Falar Com or Falar Sobre? Name the Person and the Topic — Practice

Use com for the person in the exchange

Falar com alguém identifies the person you talk to or with. Use com before the person’s name or pronoun: falei com a Ana, falei com ela. This tells the listener who was involved. It does not, by itself, explain what you discussed or whether the conversation was serious.

Keep the verb tense connected to the situation. Falo describes a present habit or statement, falei refers to a completed past conversation, and vou falar presents a plan. You can leave out the person when the context already makes it clear, but include it when you are arranging or reporting contact.

Use sobre for what you discuss

Falar sobre algo names the topic. You can combine both details: falar com alguém sobre algo. The person and the topic have different jobs in the sentence, so do not assume the word after com is the subject being discussed. Other prepositions occur with falar, but this worksheet practices these two useful patterns.

Start with one sentence about the person, then add a topic and a time if needed. Make a question by changing the intonation or adding a question word. Ask the complete question aloud, then answer it using a different person or subject while keeping the same preposition pattern.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I need to speak with the manager.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Preciso falar com a gerente.

2. I spoke with her yesterday.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Falei com ela ontem.

3. I’m going to speak with the teacher after class.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vou falar com o professor depois da aula.

4. Let’s talk about the trip.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vamos falar sobre a viagem.

5. I talked with Ana about the course.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Conversei com a Ana sobre o curso.

6. Who did you speak with about the problem?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Com quem você falou sobre o problema?

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Falar vs. Dizer: Say, Speak, and Tell in Brazilian Portuguese lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.