt. Head on over to Brightful to get started in seconds!

1. What shows are you into?

Probably at least one or two shows they mention will be shows that you’ve seen and can talk about, and even if not, then you can get them to explain what the shows are about and what they like about them.

2. What’s your favorite movie or movie genre?

If you’re familiar with the genre, mention a few of your favorites. If you’re not familiar, ask if you can watch it together sometime. And if you’re not a movie person, ask what they like about movies.

3. What’s your favorite sport?

This will give you an opportunity to ask a few specifics about it. It’s also a great way to get to know someone who you think might be into the same sports you are. If you both follow the same sport, you can expand the conversation into favorite players and teams.

4. What is your favorite food or restaurant?

This gives you an opportunity to talk about your favorite food or restaurant, or to ask about theirs. And if you’re eating a meal with this person, you’ll probably end up going to the restaurant they like.

5. What are your favorite books, magazines, websites, or blogs?

You can ask a few follow-up questions about specific books, magazines, websites, or blogs, or you can ask why they like those specific things. Or you can just ask them what they like about reading.

6. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

This will give you a chance to talk about the place you’d like to visit. It’s also a great way to figure out if you have similar travel interests.

7. What’s your favorite activity to do alone?

This will give you an idea of what they like to do when they have time to themselves. And if you also like that activity, it might be something you can do together.

8. What’s your favorite thing to do when you have time off?

This will give you an opportunity to ask them to do something with you that they enjoy doing, or it might give you some ideas for things to do together when you have time off.

9. What are some fun things to do in your city?

This will open up a conversation about the things they like to do in their city, and if you’re not from their city, you might get some ideas for places you want to visit when you’re in that city.

10. What are some things that you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t?

This might give you some ideas to do with them if they end up doing some of the things that they’ve always wanted to do.

11. What do you like to do when you have free time?

This is a great way to get to know someone better. It gives you an opportunity to ask follow-up questions and also to offer to do something together.

12. What’s something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t?

If they’ve already done what they’ve always wanted to do, you might get ideas for things you want to do together. Or you might be able to help them accomplish their goal.

13. What do you like to do that’s fun and relaxing?

This will give you an idea of how you can relax and have fun together. It also shows a bit of their personality and their values

14. What’s your favorite thing to do with your family?

It gives you an idea of how they like to spend time with their family and if you might like to do things with their family as well.

16. What qualities do you like in a friend?

This gives you the opportunity to explain what you like in a friend and also to ask about some of their qualities.

17. What are some things that you like to spend your money on?

This question can also be a good way to find out what kind of person they are by showing what kind of things they value.

18. What are some things that you’re always willing to pay a little more for?

Maybe it's coffee, or some other indulgence that they refuse to compromise on. This little detail can reveal a surprising amount of what this person values.

19. What are some things you always try to buy local?

Buying local is a great way to support the community, does this person believe in buying local?

20. What’s a fun thing you used to do as a kid?

This question ought to bring a smile to their face as they recount the things they used to do as a young kid.

21. What are some things that you always wanted to do as a kid?

It's fun to talk about dreams and ambitions. Maybe they wanted to be a firefighter?

22. What’s something you always wanted to try but haven’t?

If they’ve already done it, you’ll get ideas of things you can do together. Or you might be able to help them accomplish their goal.

24. What’s something you always wanted to try but haven’t?

If they’ve already done what they’ve always wanted to do, you might get ideas of things you can do together. Or you might be able to help them accomplish their goal.

25. What kind of music do you like?

Music always bring people closer together. Try to see if your tastes match!

26. What kind of movies do you like?

Maybe you can bond over talking about the storyline or your favorite actors

27. What kind of books do you like?

This will give you an opportunity to talk about your favorite books. Science fiction? Autobiographies? A person's favorite genre can say a lot about them!