Telefoongesprek over een verjaardagsfeestje bij oma

What does “met wie spreek ik” mean in Dutch?

On a Dutch phone call, “met wie spreek ik?” — literally “with whom am I speaking?” — asks who is calling. The other person answers in the same pattern: “Hallo, met de oma van Stephanie” (hello, it’s Stephanie’s grandmother) or just “Met Anna.” That little “met” — “with” — is the Dutch phone signature: both caller and receiver identify themselves through it, while English says “it’s me” or “this is Anna.”

This clip is a birthday-party call between a child in Antwerp and a grandmother somewhere in Belgium. The opening exchange: “Hallo, met wie spreek ik? — Hallo, het is hier met de oma van Stephanie.” Notice “het is hier met” = “it is here with [person]” — a fuller version of the bare “Met [naam].” In formal or business calls you may also hear “Met wie heb ik het genoegen?” (With whom do I have the pleasure?) as a more elaborate variant. The pattern is easy to remember: “met” precedes the name or description on both ends of the call, so asking and answering follow the same shape.