10 Smart, Introspective Questions to Ask Your Partner at the Dinner Table

published Jun 9, 2018
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“How was your day?”

Every couple sharing an evening meal together has asked this question. It’s a fine question; you care about each other, after all, and are genuinely interested in what happened that day! But sometimes, especially for couples who’ve been together a long time, dinner conversations can settle into the same grooves night after night — work talk, complaining about the subway, what’s new with the kids.

Here are 10 more questions to ask at the dinner table tonight, because just when you think you know everything about your partner, isn’t it lovely to be surprised?

(Image credit: David Dines)

10 Questions to Ask Your Partner at the Dinner Table

Don’t ask them all at once — that would be weird! Just pick one or two at a time.

  1. If you were by yourself and could do anything you wanted for one day, what would you do?
  2. What is your most vivid childhood memory?
  3. If you could wake up tomorrow and have one new ability or talent, what would it be?
  4. What advice would you give your younger self?
  5. What do you hope people think when they think of you?
  6. If you have kids: What’s the most important thing you hope your kids take with them out into the world?
  7. Who has been kindest to you?
  8. If you could hold on to just one memory for the rest of your life, what would it be?
  9. When you imagine yourself at 80 years old, what do you see?
  10. What are you most grateful for?

2 More Dinner Conversation Ideas

1. Would You Rather

If you’re in the mood for something more lighthearted, play a game of Would You Rather! For example, would you rather be lost in a desert or at sea? Would you rather be an amazing singer or an amazing dancer?

As Joanna Goddard of Cup of Jo says, “It’s random and entertaining … and it also can reveal funny things about the other person.” Check out Joanna’s post for sample questions!

Read more: Would You Rather … at Cup of Jo

2. Fall in Love in 36 Questions

The New York Times published an essay about the 36 questions that lead strangers to feel intimately connected. “Mutual vulnerability fosters closeness,” as the Times notes, which is why each question in the series is more probing than the last. The essay (and exercise) went viral. Have you tried it yet? Some of those questions inspired our list, too.

Try it: Quiz: The 36 Questions That Lead to Love at The New York Times

Now it’s your turn! What questions have sparked interesting, enlightening, or funny conversations with your partner at the dinner table?

This post originally ran on Kitchn. See it there: 10 Questions to Ask Your Partner at the Dinner Table

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