Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. For all the rapping the Weeknd does about getting girls, we’re pretty sure there was a time when he was sweating buckets before a first date. So, does the “I perform well under pressure” you put into your CV hold true on dates as well? Don’t worry even if you lied about it on your CV, these first date topics to talk about will get you through to the second round without a hitch.
21 First Date Topics That Your Date Will Love
Let’s make one thing clear: You probably won’t have the worst date of all time. There won’t be any water splashed on your face, and if your date isn’t a jerk, they probably won’t snub you for their phone. As long as you avoid talking about that niche interest of yours that you and a grand total of 18 other people on the specific subreddit enjoy doing, you’re going to be A-OK. At the same time, you don’t want to be too overconfident. Try to handle the first-date nerves the best you can. Just because the Instagram flirting went well doesn’t mean you’re bound to ace the date. Confused? Don’t know what state of mind to be in? Worried about how you look? Well, we can’t do much about your genetic makeup, but here are some first date topics that should make the whole thing a lot better:
1. What do you do in your free time?
Shocker, right? Okay, this isn’t really the most innovative question to ask. However, the question in itself isn’t what your focus should be on. Since we’re talking about first-date conversation topics, the answer you get from this question is what’s important. When your date replies with something like “I love to read up on philosophy and chill out,” ask them follow-up questions about that. Like “Oh so you don’t watch Instagram reels for 2 hours like the rest of us? Are you a sage?”
2. Gun to your head, you have to recite one song in its entirety, what do you pick?
Sure, you could just go with the plain boring “What music do you listen to?” If you’re looking to end the conversation after two sentences. By framing your question like this, you’re going to add a humorous angle to it and you’ll also be able to ask them why they know Britney Spears’ “Baby one more time” from start to finish.
3. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve done?
By now, you probably get the gist. You want to ask interesting get-to-know-me questions that elicit a story or a good answer in response (again, we’re discussing first-date topics of conversation.) That random tattoo of a rose and dagger or that spontaneous trip to Cambodia probably has a story behind it. Ask away.
4. What’s on your bucket list?
“What do you mean wanting to do shots with Barack Obama is weird? It’s not weird.” The point is, bucket lists usually tell you a lot about what someone really wants to do. Now that you know your date has an unhealthy obsession with the former president, you know exactly who you need to be like. Obama’s one true love, Joe Biden, of course.
5. What does your ideal life look like?
The questions to ask on a first date must always initiate a conversation. And when your date tells you their ideal life does NOT involve any dogs in them, you’ve definitely initiated a 20-minute-long conversation about why dogs make everyone’s lives better and why everyone should have at least 3. Jokes aside, this could be a fun first-date topic to discuss. You’ll also get a good grasp of what this person’s goals are.
6. What’s the best present you ever got/gave?
With all these first date topics to talk about, the point is to get to know your date better. If they fail to come up with an answer, ask them if they’re not really a fan of birthdays. If they say they love birthdays but have never gotten/given a great gift, ask them why their life has been so sad. Kidding, of course. Just go ahead and ask them what they’d like to get for their birthday, and keep it in mind. You know, just in case things do go well from here.
7. What’s your best travel story?
Travel stories are often fun. They’re usually filled with a lot of drunk stories, thrilling situations, and close encounters. Not sure how much good talking about traveling will do for you? Just take a look at Joey from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Who can resist a good story about you backpacking across western Europe?
8. Asking about the dream vacation is a classic first-date topic
We don’t know about you, but backpacking across western Europe sure does sound like a lot of fun. Jokes aside, asking your date about their dream vacation will tell you a lot about their preferred mode of recreation as well. Are they picking the never-ending night raves of Ibiza, or are they going with the serenity of the northern lights?
9. Is there anyone who has left a lasting impact on your personality?
Taking a break from the funny first date topics, asking rather serious questions like these will help you get to know more about your date. Why did this person leave such a lasting impact? Are they close to this person? Plus, who they pick says a lot about them as well. If they answer with “Donald Trump,” we’re pretty sure you’re already looking toward the exit.
