Personal pronouns: subject & object
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In short
A pronoun is a small word that replaces a noun, so you don’t repeat it. Use a subject pronoun (I, you, he…) before the verb, and an object pronoun (me, you, him…) after a verb or a preposition.
The rule
Every English sentence needs a subject. Instead of saying the same noun again, we use a pronoun.
- The subject does the action and comes before the verb: She works here.
- The object receives the action and comes after the verb or a preposition: I know her; Come with us.
When a pronoun is joined to a noun by and, the whole group is the subject or the object, so keep the form the pronoun would take on its own: Anna and I work here (I work), and he waited for Anna and me (for me).
I is always written with a capital letter, anywhere in the sentence.
Use it for things, animals, the weather, the time, and distance:
- It’s raining. - It’s five o’clock. - It’s ten kilometres to the city.
When you don’t know a person’s gender, or it doesn’t matter, you can use singular they / them:
- Someone called you. They left a message.
In formal or general statements, one can mean “people in general”: One should be polite. This is formal - in everyday English we usually say you instead.
Important: never drop the subject in English. A verb almost always needs a subject pronoun (or a noun) in front of it.
Forms & patterns
| Subject (before the verb) | Object (after verb / preposition) |
|---|---|
| I | me |
| you | you |
| he | him |
| she | her |
| it | it |
| we | us |
| they | them |
Position in the sentence:
| Role | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | pronoun + verb | We like coffee. |
| Object of verb | verb + pronoun | She helps me. |
| Object of preposition | preposition + pronoun | This is for you. |
| Joined by and | noun + and + pronoun | Tom and I are late. / He sat between Tom and me. |
Examples
| English | Note |
|---|---|
| I am a student, and she is a teacher. | Subject pronouns before the verb; I is always capital. |
| Maria is nice. I like her a lot. | her = object pronoun (after the verb like). |
| Can you help us, please? | us = object of the verb help. |
| The bus is late. It comes at nine. | it for a thing; the subject can’t be dropped. |
| It’s cold today. | it for the weather - no other subject is possible. |
| Give the keys to him. | him = object after the preposition to. |
| Someone is at the door. They want to see you. | Singular they for an unknown person. |
| My parents call me every Sunday. | me = object; the parents (subject) call me (object). |
Common mistakes
- Is raining. -> It is raining. - English needs a subject; add it.
- Is a problem. -> There is a problem. / It is a problem. - don’t start a sentence with the bare verb.
- Me like pizza. -> I like pizza. - the subject must be a subject pronoun (I), not me.
- She loves he. -> She loves him. - after a verb, use the object pronoun (him).
- Come with I. -> Come with me. - after a preposition, use the object pronoun (me).
Tips
- Quick test: if the word does the action, use a subject pronoun (I, he, she…). If it receives the action or follows a preposition (to, for, with…), use an object pronoun (me, him, her…).
- Only
youanditlook the same as subject and object - all the others change form. Ialways wears a capital “hat”, even in the middle of a sentence: Yesterday I slept well.- For weather, time, and distance, the subject is always it: It’s sunny. It’s late. It’s far.