Object Pronouns

Object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) replace nouns in the object position — after verbs and after prepositions. To master object pronouns, you need to understand 7 pronouns in 3 key positions:

1. After verbs (I saw him. She knows me.)
2. After prepositions (Come with us. This is for you.)
3. In compound structures (The teacher asked Anna and me.)

This lesson focuses specifically on object pronouns and their uses in these three positions, making it ideal for A1–A2 learners. For a complete guide to subject pronouns and the general position rule, see Subject Pronouns.

Before You Start: If you're not yet familiar with subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) and the difference between subject and object position, we recommend starting with Subject Pronouns first. That lesson explains the position rule in detail and introduces the Deletion Test, which we'll apply here to object pronoun contexts.

Don't confuse object pronouns with:

• Subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) — used before verbs as the subject. See Subject Pronouns.
• Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, our, their) — used before nouns to show ownership.
• Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) — used alone to replace noun phrases showing ownership.

Quick Review: The Position Rule

Before we explore object pronouns in detail, here's a quick reminder of the fundamental rule. (For a detailed explanation with many examples, see Subject Pronouns.)

Subject Form vs Object Form

Every personal pronoun has two forms — one for the subject position (before the verb) and one for the object position (after a verb or preposition).

Note: "You" and "it" are the same in both subject and object forms.

The Position Rule

[Subject position] + verb + [Object position]
                          after prep → [Object position]

• Subject position (before the verb) → use the subject form: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
• Object position (after a verb or preposition) → use the object form: me, you, him, her, it, us, them

Examples:

• I saw Tom. Tom saw me. (subject form → object form)
• She called her friend. Her friend called her. (subject form → object form)
• They are here. I invited them. (subject form → object form)

Object Pronouns After Verbs

The most common use of object pronouns is directly after a verb — the pronoun receives the action of the verb.

The Pattern: Verb + Object Pronoun

When a pronoun comes after a verb, we always use the object form.

Common Verbs Used with Object Pronouns

Here are some of the most common verbs that take object pronouns:

Perception & Knowledge: see, watch, hear, know, understand, recognize Communication: call, tell, ask, answer, email, text, contact Actions: help, visit, feed, invite, meet, find, follow Feelings: like, love, hate, miss, trust, respect

Examples

• "I don't understand this word. Can you explain it?" (it = this word)
• "Sarah is very kind. Everybody likes her." (her = Sarah)
• "My grandparents are visiting. I'll meet them at the station." (them = my grandparents)
• "The children are hungry. Please feed them." (them = the children)
• "You look tired. Let me help you with the bags." (me = I, but in object position after 'let')

Note: Some learners mistakenly use subject pronouns after verbs. Remember:

• ❌ I saw she at the park.
• ✅ I saw her at the park.

👉 Practice Object Pronouns After Verbs →

Object Pronouns After Prepositions

Object pronouns always follow prepositions. This is one of the most important rules — and one of the most commonly broken.

The Pattern: Preposition + Object Pronoun

After any preposition (to, for, with, at, from, about, between, etc.), we always use the object form.

Common Prepositions Used with Object Pronouns

Direction & Position: to, from, at, next to, near, behind, in front of, between Purpose & Benefit: for, about Accompaniment: with Compound Prepositions: according to, because of, instead of

Examples

• "Don't wait for me. I'll be late today." (for = preposition → object form)
• "My sister sings well. Listen to her!" (to = preposition → object form)
• "We're having a party on Saturday. Come with us!" (with = preposition → object form)
• "The dogs are very noisy. I'll take care of them." (of = preposition → object form)
• "Please sit next to me. There's an empty chair here." (to = preposition → object form)

⚠️ The "Between You and I" Trap

This is one of the most common mistakes in English — even native speakers make it.

Wrong: This secret is between you and I. ❌ Right: This secret is between you and me. ✅

Why do people make this mistake?

This is called hypercorrection — people think "you and I" sounds more educated or formal, so they use it everywhere. But the rule is simple: "between" is a preposition, and prepositions always take the object form.

After any preposition (including between, among, except, besides), you always use the object form:

• ✅ between you and me
• ✅ among us
• ✅ except him
• ✅ besides them

Never say:

• ❌ between you and I
• ❌ among we
• ❌ except he
• ❌ besides they

Remember: If you can delete the other person and the sentence doesn't work with "I", use "me". "Between I" is impossible, so "between you and I" is also wrong.

👉 Practice Object Pronouns After Prepositions →

Double Objects: Give, Send, Show

So far we've used object pronouns on their own. Now let's look at a special pattern where two objects appear in the same sentence.

The Pattern: Verb + Object Pronoun + Noun

Some verbs (like give, send, show) take two objects — an indirect object (the person) and a direct object (the thing). The indirect object is often an object pronoun.

Full Sentences:

• "Can you give me that book? I'd like to read it."
• "Please send him a copy of the email."
• "The teacher showed us the answer on the board."
• "My aunt bought her a new dress for her birthday."
• "The coach told them the good news after the match."

Common Double Object Verbs

Giving & Transferring: give, lend, pass, hand Communication: tell, show, teach, explain (to) Sending: send, email, text, write Buying: buy, get, make, cook, prepare

Note: With some verbs like explain, you need "to" before the object pronoun:

• ✅ "Please explain the rules to me."
• ❌ "Please explain me the rules."

Examples

• "I'll show you my new photos when you come over next week."
• "Can you lend me your pen? I forgot mine."
• "We didn't understand the exercise. The teacher showed us the answer."
• "Dad promised us a trip to the zoo this summer."

