When you’re trying to get to know someone, there’s honestly an endless number of questions that you’ll want to ask, ranging from topics like their career to more inane questions like their favorite flavor or ice cream.
And while asking all of your questions is definitely important to understanding as much as possible about another person, there are undeniably some questions that should take priority.
With that in mind, within this article we’ve listed five of the top questions to ask when getting to know someone. We hope you find this selection of questions helpful.
Five Questions For Getting to Know Someone
- What do you want to accomplish in life?
Understanding a person’s goals can help a long way towards understanding the person themselves. Some people want to accomplish something huge in their lives (like writing an award-wining novel or becoming a famous chef), whereas others want simple things (like a peaceful retirement and someone to share it with).By learning what someone wants to get out of life, you can better figure out if their personality and goals are compatible with your own.
- What are you most thankful for in your life?
Knowing what a person is grateful for in their lives is also key to understanding them.Depending on what they are grateful for, they may be a more empathetic person (if they are thankful for simple things or the loved ones in their life) or a more materialistic person (if their thankfulness is restricted to prized possessions or things of a more monetary nature).
- Who is the most important person in your life?
This question may seem simple, but it can reveal a lot about a person.Whether the most important person in their lives is a parent, a close friend, or another loved one, knowing who they are the most connected to can help you to understand what sorts of relationships and emotional connections they value.
- What is your favorite hobby?
This question may seem like an overly common one, but the truth is that is frequently asked because it really is a helpful question when getting to know someone.It can help you to determine if your interests and hobbies align with the other person’s, which in turn can help you find common ground with one another.
- What is your favorite book or movie, and why?
Similar to the previous question bout hobbies, this question can help you to figure out whether or not you and the person you’re talking to have similar interests when it comes entertainment. Furthermore, if a particular book or film resonated strongly with the person, you can sometimes even get a better idea of their personality and values.If they enjoy and connect strongly to films about family, for example, it’s probably safe to assume that they have strong values in regards to family and their loved ones.