What are the personal pronouns in English?

There are seven subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) and seven matching object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them). The subject form is for the doer of the verb: She called. The object form is for the receiver and after prepositions: I called her. I spoke to her.

Is it I and my friend or me and my friend?

It depends on the job in the sentence. As the subject, use I: My friend and I went out. As the object or after a preposition, use me: They saw my friend and me. Native speakers say me and my friend as a subject in casual speech, but it is considered incorrect in writing.

Should I say It's me or It is I?

It's me is what nearly everyone says, and it is accepted as standard in speech and informal writing. It is I follows an older rule that the subject form comes after be, and it survives only in very formal or deliberately old-fashioned English. The same applies to than: She is older than me is normal, older than I is formal.

Can they refer to one person?

Yes. Singular they has been used for centuries for a person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant: Someone left their coat; I hope they come back for it. It is also the pronoun of choice for people who do not use he or she. The verb stays plural: they are, not they is.

Why does English use it for animals and babies?

It is the default for anything whose sex is unknown or beside the point, which includes most animals and, in some contexts, babies (Is it a boy or a girl?). Pets and animals whose sex the speaker knows usually take he or she: Our dog is old, but she still loves walks. Ships and countries were once she, but that use has largely disappeared.

English grammar · Beginner

Personal Pronouns in English: Subject and Object Forms

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

Personal pronouns stand in for people and things so that you do not have to repeat their names: I, you, he, she, it, we, and they as subjects, and me, you, him, her, it, us, and them as objects. The form changes with person (who is speaking, spoken to, or spoken about), with number (singular or plural), and with the pronoun's job in the sentence. English has lost most of its case endings, and these pronouns are the one place where the subject and object forms are still different.

She gave it to me, and I gave it to them.

she and I are subjects; it, me, and them are objects

What it is

A personal pronoun replaces a noun phrase that both speaker and listener can already identify. Once you have said Maria, you can go on with she; once you have mentioned the report, you can say it. English pronouns carry three pieces of information: person (first: I, we; second: you; third: he, she, it, they), number (singular or plural), and case (subject or object). The third person singular also carries gender: he, she, or it. Get those things right and the pronoun is right.

Tom and I saw the film, and we loved it. (Tom and I is the subject, so I; the film has been mentioned, so it.)

How to spot it

Find the verb and ask who is doing it: that noun or pronoun is the subject and takes the subject form (I, he, she, we, they). Anything that receives the action or follows a preposition takes the object form (me, him, her, us, them). You and it are the same in both roles.

He called her. (he does the calling, her receives it)
She called him. (the same two people with the roles reversed)
This is for us, not for them. (after a preposition: object forms)
Between you and me, it was a mistake. (you and me are both objects of between)

You is both singular and plural and both subject and object, so context has to do the work: Are you coming? can be addressed to one person or to twenty.

Personal Pronouns Quick Reference

The personal pronouns of English

Person	Subject	Object	Example
First singular	I	me	I trust her, and she trusts me.
Second singular and plural	you	you	You know them, and they know you.
Third singular, male	he	him	He waved, so I waved at him.
Third singular, female	she	her	She emailed me, and I replied to her.
Third singular, thing or idea	it	it	It works, but nobody uses it.
Third singular, gender unknown or unspecified	they	them	Someone called, but they didn't leave a message, so I couldn't call them back.
First plural	we	us	We invited them, and they invited us.
Third plural	they	them	They live nearby; we see them every week.

Common Personal Pronouns Examples in English

Grouped by the job the pronoun is doing in the sentence, which is what decides its form:

Subject of the Verb

I work from home on Fridays.: I is the one working
She and I grew up on the same street.: two subjects joined by and, both subject forms
They arrived before we did.: they and we are both subjects of their clauses
It rained all weekend.: it as the subject for weather

The subject pronoun comes before its verb in statements and after the auxiliary in questions: Did they arrive?

Object of the Verb

The teacher praised him.: him receives the praising
Can you help me with this?: me is the object of help
I'll send them the photos.: them is the indirect object: the receiver
We saw her at the market.: her is the direct object of saw

Direct or indirect object, the form is the same: the object pronoun.

After Prepositions

Sit next to me.: object form after to
This present is from us.: object form after from
I've heard a lot about them.: object form after about
Is that letter for him or for her?: object forms after for

A preposition is always followed by the object form, including in between you and me and with him and me.

Standing Alone and After Be

Who's there? It's me.: everyday English uses the object form after be
Who wants ice cream? Me.: a one-word answer takes the object form
She's taller than him.: object form after than in speech
It was I who called. (very formal): the subject form after be survives in formal writing

It is I and taller than he are grammatical but sound stiff; most speakers say It's me and taller than him.