⚠️ Compound Structures: The Deletion Test

What happens when an object pronoun is paired with another noun or pronoun using "and"? This is where many learners make mistakes — choosing the wrong form in compound structures.

The Challenge: "My Friend and I" vs "My Friend and Me"

When two pronouns (or a noun and a pronoun) are joined with and, it's harder to judge which form to use. Many learners make errors like:

• ❌ My friend and me are going to the cinema. (subject position → should be "I")
• ❌ The teacher told Anna and I. (object position → should be "me")

The rule is the same as always — the position determines the form. But when two people are involved, it's harder to see the position clearly.

The Deletion Test: Your Best Friend

The Deletion Test helps you choose the correct form every time. We introduced this test in Subject Pronouns, and now we'll apply it specifically to object pronoun contexts.

Step-by-Step Deletion Test

Step 1: Identify the compound structure Look for patterns like "X and " or " and X" Example: "The teacher asked David and ___"

Step 2: Remove the other person/thing Delete everything before or after "and" "The teacher asked David and ___" → "The teacher asked ___"

Step 3: Test both pronoun forms in the remaining sentence

• Try subject form: "The teacher asked I"
• Try object form: "The teacher asked me"

Step 4: Choose the form that sounds correct on its own

• "The teacher asked I" ❌
• "The teacher asked me" ✅

Step 5: Apply to the original sentence "The teacher asked David and me" ✅

Examples of the Deletion Test

Example 1: Object Position (After Verb)

Full sentence: "Can you help my brother and ___?"

• Remove "my brother and" → "Can you help ___?"
• Test: "help I" ❌ / "help me" ✅
• Result: "Can you help my brother and me?" ✅

Example 2: Subject Position

Full sentence: "My friend and ___ are going to the cinema."

• Remove "My friend and" → "___ are going to the cinema."
• Test: "I am going" ✅ / "Me am going" ❌
• Result: "My friend and I are going to the cinema." ✅

Example 3: After Preposition

Full sentence: "The prize was for my teammate and ___."

• Remove "my teammate and" → "The prize was for ___."
• Test: "for I" ❌ / "for me" ✅
• Result: "The prize was for my teammate and me." ✅

Example 4: Another "Between You and Me" Reminder

Full sentence: "This is a secret between you and ___."

• Remove "you and" → "This is a secret between ___."
• Test: "between I" ❌ (impossible!) / "between me" ✅
• Result: "This is a secret between you and me." ✅

More Compound Structure Examples

Common Mistakes in Compound Structures

👉 Practice Double Objects & Compound Structures →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Quick Summary

Position Decision Flow

Step 1: Find the pronoun position

• Before a verb? → Subject position → use subject form (I, he, she, we, they)
• After a verb? → Object position → use object form (me, him, her, us, them)
• After a preposition? → Object position → use object form (me, him, her, us, them)

Step 2: Choose the correct object pronoun

• I → me
• you → you
• he → him
• she → her
• it → it
• we → us
• they → them

The 7 Object Pronouns

The 3 Key Positions for Object Pronouns

1. After Verbs Pattern: verb + object pronoun Examples: I saw her. We need them. She called me.

2. After Prepositions Pattern: preposition + object pronoun Examples: Come with us. This is for you. Talk to him. Warning: Always "between you and me" (never "between you and I")

3. In Compound Structures Pattern: noun/pronoun + and + object pronoun (when in object position) Examples: The teacher asked Anna and me. (not "Anna and I") Use the Deletion Test: Remove the other person to check which form sounds right.

Deletion Test (Quick Version)

When you have "X and " or " and X":

1. Remove the other person
2. Test both forms (subject & object)
3. Choose the form that sounds correct on its own
4. Apply to the original sentence

Examples:

• "The teacher asked David and ___" → Remove "David and" → "asked me" ✅ → "David and me" ✅
• "My friend and ___ are going" → Remove "My friend and" → "I am going" ✅ → "My friend and I" ✅

Common Prepositions + Object Pronouns

to me/you/him/her/it/us/them for me/you/him/her/it/us/them with me/you/him/her/it/us/them at me/you/him/her/it/us/them from me/you/him/her/it/us/them about me/you/him/her/it/us/them between me/you/him/her/it/us/them

Double Object Verbs + Object Pronouns

give me/you/him/her/us/them + noun send me/you/him/her/us/them + noun show me/you/him/her/us/them + noun buy me/you/him/her/us/them + noun tell me/you/him/her/us/them + noun lend me/you/him/her/us/them + noun

Practice Tips

1. Use the Deletion Test religiously for compound structures. Every time you see "X and ___", remove X and check which form sounds right on its own. This simple trick prevents 90% of compound structure errors.

2. Memorize the "between you and me" rule. This is one of the most common mistakes in English, even among native speakers. Remember: "between" is a preposition, and prepositions always take object form. There are no exceptions.

3. Practice position recognition first, pronoun selection second. Before choosing which pronoun to use, always ask: "Is this before the verb (subject) or after a verb/preposition (object)?" Position determines form.

4. Learn double object verbs in patterns. Verbs like give, send, show, buy, tell, lend, and promise always take two objects: the person (object pronoun) and the thing (noun). Practice these as fixed patterns.

5. Don't trust "what sounds educated". Many learners overcorrect by using "I" everywhere because they think it sounds more formal. But "The teacher told Anna and I" is just as wrong as "Me and Anna went to school". Trust the position rule, not what "sounds fancy".

Practice All Exercises

Work through all three sets of these object pronouns exercises with answers online. Each set builds on the previous one, so working through them in order gives the best results. All exercises are available as multiple choice questions and as printable PDF worksheets.

👉 Practice Mixed Object Pronouns →