Object Pronouns: Me, You, Him, Her, It, Us, Them
Use object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) after a verb or a preposition — never as the subject of a sentence: "She called me," not "She called I."
Formula
Examples
Usage
- •Replace nouns that receive the action (object of a verb)
- •Come AFTER the verb or preposition (not before)
- •Use after prepositions: "for me", "with him", "to them"
When do you use object pronouns?
Object pronouns replace a noun that receives the action of the verb, coming right after it: Can you help me? We invited them to the party. They also come after prepositions: I bought a gift for her, Listen to me.
Each subject pronoun has a matching object form: I → me, you → you, he → him, she → her, it → it, we → us, they → them.
Is it "you and I" or "you and me"?
It depends on the role in the sentence. As the subject (doing the action), use "you and I": You and I went to the party. As the object (receiving the action, or after a preposition), use "you and me": He invited you and me to the party. Between you and me — not "between you and I".
A simple test: remove the other person and see which pronoun sounds right on its own. He invited [Tom and] me ✓ (not "he invited I").
Subject and object pronouns
Subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) do the action and usually come before the verb: She called me. Object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) receive the action and come after the verb or a preposition: I called her.
You and it have the same form in both roles: You saw it. It saw you. The full chart with possessive forms is in the table below, and possessive forms have their own page: possessive adjectives.
After be and after than/as, everyday English uses the object pronoun: It's me. She's taller than me. The subject form sounds formal and is usually followed by a verb: She's taller than I am.
Object pronouns after prepositions
After every preposition (to, for, with, about, at, from, between, without, like, except) use the object form: Come with us. This is for them. Don't talk about him. Everyone except me went.
The rule doesn't change when two pronouns are joined with and: between you and me, for him and her, with my sister and me.
Comparison Table
| Subject pronoun | Possessive adjective | Possessive pronoun | Object pronoun |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | my | mine | me |
| you | your | yours | you |
| he | his | his | him |
| she | her | hers | her |
| it | its | its (rarely used) | it |
| we | our | ours | us |
| they | their | theirs | them |
Save this comparison chart
More Examples
Can you help me, please?
Object of "help"
I bought a gift for her.
After preposition "for"
We invited them to the party.
Object of "invited"
Listen to me carefully.
After "listen to"
The dog loves us.
Object of "loves" (plural)
She sat next to us.
After the preposition "next to"
Can you give them a call?
Indirect object, before the thing being given
I don't like it.
it is the same as subject and object
Everyone was there except him.
After "except"
Please turn it off.
Phrasal verb: the pronoun goes between the verb and the particle
Common Mistakes
- ✗Using subject pronouns as objects: "Give the book to I" should be "Give the book to me".
- ✗After prepositions: "between you and I" should be "between you and me".
- ✗Confusing "I" (subject) vs "me" (object): "Me and Tom went..." should be "Tom and I went..." (subject).
- ✗Putting the pronoun after the particle of a phrasal verb: "Turn off it" should be "Turn it off".
Tips
- ✓Trick: if you remove the other person, would you say "I" or "me"? "He invited [Tom and] ME to dinner" ✓.
- ✓After prepositions ALWAYS use object pronouns: for me, with him, to her, by us, about them.
Advanced Notes
"Between you and I" is a hypercorrection — people overcorrect "me" to "I" after prepositions because they were told not to say Me and Tom went (where "I" is correct). Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves) are closely related and often confused with object pronouns; I hurt me is wrong — use I hurt myself. Indirect object pronouns follow verbs like give, send, show, tell: Give it to me (full) or Give me it (informal, British).
FAQ
Why is "Give the book to I" wrong?
"I" is a subject pronoun and can't be used after a preposition ("to") or a verb. The correct object pronoun is "me": "Give the book to me."
Is it "between you and I" or "between you and me"?
"Between you and me" — after a preposition like "between," both pronouns need the object form. "Between you and I" is a common hypercorrection, treating "I" as always more correct even when the grammar calls for "me."
Is it "Me and Tom went to the party" or "Tom and I went"?
"Tom and I went to the party" — as the subject of the sentence (the ones doing the action), you need the subject pronoun "I", not the object pronoun "me". "Me and Tom went" mixes up subject and object roles.
How do you know when to use "I" and when to use "me"?
Use "I" when the pronoun is doing the action (the subject): "I called her." Use "me" when the pronoun is receiving the action or follows a preposition (the object): "She called me." "For me," "with me," and "to me" always use "me," never "I."
Is it "me and my friend" or "my friend and I"?
It depends on the role in the sentence. As the subject, use "my friend and I": "My friend and I went to the cinema." "Me and my friend went" is common in casual speech but counts as wrong in writing and exams. As the object, use "my friend and me": "She invited my friend and me." Mentioning yourself last is the polite convention either way.
What are subject and object pronouns?
Subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) do the action: "She called me." Object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) receive the action or follow a preposition: "I called her," "with them." You and it are the same in both roles.
What are the object pronouns in English?
Me, you, him, her, it, us, them — one for each subject pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). They're used as the object of a verb ("She called me") or after a preposition ("with him," "for them").
Practice
Word bank — tap a word to fill blank 1
- 1.Can you help , please?
- 2.I bought a gift for .
- 3.We invited to the party.
- 4.Tom and went to the party.
- 5.This is a secret between you and .
Compare With
Other A2 Topics
Present Continuous
Used for actions happening now or temporary situations
Past Continuous
Used for interrupted past actions or background description
Future with Going to
Used for decided plans and evidence-based predictions
Comparatives and Superlatives
Used for comparing qualities between items or identifying the extreme
Prepositions of Time and Place
Used for time and location relationships using in, on, at
Can / Could
Expresses ability, possibility, or polite requests
Adverbs of Frequency
Used for stating how often something happens
Possessive 's
Used for showing ownership or association using apostrophe + s
Quantifiers: Some, Any, Much, Many, A Lot Of
Used for unspecified quantities in positive, negative, and question contexts
Basic Linkers: And, But, Or, Because, So
Used for connecting ideas within or between sentences
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Countable nouns can be counted (a book, two books); uncountable nouns cannot (water, money).
Too and Enough
Say when something is more than needed (too) or exactly enough (enough).
Adverbs of Manner
Adverbs of manner describe how an action happens.