A question to Filipinos that I Have Always Wanted to Ask

Hello Mashnn. I'm from the Philippines. I believe these questions are not personal according to their point of view. Personal questions are those that pertain to family problems, work-related concerns, salary, marriage life, love life, etc. Age and hometown aren't personal. In fact, it is very common for Filipinos to ask those questions during the first meeting. Filipinos are very friendly, and those were the first two questions they usually throw at you as conversation starters. Don't worry though, you don't really have to answer them. You could just give them an estimate of your age, or let them guess your age and just smile. You don't have to give your exact address as well. They will understand it if you don't want to tell them.

I could just imagine their reactions when you ask them back as to why they ask too many personal questions....different response too....like a smile and nothing else,shrugging of shoulders,or saying "wala lang"(it's nothing)....you'll be like shaking and scratching your head,thinking WTF what was that all about.....It's hard to explain and I can't give valid reasons why we do what we do,other than being friendly,curious especially if you're from a foreign country.......heck! If I were you I'll be like I'm 25,from USA next ,next,next question please...I'll take it as compliment too,it would be nice to know that others shows interest in me........what can I say we happen to be some of the most inquisitive people on Earth...so just continue to enjoy your stay there,

Hello Mashnn, It's so annoying, isn't it?? As if they don't know what's lilke to be asked personal question. here's the deal on that, they gather iinformation so that it can be part of their USUAL GOSSIPING DAY. what ever you tell them, they pass it on to others as part of another conversation. so be careful what you answer must always play safe and not revealing anything. One time, the tricyle that my mom used to ride on where i rode as well ask a personal question whether am I youngest or eldest in the family. I was so annoyed that I didn't answer immediately, but i did with a "TONE".

I am a Filipino and i would like to speak in my own experience. Usually , when i get to talk to a foreigner i will ask him these questions ; 1. What is your Nationality? 2. Is your whole family here with you and how long have you been here in the Philippines? 3. Where do you live? 4. So, how do you find the Philippines ? These are my usual questions, because i am curious why a foreigner is here in the Philippines and what can he say about the Philippines and its people.

hi mashnn i am a Filipino i think they are asking that because they would like you to be there friend or to know you more better , as a Filipino this is only a simple question but it gaves a lot of information.

you know Filipino are so friendly im a Filipino, we are asking a personal question in a polite way, and we ask like so sweet and very catchy so they will answer with a smile and no doubt, agree? but nowadays we can give information like age but address or where do we live? i don't think we can ask it to someone because many bad people are around now, so better not to talk to strangers, you can talk to stranger in a mall because its a crowded place, or any place that have security and crowded or with company by your side.

Oh.. I have not seen that asking about the age is too personal or that maybe i have just gotten used to being asked of it myself that i have also asked the same questions to people i have just met. Not sure though about the where you live part because i am not interested about people's whereabouts especially where thhey live because i am not interested to go to their place. hehe or i would most likely not remember or would not know where it is because as i am not always going out, i am still quite unfamiliar about places in the metro.

as far as i know, people ask about age to properly acknowledge the seniority and give respect to older people. this is especially in asia. about the place, one has to remember that the philippines is an archipelago. each place has its own language and history. asking about the place of origin or residence indicates that the person wants to know more about you. it is one way of connecting because if people know both of you come from the same place, the bond is already established. there may be other reasons.

Maybe it sounds personal to you but for us (Filipino)it's a common question. A personal question is when someone ask how much is your salary ,which is not also a personal and big deal question for young genre nowadays. What's wrong asking with age anyway...it's just a number. personal question is when someone asks you if you are having elicit affair...that's really below the belt already.

Don't take it to seriously. Age is only considered a personal question for women . If asked about your age tell the other person that it's a secret and that won't be taken against you. personally, Filipinos don't consider the place of residence as something personal, you're not also expected to give your exact address. But if asked, you can answer "somewhere in Makati" or something to that effect, if you give you exact address you'd sound funny. .

Hi Mashnn! I am from the Philippines and I am amused to know that you are wondering why we Filipinos like to ask personal questions. Well, I cannot speak for all Filipinos and this is just my personal opinion based on what I have observed and experienced. We Filipinos are very friendly, to the extent that we are curious to know some personal information. Actually asking a stranger his/her age or the place he/she lives is not very personal to us. For me I consider it casual talking to struck up some conversation. For me personal questions are those asking why I am not with my husband, If I have a boyfriend, something like that. Anyway, we Filipinos are also fond of knowing the lives of other people. I am not one of those though, but ever noticed why showbiz talk shows are very popular? This is part of the culture of the Filipinos to know and talk about other people especially if there is some intrigues and juicy stuff to talk with. As I have said, I don't speak for all Filipinos. This is just based on what I have observed and experienced. Nevertheless, I am proud to be one because Filipinos are friendly, hospitable, God-fearing and above all we persist no matter how hard the situation is. Filipinos can smile in spite of flood and other typhoons and calamities that comes our way.

hi,mashnn,i am not a Filipinos.but i'm an Asian.you have lived there more than 6 years,you should know the culture of there,maybe those like how old are you means say hello to you ,i don't know that.

Hi there Mashnn! I guess these people are just curious about you. Though sometimes it is their way to simply know whether to address you in a more respectful way if you are older than them. While, asking where you live is also a curiosity because maybe they wonder how and what your neighborhood was like. It's not necessary to give the exact home address of course =) On my experience it is not only Filipinos who asked the same questions, I have lived and worked before in a different country... and Indians, Egyptians and Russians asked the same questions to me. Some of them my colleague, some a cab driver, let me include as well Pakistanis and Bengalis... I think this is some people's way of initiating a conversation with someone when there isn't really a topic to be discussed ^^ oh by the way, I am a Filipina ^^

As we all know Filipinos are the most hospitable and friendly people in the world and asking personal questions like that is their way to initiate a conversation. It's an icebreaker especially if a stranger is not that talkative or not initiating a conversation.

i am a Filipino, and i get annoyed, too, with these traits. the Philippines is a country of many influences, nationals from other countries had resided in our country and i believe that it has something to do with the trait.

We Filipino are very hospitable and we treat foreigners as friend, intimate friend I must say. We are very emotional and treat friends on personal level. We don't mean harm when asking those questions. It is just a way of making our self feel comfortable with a stranger. Hope you don't find it annoying as it is not meant to humiliate or often strangers.