Portuguese Phrase
Com quem você está tentando falar?
Meaning
Literally, 'With who are you trying to talk?' It asks the listener to identify the person they are attempting to reach in a conversation, whether on the phone, in a crowd, or in a meeting.
When to use
Use this question when you hear someone speaking but you don't know the intended interlocutor, or when you need to clarify the target of a call, email, or face‑to‑face request. It works in both informal and semi‑formal contexts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Comquemvocêestátentandofalar
Com (preposition)
Used to indicate 'with' and must be followed by a pronoun or noun; with the interrogative pronoun it stays before 'quem'.
quem (interrogative pronoun)
Means 'who' and is used after a preposition when asking about a person.
você (subject pronoun)
Second‑person singular pronoun, neutral in Brazil; can be replaced by 'o senhor/a senhora' in formal speech.
está tentando (present progressive)
Formed with the auxiliary verb 'estar' + gerund; expresses an action in progress.
falar (infinitive)
The main verb 'to speak/talk' appears in infinitive after 'tentar' (to try).
🗨In Conversation
Com quem você está tentando falar?
Who are you trying to talk to?
Estou tentando falar com o gerente da loja.
I'm trying to talk to the store manager.
✕Common Mistakes
Você está tentando falar quem?
The interrogative pronoun must stay with its preposition; 'com quem' is required.
Você tentar falar com quem?
When using the progressive, keep the auxiliary 'está' before the gerund; dropping it changes the tense.
Com quem você está tentando fala?
The infinitive 'falar' must be complete; omitting the final 'r' is a spelling error.
↔Alternatives
Com quem você quer falar?
Who do you want to talk to?
A quem você está tentando falar?
To whom are you trying to talk?
Quem você está tentando contatar?
Who are you trying to contact?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, 'você' is the default second‑person pronoun, but in very formal settings you might hear 'o senhor' (male) or 'a senhora' (female). Also, while 'com quem' is the natural order, some learners mistakenly place the pronoun after the verb (e.g., 'você está tentando falar quem?'), which sounds awkward. Remember that the preposition stays attached to the interrogative pronoun.