How Personal Pronouns Work

Four principles cover the choice of form, and one covers what a pronoun is allowed to refer to.

Subject Form Before the Verb, Object Form After

The pronoun that performs the verb takes the subject form; anything the verb acts on takes the object form. The test that never fails is to try the pronoun on its own in a short sentence: I saw, not me saw; saw me, not saw I.

We asked them, and they told us.

each pronoun takes the form its position demands

Doer = subject form. Receiver = object form.

And Does Not Change the Rule

Learners and native speakers alike stumble when a pronoun is joined to a noun with and. The pronoun still takes the form its role requires: My sister and I went (subject), She invited my sister and me (object). Remove the other person and the correct form is obvious.

Anna and I left early. They drove Anna and me home.

drop Anna and the form is clear: I left, drove me

Cover the other name and listen.

Prepositions Always Take the Object Form

For, to, with, between, about, and every other preposition are followed by me, him, her, us, and them. Between you and I is a common error produced by over-correction; between you and me is correct.

Come with us. The message was for her.

object forms after with and for

Preposition + object form, no exceptions.

It Covers Things, Ideas, Animals, and Weather

It refers to a single thing or idea (the plan, the problem, the news) and to animals whose sex is unknown or unimportant. It is also the dummy subject English needs for weather, time, and distance, where there is no real doer at all: It's raining, It's late, It's ten miles.

I liked the film, but it was too long. It's nearly midnight.

it for the film, then it as an empty subject

Things and empty subjects: it.

A Pronoun Needs a Clear Referent

A third-person pronoun points back to a noun that has already appeared or is obvious in the situation. If two nouns could be meant, the reader cannot tell which: When Sara met Lucy, she was nervous. Repeat the noun or rephrase when the pronoun is ambiguous.

Sara was nervous when she met Lucy.

she now clearly means Sara

One pronoun, one obvious owner.

Common Mistakes with Personal Pronouns

Incorrect: Me and my friend went to the concert.

Correct: My friend and I went to the concert.

The pronoun is part of the subject, so it takes the subject form I. Test it by removing my friend: I went to the concert, never Me went. Putting the other person first is also the polite convention.

Incorrect: This is between you and I.

Correct: This is between you and me.

Between is a preposition, and prepositions are always followed by object forms. The error comes from over-correcting the previous one: I sounds formal, but here it is simply wrong.

Incorrect: My brother he lives in Canada.

Correct: My brother lives in Canada.

A noun and a pronoun cannot both be the subject of the same verb. Use the noun or the pronoun, not both; many languages allow this doubling, and English does not.

Incorrect: I bought a new laptop. He is very fast.

Correct: I bought a new laptop. It is very fast.

Objects take it, whatever gender their name has in other languages. He and she are reserved for people and for animals whose sex is known and relevant.

It, You, and They Beyond Their Basic Meanings

Three pronouns have extra jobs that no noun could do.

Empty it

It fills the subject slot when English needs a subject but there is no doer: weather, time, distance, and sentences that introduce a clause.

It's snowing.: weather
It's half past three, and it's a long way home.: time and distance
It's a pity you can't stay.: it introduces the real subject, that you can't stay

English does not allow a missing subject, so it is obligatory: Is raining is not a sentence.

Generic you

You often means people in general rather than the listener, especially in advice, instructions, and general truths.

You can't park here after six.: nobody can, not just you
You never know what will happen.: people in general
In Japan you take your shoes off indoors.: everyone does

One is the formal equivalent (One never knows), but it sounds old-fashioned in everyday speech.

Singular they

They and them refer to one person when the gender is unknown, irrelevant, or not binary, and to indefinite words like someone, anyone, and everyone.

If anyone calls, tell them I'm out.: them for an unknown caller
The winner will receive their prize next week.: their for one unknown person
Alex said they would be late.: a specific person who uses they

Singular they takes a plural verb: they are, they were, never they is.

Quick Check: Personal Pronouns

Choose the correct personal pronoun for each gap.

1. My parents and ___ are visiting Rome next month. (I / me)

Answer: I

part of the subject, so the subject form

2. Could you lend ___ your charger? (I / me)

Answer: me

the receiver of lend: object form

3. Sara is coming, and Tom is coming with ___. (she / her)

Answer: her

after the preposition with

4. ___ was raining, so ___ stayed at home. (It / They; we / us)

Answer: It, we

empty subject for weather, then the subject of stayed

5. If someone calls, ask ___ to leave a message. (them / him)

Answer: them

singular they for an unknown person

6. Who's at the door? It's ___. (I / me)