10. Is there something you’ll never say no to?
Are they hopelessly addicted to Oreos? Are they incapable of going a day without coffee? If they answer with “alcohol”, are they secretly an alcoholic? As is the case with all the first date topics you’ll see here, the point is to frame your questions in a way that allows for follow-up conversations and more questions.
11. What movie do you force your friends to watch?
No, don’t just ask a boring “What’s your favorite movie?” Ask them something with a bit more zing to it. Who knows, maybe they have a story about forcing their friends to watch Star Wars, only to have their friends tell them they’ll never watch a movie with them again.
12. What fictional character do you hate that you relate to?
The previous question can make it pretty obvious whether they watch movies/shows or not, and just how passionate they are about them. Hit them with this question, and watch them think about it. Do they feel like Chewbacca, who can’t really have a conversation with anyone except Han (hopefully you one day)? Or do they feel like Joe Goldberg from “You”? If they do, run.
13. What are your guilty pleasures?
Yes, we know, it’s a cliched question, but maybe framing it like this turns it into one of the great first date topics. Plus, you might just come across a precious piece of information. Does the Sinatra and Bill Withers fanboy secretly love BTS as well?
14. What apps do you use the most?
Most of us can’t go two hours without our phones. And the way you organize (or don’t) your phone says a lot about you. Do you have a meditation app in there that you actually get around to using? Do you still use Snapchat like you’re living in 2015? Or are you one of the spiritually awakened yet still annoying god-men who has successfully deleted Instagram? The apps you frequent can end up defining you. It’s definitely one of the good first date topics of conversations if you want to understand what your date does on a day-to-day basis.
15. First-date topics include asking about pet peeves
This question is criminally underrated. Imagine if your date hates a certain word (moist, anyone?) and you inadvertently repeat it 828 times during your date. By using this question as a first-date conversation topic, you’ll make sure you get to know what they secretly hate for no apparent reason.
16. What do you need to establish a connection with someone?
Basically, you’re asking your date about their dealbreakers. Do they need you to be as obsessed with Oreos or Obama as they are? Do they need you to be their personal stand-up comedian? Is your obsession with, “That’s what she said” jokes going to be a problem? Although the questions to ask on a first date should mostly be light and fun, it’s a good idea to know about the things that your date just cannot tolerate. You know, so you don’t go around saying “moist” all the time. Yugh!
17. What makes you happy?
Sure, it may not seem like a widely used first date topic, but it’s still vital information. What are you going to do when your date tells you they’re not doing too good mentally? Instead of constantly replying with “What’s up?” why not just do the thing they say makes them happy?
18. Is there something you’ll never eat again?
If you’re looking for the best first date topics of conversation, stray no further than talking about food. Plus, put a fun little twist on it by asking them about something that almost made them puke, and their toxic relationship with desserts. From there, you can obviously talk about the foods they can’t live without. And if things go REALLY well, you could even surprise them with their favorite dish one day. Bonus points if you make it yourself.
19. What’s something you want to learn?
The first date conversation topics are supposed to help you figure out what your date is like as a person and what they’re curious about. This question will probably tell you what they’ve always wanted to learn but never had the time to. That way, you’ll get a great idea of what your date regards highly and has high opinions of. If they say they’re dying to learn how to knit, it should probably tell you you’re the only person who’s responsible for the humor in this dynamic.
20. What do you admire about your closest friends?
At some point, you do want to get to know more about your date’s friends and family. Granted, it’s not one of the most fun first date topics, but it’ll tell you the kind of characteristics your date values in a person.
21. What gives you purpose?
Yes, we know, first-date topics are not supposed to bring on existential dread and make you two question the meaning of life. Even so, knowing what drives this person to get out of bed and achieve their goals to the best of their abilities will probably tell you all you need to know about their current state of mind. See, that wasn’t too hard. Was it? Nothing too crazy, nothing too boring. First-date topics to talk about differ from date to date, so don’t forcefully throw these into your conversation if you’re doing fine without them. If you think there are a few too many awkward silences filling up the air, pick any of these first date topics and converse away. Remember, let the conversation flow naturally, and don’t be too eager to impress. If nobody told you already, you look great today and you’re a catch.
