Italian Phrase
Chi stai cercando di raggiungere?
Meaning
Literally, “Who are you trying to reach?” It asks the listener which person they are attempting to get in touch with, whether by phone, email, or in person. The phrase conveys a mild curiosity and can be used both informally and in a slightly more formal setting.
When to use
Use this question when someone is looking for a specific person—e.g., during a phone call, in a meeting, or when a friend mentions they’re searching for someone. It works well in both casual conversations and professional contexts, as long as you keep a polite tone.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Chistaicercandodiraggiungere?
Chi (who)
Interrogative pronoun used to ask about a person; it does not change for gender or number.
Stai + gerundio (present progressive)
‘Stai’ (second‑person singular of ‘stare’) + gerund forms the progressive ‘you are …ing’.
Cercare di + infinitivo
The verb ‘cercare’ when followed by another verb takes the preposition ‘di’ plus the infinitive.
Raggiungere (to reach)
Regular -are verb; in the infinitive it follows ‘di’ to express the goal of the searching action.
Question mark placement
Italian uses an opening ‘?’ only at the end of a question; the opening ‘?’ is not used.
🗨In Conversation
Scusa, chi stai cercando di raggiungere?
Excuse me, who are you trying to reach?
Sto cercando di parlare con il signor Rossi, il responsabile del progetto.
I’m trying to speak with Mr. Rossi, the project manager.
✕Common Mistakes
Che stai cercando di raggiungere?
‘Che’ means ‘what’ or ‘that’; the correct interrogative for a person is ‘chi’.
Chi stai cercando a raggiungere?
After ‘cercare’ the preposition is ‘di’, not ‘a’.
Chi stai cercare di raggiungere?
The progressive requires the gerund ‘cercando’, not the infinitive.
↔Alternatives
Chi vuoi contattare?
Who do you want to contact?
A chi stai cercando di parlare?
To whom are you trying to talk?
Chi stai cercando di trovare?
Who are you trying to find?
Cultural Tip
In Italy, it’s common to ask for the name of the person you want to speak with before being transferred, especially in business calls. Using ‘Mi scusi’ or ‘Scusa’ at the start shows politeness. In more formal settings, you might replace ‘stai’ with ‘sta’ and address the interlocutor with ‘Lei’: “Chi sta cercando di raggiungere?”.