Expression: "Are they them?"

[Tom]

Hi

If I am at a station with my friend waiting for his cousins to come whom I have not seen, and a couple of guys catch my attention; can I say to my friend the following expression?

"Are they them?"

Tom

PS: Is the semicolon corect there?

[Mister Micawber]

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No semicolon; semicolons must separate independent clauses, and your first clause is not.

Yes, 'Are they them?' sounds OK to me as conversational English.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Alan]

Hi Tom,

I'm somehow uncomfortable with 'are they them?' and can't fully say why. I'd be happier with: Are they the ones?

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Phrasal Verbs/hold

[Mister Micawber]

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Or 'Are they your cousins?'
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Tom]

[Mister Micawber]

No, you need a comma in place of the semicolon (a fact I forgot to mention); the first comma is actually not necessary as you have it (but see my rearrangment below), and would be removed by some stricter punctuators. The best end result (of the given material), in my opinion, is actually this:

If I am at a station with my friend, waiting for his cousins (whom I have not seen) to come, and a couple of guys catch my attention, can I say to my friend the following expression?

That makes it clearer for me, at least.
.
_________________
Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Conchita]

Tom, you'll say I'm a fusspot, but I find that the use of the formal 'whom' clashes with the phrase 'a couple of guys'.

Hopefully this isn't too nonsensical (but take it with a pinch of salt, just in case).

[Yankee]