Subject and Object Pronouns
Learn how a personal pronoun changes form depending on whether it performs the action in a sentence or receives it.
I or me? He or him?
A pronoun’s form depends on its role in the sentence.
A subject pronoun performs the action described by the verb. An object pronoun receives the action, or follows certain other words in the sentence.
In the sentence She called him., she is the subject pronoun because she is doing the calling. Him is the object pronoun because he is the one being called.
The same person can be referred to by either form, depending on the role that person plays in a particular sentence.
Before you begin
Subject and object pronouns are personal pronouns.
This lesson looks closely at how personal pronouns change form. It does not introduce personal pronouns from the beginning.
If you have not yet covered personal pronouns in general, begin with the Personal Pronouns lesson first.
The central idea
Ask whether the pronoun performs the action or receives it.
Compare the same person referred to as a subject and then as an object.
01
Subject Pronoun
Performs the action of the verb.
He answered the phone.
02
Object Pronoun
Receives the action of the verb.
Someone answered him.
The useful question is: Is the pronoun doing the action, or having something done to it?
She wrote the letter. → she performs the action
I read her letter to her. → her receives the action
The pronoun’s position and role in the sentence, not the person it refers to, decides which form is correct.
Subject pronouns
Subject pronouns come before the verb and perform the action.
The subject pronoun forms
I
you
he / she / it
we
they
Subject pronouns in a sentence
I finished the report.
She called the office.
They arrived late.
In each example, the subject pronoun appears before the verb and is the one performing the action.
Object pronouns
Object pronouns come after the verb, or after certain other words, and receive the action.
The object pronoun forms
me
you
him / her / it
us
them
Object pronouns in a sentence
The manager thanked me.
I saw her at the meeting.
Please call them tomorrow.
In each example, the object pronoun follows the verb and is the one receiving the action.
You and it stay the same in both forms
You and it are written the same way whether they are the subject or the object of a sentence.
You called the office, and the office called you back.
Object pronouns after prepositions
A pronoun after a preposition takes the object form.
Words such as to, with, for, at and about are prepositions. A pronoun that follows one of these words is an object pronoun, even if it is not receiving a physical action.
Pronouns after prepositions
Come with us.
This gift is for her.
He sat next to me.
Even though none of these pronouns are directly receiving an action, they still take the object form because they follow a preposition.
Pronouns in compound subjects and objects
A pronoun keeps the same form even when paired with a noun.
When a pronoun is joined to another noun with and, it still follows the same subject or object rule as if it stood alone.
01
Compound subject
Use the subject form.
Maria and I finished the project.
02
Compound object
Use the object form.
The manager thanked Maria and me.
A useful check: remove the other noun.
Removing the other name from the sentence often makes the correct pronoun clearer. Maria and me finished the project becomes clearly incorrect once it is reduced to Me finished the project.
A useful decision guide
Ask what role the pronoun plays in the sentence.
01
Does the pronoun perform the action of the verb?
Use the subject form.
He called.
02
Does the pronoun receive the action of the verb?
Use the object form.
Someone called him.
03
Does the pronoun follow a preposition?
Use the object form.
Come with him.
04
Is the pronoun paired with a noun using “and”?
Try removing the other noun to check whether the subject or object form sounds correct on its own.
Common mistakes
Do not choose a pronoun form out of habit.
Using the subject form after a preposition.
Not: This is between you and I.
Correct: This is between you and me.
Between is a preposition, so the pronoun that follows it needs the object form.
Using the object form as the subject of a sentence.
Not: Him and me went to the store.
Correct: He and I went to the store.
Both pronouns are performing the action, so both need the subject form.
Assuming the rule changes in a compound subject or object.
Not: The teacher gave John and I extra homework.
Correct: The teacher gave John and me extra homework.
The rule stays the same whether the pronoun stands alone or is paired with another noun.
Check your understanding
Subject pronoun or object pronoun?
Choose the correct description for the highlighted pronoun.
She answered the question quickly.
✅ Exactly! She performs the action of answering.
❎ Not quite. Ask who is doing the answering.
A subject pronoun appears before the verb and performs the action.
The coach praised them after the game.
✅ Exactly! Them receives the action of being praised.
❎ Not quite. Ask who is receiving the praise.
Please sit next to me.
✅ Exactly! Me follows the preposition next to.
❎ Not quite. Look at the word that comes directly before the pronoun.
We and our neighbours planted a garden together.
✅ Exactly! We is part of the compound subject that performs the planting.
❎ Not quite. Ask who is doing the planting in this sentence.
Choose the best explanation
Select the sentence that explains the pronoun choice correctly.
Why is “between you and me” correct rather than “between you and I”?
✅ Exactly! A pronoun following a preposition takes the object form.
❎ Not quite. Look at the word between and what type of word it is.
Why is “He and I went to the store” correct rather than “Him and me went to the store”?
✅ Exactly! Both pronouns share the same subject role, so both take the subject form.
❎ Not quite. Ask what role both pronouns are playing in the sentence.
Which check helps confirm the correct pronoun in a compound object like “John and ___”?
✅ Exactly! Removing the other noun makes the correct pronoun form much easier to hear.
❎ Not quite. Think about a way to isolate the pronoun from the rest of the compound phrase.
Try it another way
Complete the sentence with the correct pronoun form.
Type the subject or object pronoun that fits each sentence.
✅ Exactly! Her receives the action of being congratulated.
❎ Not quite. The pronoun receives the action here, so it needs the object form.
✅ Exactly! We performs the action of arriving.
❎ Not quite. The pronoun performs the action here, so it needs the subject form.
✅ Exactly! Us follows the preposition to.
❎ Not quite. The pronoun follows a preposition here, so it needs the object form.
Edit the sentence
Rewrite each sentence with the correct pronoun form.
Use the note in brackets to decide between the subject and object form.
This is a secret between you and I. (correct the pronoun)
✅ Exactly! Between is a preposition, so the pronoun after it needs the object form.
❎ Not quite. Change I to the object form used after a preposition.
Him and me are going to the concert. (correct the pronouns)
✅ Exactly! Both pronouns perform the action of going, so both need the subject form.
❎ Not quite. Both pronouns need the subject form here.
The manager gave John and I extra time. (correct the pronoun)
✅ Exactly! John and the pronoun both receive the extra time, so the object form is needed.
❎ Not quite. Try removing John and to check which pronoun form sounds correct alone.
Quick review
The pronoun’s role in the sentence decides its form.
Subject pronouns — I, you, he, she, it, we, they — perform the action of the verb.
Object pronouns — me, you, him, her, it, us, them — receive the action, or follow a preposition.
You and it keep the same form whether they are the subject or the object.
A pronoun following a preposition, such as with, for or between, takes the object form.
A pronoun paired with a noun using and still follows the same subject or object rule, as in Maria and I or Maria and me.
Removing the other noun from a compound subject or object can help confirm which pronoun form is correct.
Remember
Ask what the pronoun is doing in the sentence.
If the pronoun performs the action, use the subject form. If it receives the action or follows a preposition, use the object form. This rule stays the same whether the pronoun stands alone or is paired with a noun.