Background: A challenge for palliative care is the general perception that palliative care is equivalent to end-of-life care. This can make healthcare professionals hesitant to initiate conversations about early palliative care and life in the context of serious illness. There is therefore a risk that health care professionals postpone the introduction of palliative care to the very end of life.  Aim: To describe and interpret patients’ experiences and preferences for conversations with healthcare professionals about life in the context of serious illness and palliative care. Design and method: Qualitative design. Participants were recruited at a specialized palliative care unit and a hematology unit at a university hospital in Sweden. So far, nineteen people (55-84 years) have given their consent to participate and the interviews were conducted in the participants' homes. The transcribed audio recordings have been preliminarily analyzed qualitatively descriptively. After complete data collection, a more comprehensive phenomenological hermeneutic analysis will be conducted. Preliminary results: According to the patients, conversations about severe illness with healthcare professionals were mainly about disease-specific medical treatments. Conversations about the future, symptom relief, family support and places of care were only exemplified in conversations with palliative care specialists. Trust in the person the patient talks to about such issues is emphasized as more important than the person's profession. The concept of palliative care was perceived by several participants as a loaded word and something that did not yet apply to them. Rather, they said that palliative care will apply later when they need hospice care. Many participants wanted more knowledge about available support when disease-specific treatment is no longer possible. Discussion: There is a particular need for professionals to invite the patient to talk about uncertainties, the future, preferred places of care and what is particularly important to them. Keywords: Palliative care, early palliative care, qualitative research, communication, storytelling.