Yes or no questions: funny, good, deep and for couples

Yes or no questions are questions with only two possible answers, yes or no. That sounds limiting, and it's exactly why they're fun. A funny one gets a laugh before the answer, a good one makes the other person want to add a story, and a deep one is hard to answer in a single word. Here are funny, good and deep ones, lists for friends and for a couple, and a fast round where no other answer is allowed.

An example: Maren and Lou walk the same loop in the park every Sunday and always stop at the same bench. One week Lou brought a rule along: yes or no only, no explaining. "Would you live on a boat for a summer?" Maren's thumb is up before the question ends. Then it's Maren's turn. "Should you always tell a friend the truth?" Lou opens her mouth, shuts it again and starts laughing behind her hand. The only true answer she has is "it depends," and that isn't allowed.

Funny yes or no questions

These are good for warming up. Answer first and explain later, if you really have to.

• Do you talk to your plants?
• Have you ever pretended to know a song you'd never heard?
• Have you ever given a name to a car, a bike or a kitchen machine?
• Have you ever eaten cereal for dinner?
• Do you use a different voice when you talk to dogs?
• Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why?
• Have you ever answered a question that wasn't meant for you?
• Have you ever hidden from a neighbor to skip the small talk?
• Do you still know the theme song of a cartoon by heart?
• Have you ever laughed at a joke you didn't get?
• Do you clap when the plane lands?
• Have you ever practiced an argument in the shower?

Good yes or no questions

A good one starts a story. When the answer is yes, the story usually follows on its own.

• Have you ever met someone famous?
• Have you ever been on TV or on the radio?
• Have you ever won a raffle?
• Have you ever gotten lost in a city you didn't know?
• Do you still have something you were given as a child?
• Have you ever learned something just to impress someone?
• Have you ever grown your own vegetables?
• Do you keep a diary?
• Have you ever cooked dinner for more than ten people?
• Have you ever lived somewhere for just a few months?
• Can you drive a car with a stick shift?
• Have you ever changed your plans because of a dream?
• Do you still have a friend from your first job?

Deep yes or no questions

These are the hardest to answer in one word, and that's why they're worth asking. Give each answer a moment before the next question.

• Do you think people can really change?
• Is there something you've never forgiven?
• Do you believe in luck?
• Have you ever been proud of a mistake?
• Do you feel at home where you live now?
• Do you find it easy to ask for help?
• Is there someone you need to thank and haven't yet?
• Do you believe most people are good?
• Have you ever changed your opinion of someone after one conversation?
• Is there a part of your old self you miss?
• Have you ever kept a promise that was hard to keep?
• Is it hard for you to say no to a friend?

Yes or no questions for friends

Ask these one at a time. A yes needs its story, and a no can stay a no.

• Would you tell me if you were angry with me?
• Have you ever defended me when I wasn't there?
• Did you like me the first time we met?
• Have I ever given you advice you actually took?
• Have I ever surprised you?
• Would you move in with me for a month?
• Do you have a song that makes you think of me?
• Have you ever kept a secret of mine from someone close to you?
• Do you think I'd be good at your job?
• Would you let me plan your birthday without asking you anything?
• Have you ever borrowed something of mine without asking?

Yes or no questions for couples

Ask your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife on a walk or over dinner. Pick the ones you'd like to hear a yes to. If the answers turn into a longer talk about how the two of you work, the free compatibility test shows your relationship type.

• Did you tell your friends about me after our first date?
• Have you ever pretended to like a present from me?
• Do you laugh at my jokes even when they're bad?
• Have you ever told a friend something about me before you told me?
• Is there a trip we took that you'd take again tomorrow?
• Do you like the way we spend our Sundays?
• Is there a chore you secretly enjoy?
• Would you want us to live somewhere else one day?
• Do you think we argue fairly?
• Do you still get nervous before you see my family?
• Have you ever saved a message I sent you?

The yes or no only round

This is the fast version, and the rules are strict.

1. One player asks and one answers. Set a timer for one minute.
2. The asker fires short questions as fast as they can.
3. The answerer may say only "yes" or "no." No "maybe," no "it depends," no "kind of" and no nodding.
4. Any other word, or a pause of more than three seconds, ends the turn.
5. Count the answers. Then swap, and the higher count wins.

The asker's job is to make a "maybe" slip out. Mix easy questions with ones that need a second's thought:

• Are you sitting down?
• Can you whistle?
• Do you like Mondays?
• Is it Tuesday?
• Have you ever been on a boat?
• Do you know your neighbor's name?
• Is blue your favorite color?
• Would you eat a cricket?
• Do you own a hat?
• Have you seen the sea this month?
• Is it raining right now?
• Do you like surprises?
• Are you sure?

Two other games are close to this one. The hot seat game puts one person in the middle for open questions, and would you rather questions give two choices to pick from. Here the answer is only ever yes or no. Twenty questions turns the idea around: one player thinks of something, and the others have twenty questions, each answered yes or no, to work out what it is.

Who answers at once and who says it depends

Some people answer before the question is over. Others want to say "it depends" every time, and part of that comes from personality type. Here are six of the 16 Typeza types:

• Vitalizer answers at once and with feeling, and every yes comes with a story ready to go.
• Analyst stops to ask which kind of yes you mean, and for them "it depends" is often the true answer.
• Commander gives a clear yes or no without a pause and enjoys the fast round more than anyone.
• Strategist thinks about where an answer leads and stops to think on the deep ones, which costs them in the fast round.
• Entrepreneur answers fast and practically, then tells you which questions were badly worded.
• Counselor feels both answers are partly true and often laughs instead of choosing one.

Vitalizer and Analyst have the relationship Typeza calls Duality. When the two are close friends, the Vitalizer keeps the pace warm and quick, and the Analyst notices which question deserved a longer answer, so each brings what the other needs. None of this tells you how one friend will answer. It's a pattern to laugh about, never a reason to judge anyone.

Find out how your friendship works

A round of yes or no shows who answers fast and who wants to explain. Typeza shows how two people get along and why. After you do the free compatibility test, send your invite link to the friend you'd play this with. Once your friend is done, you'll find out which relationship type you have, what usually goes smoothly and where you might not understand each other at first.

Questions people ask

What are good yes or no questions?

Ones that start a story when the answer is yes, like "Have you ever met someone famous?" or "Have you ever lived somewhere for just a few months?" Funny ones, like "Do you talk to your plants?", are good for warming up.

What are deep yes or no questions?

Questions that are hard to answer in one word, like "Do you think people can really change?" or "Is there something you've never forgiven?" Ask them one at a time and leave room for the answer.

What is the yes or no game?

A fast round where one player asks questions for a minute and the other may answer only "yes" or "no." Any other word or a long pause ends the turn, and the player with more answers wins.

What yes or no questions can you ask your boyfriend or girlfriend?

Ones about the two of you that are nice to hear a yes to, like "Did you tell your friends about me after our first date?" or "Do you laugh at my jokes even when they're bad?"

Sources

• Wikipedia, "Yes/no question". A closed question whose expected answer is one of two choices, yes or no. Open questions can have many answers.
• Wikipedia, "Twenty questions". The guessing game where one player chooses something and the others ask questions that can be answered only with yes or no.

Written by Virko Kask, founder of Typeza
Written with the help of AI tools.