Quem (With Prepositions)

'Quem' is a pronoun used to ask or refer to one or more people, when their identity is unknown or uncertain.

Quem as an interrogative pronoun

When used in questions it can be translated to English as who or whom.

• Quem é? (Who is it?)
• Com quem é que ele estava a falar? (With whom was he talking to?)
• 🚗 De quem é este carro? (Of whom is this car?)
• 🌷 Para quem são essas flores? (For whom are those flowers?)
• 📞 A quem pertence este número de telefone? (To whom belongs this phone number?)

Quem as an invariable relative pronoun

Quem is often used to connect two clauses when it refers to a person or people and is the object of the verb.

• Eu jantei com amigas. Elas são espetaculares. (I had dinner with friends. They are spectacular.) ➡️ As amigas com quem jantei são espetaculares. (The friends I had dinner with are spectacular.)

It may be preceded by prepositions such as de (of), com (with), para (for), a (to), etc.

• O rapaz de quem te falei, está ali. (The boy [whom] I told you about, is over there.)
• 📅 Para quem não sabe, o teste é amanhã. (To those who do not know it, the test is tomorrow.)

In two situations, quem doesn’t require a preposition:

• When it is replacing the words uma pessoa (a person) or alguém (someone).
  • Eu tenho quem me ame. (I have someone who loves me.)
• When it refers to the subject and comes immediately after it
  • 🛏️ Fui eu quem limpei/limpou o quarto. (It was I who cleaned the room.)