Question: QUEM? (Who?)

In Portuguese, quem is an interrogative pronoun. It specifically refers to human beings. You will never use it for your cat or your car. Even if your cat thinks it is human! Unlike many Portuguese words, quem is quite stable. It does not change for gender. It stays the same for men and women. It usually stays singular even if you expect a plural answer. This makes your life much easier. It is like a universal key for people-related questions. You just drop it into a sentence and wait for the name. It is the bridge between you and a new person.

1. 1Creating a question with quem is like building with Lego blocks. Follow these simple steps:
2. 2Start with the word quem to lead the question.
3. 3Add the verb that describes the action.
4. 4Include the rest of the information or context.
5. 5Add a question mark at the end.
6. 6For example: Quem (Who) + é (is) + ela (she)? Result: Quem é ela? (Who is she?). If you want to ask about an action, it is the same. Quem (Who) + comeu (ate) + o bolo (the cake)? Result: Quem comeu o bolo? (Who ate the cake?). It is a straight line from the question to the person. You do not need complex inversions like in English. Just keep the order natural and logical.

You will use quem in many daily scenarios. Imagine you are at a busy Portuguese cafe. You see someone waving at you. You ask your friend: Quem é aquele homem? (Who is that man?). Or maybe you find a mysterious jacket on your chair. You ask: De quem é este casaco? (Whose jacket is this?). Here are some common real-world moments:

• At a party: Asking about the host or a cute guest.
• At work: Finding out who is leading the new project.
• On the phone: Asking who is calling you (Quem fala?).
• In a shop: Asking who can help you with a price.

It is also vital for prepositions. You can ask Com quem? (With whom?) or Para quem? (For whom?). It is like a grammar Swiss Army knife. It adapts to the preposition you put in front of it.

Do not use quem for objects, animals, or abstract ideas. If you are asking about a thing, use o que (what). If you are asking about a choice among things, use qual (which). If you ask Quem é isto? about a sandwich, people will look at you strangely. Unless the sandwich has a name and a social security number, use O que. Also, avoid using it for locations. Use onde (where) for that. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Green means people. Red means everything else. Keep it strictly human and you will be fine.

Even native speakers might slip up, but you can be better! The biggest mistake is forgetting the preposition. In English, we often put "who" at the start and "with" at the end. In Portuguese, the preposition always comes first. Never say Quem você está com?. That is a one-way ticket to confusion city. Always say Com quem você está?. Another mistake is trying to make quem plural. While quens technically exists in very old literature, nobody uses it. Stick to quem for one person or twenty people. It is your "one size fits all" word. Finally, do not confuse quem with que. Que is broader; quem is specific to people.

Let's look at quem versus qual. Use quem when the identity is a total mystery. Use qual when you have a specific group to choose from. For example, Quem é o professor? asks for his name. Qual é o professor? asks which one in a room full of people is the teacher. It is the difference between a blank slate and a multiple-choice test. Also, compare quem with cujo. Cujo means "whose" in formal writing, but in daily life, we use de quem. Keep it simple and stick to de quem for ownership. It sounds more natural and less like a dusty 19th-century novel.