French Phrase
Avec qui je parle ?
Meaning
Literally, “With whom am I speaking?” It is used to ask the identity of the person you are currently talking to, whether on the phone, in a crowd, or in a meeting.
When to use
Use this question when you need to know who is on the other side of a conversation – for example after a phone rings, when you hear a voice you don’t recognize, or when you join a group discussion and want to know the speaker’s name.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Avecquijeparle?
Preposition + interrogative pronoun
"Avec qui" combines the preposition "avec" (with) and the interrogative pronoun "qui" (who), and it always stays together at the start of the question.
Subject‑verb order
In informal spoken French you can keep the normal subject‑verb order (je parle) after "avec qui"; the formal inversion would be "Avec qui parle‑t‑il/elle ?".
Present tense of parler
"Parle" is the first‑person singular present of the verb "parler" (to speak).
🗨In Conversation
Allô, je viens de recevoir votre message, mais je ne sais pas qui vous êtes.
Hello, I just got your message, but I don’t know who you are.
Avec qui je parle ?
Who am I speaking with?
✕Common Mistakes
Qui je parle ?
Missing the preposition "avec"; French requires a preposition before "qui" when asking about a person you are speaking with.
Avec qui je parles ?
Verb agreement error – the first‑person singular present of "parler" is "parle", not "parles".
Avec qui parle‑je ?
Inversion with "je" is rarely used in spoken French and sounds overly formal; stick with the simple order.
↔Alternatives
Qui est à l'appareil ?
Who is on the line?
C’est qui au téléphone ?
Who’s on the phone?
Je parle à qui ?
I’m speaking to whom?
Cultural Tip
In everyday French, "Avec qui je parle ?" is perfectly natural and preferred over the more formal inversion "Avec qui parle‑t‑il/elle ?". However, avoid using "qui" alone without the preposition – the preposition is required because the verb "parler" needs a complement (with whom). In very formal written contexts you might see the inverted form, but in spoken language the simple order is the norm.