Learn English – Who do you think I (Met / met with)

exam-questionsprepositions

Who do you think I met/met with ?

Considering formal usage of English do we need to use preposition with with met in the above given sentence ? I tried to google about it but couldn't find anything reliable.

Best Answer

Since you mention "formal" you might prefer "With whom do you think I met?"

There is a small difference in meaning between "meet", and "meet with". The former suggests a short chance event. "I met John at the shops". The latter suggests a planned meeting. "I met with John to discuss our plans" This distinction is flexible and not always observed.

Hence use "Who do you think I met with" to ask "Who do you think I had a planned meeting with". And "Who do you think I met?" to ask "who do you think I bumped into"

In either case, asking such a question is very conversational, rather than formal.