Personal Pronouns

English personal pronouns follow one essential rule: your position in the sentence determines which form to use. Master this rule and you master the whole system. This lesson covers both subject pronouns and object pronouns — and, crucially, how to choose between them when they appear in the same sentence.

To use personal pronouns correctly, you need to understand 2 forms across 7 persons:

• Subject form — used when the pronoun is the doer (subject position, before the verb)
• Object form — used when the pronoun is the receiver (object position, after a verb or preposition)

Notice that you and it have the same subject and object form — a useful simplification. All other pronouns change depending on their role in the sentence.

Don't confuse personal pronouns with possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their). Possessive adjectives come before nouns ("my book", "their car") and are never used in the subject or object slot of a sentence.

Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They

Subject pronouns replace the subject of a sentence — the person or thing performing the action. They always come before the main verb.

Choosing He, She, or It

The most common question at A1 level is whether to use he, she, or it.

He or she → based on gender:

• "My brother is tall. He plays basketball." (male → he)
• "My mother is a doctor. She works at the hospital." (female → she)
• Titles help: Mr. Chen → he; Mrs. Parker → she

It → for things, animals (in general), and abstract concepts:

• "Where is the book? It is on the table." (thing)
• "The dog is hungry. It wants some food." (animal, general context)
• "The weather is terrible. It is cold and rainy." (weather)
• "It is 10 o'clock." (time)

We vs They

• We = the speaker is part of the group → "Tom and I → we"
• They = a group not including the speaker → "Lisa and Sarah → they"

👉 Practice Subject Pronouns →

Object Pronouns: Me, You, Him, Her, It, Us, Them

Object pronouns replace the object of a sentence — the person or thing receiving the action. They appear in two positions:

1. After a verb: "Can you help me?" / "I love them very much."
2. After a preposition: "Where is Tom? I need to talk to him." / "Please sit next to me."

Common prepositions that take object pronouns: to, with, for, at, of, from, about, next to, between, from

Don't confuse object pronouns with possessive adjectives: "Can you help my?" ❌ → "Can you help me?" ✅ The possessive adjective "my" must always be followed by a noun (e.g., "my bag"). Pronouns stand alone.

👉 Practice Object Pronouns →

⚠️ Subject vs Object Pronouns: How to Choose

This is where most learners make mistakes. Knowing the subject and object forms separately is not enough — you need to choose the right one based on where the pronoun sits in the sentence.

The Position Rule

[Subject slot] + verb + [Object slot]

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

Quick Test

Ask yourself: Is the pronoun doing the action, or receiving it?

• Doing the action → subject form (I, he, she, we, they)
• Receiving the action, or coming after a preposition → object form (me, him, her, us, them)

👉 Practice Subject vs Object Pronouns →

Pronouns in Complex Structures

⚠️ Compound Subjects and Objects: The Most Common Trap

When two pronouns (or a noun and a pronoun) are joined with and, many learners choose the wrong form. This is the #1 mistake with personal pronouns.

Wrong: Me and Tom went to the cinema. ❌ Wrong: The manager spoke to my colleague and I. ❌

Right: Tom and I went to the cinema. ✅ Right: The manager spoke to my colleague and me. ✅

Word order convention: In compound structures, put yourself last. Say "Sarah and I" (not "I and Sarah"), "Jack and me" (not "me and Jack"). This is both the grammatically expected order and the polite convention in English.

The rule is the same as always — the position determines the form. But when two people are involved, it is harder to judge. Use The Deletion Test:

The Deletion Test (4 Steps)

Step 1: Identify the compound structure ("Mark and ") Step 2: Remove the other part ("Mark and" → just " ") Step 3: Test both forms on their own Step 4: Use whichever form sounds correct

Example 1: "Mark and ___ are going to the concert."

• Step 2: Remove "Mark and" → "___ are going to the concert"
• Step 3: "I am going" ✅ / "Me am going" ❌
• Result: Mark and I ✅

Example 2: "The manager spoke to my colleague and ___."

• Step 2: Remove "my colleague and" → "spoke to ___"
• Step 3: "spoke to me" ✅ / "spoke to I" ❌
• Result: my colleague and me ✅

More examples:

Special warning — "between you and me": Never say "between you and I". After any preposition (including between), you always need the object form. "Between you and me" is always correct. The error "between you and I" is a case of hypercorrection — learners overcorrect in an attempt to sound formal.

Comparisons: Pronoun After "Than"

In comparisons with than, use the object form in everyday English:

• "Tom is taller than me." ✅
• "She can run faster than him." ✅
• "Nobody works harder than her." ✅

Note: The subject form is technically possible in formal writing ("taller than I am"), but in spoken and written everyday English, the object form after than is standard.

Dummy 'It': When 'It' Has No Real Subject

In several common patterns, it acts as a dummy subject — a grammatical placeholder with no actual meaning. This is different from using it to refer to a thing.

All these patterns use it — never that, this, or there.

⚠️ 'It' vs 'There': A Common Confusion

The words it and there can both appear at the start of a sentence, but they follow very different patterns.

Common error:

• ❌ "It is no point in arguing." → ✅ "There is no point in arguing."
• ❌ "There is raining." → ✅ "It is raining."

Don't confuse personal pronouns with reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves). Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object refer to the same person ("She hurt herself"), or for emphasis ("I did it myself"). They are never used simply to replace an object pronoun. For example: "Can you help me?" ✅ (not "Can you help myself?" ❌)

👉 Practice Pronouns in Complex Structures →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Quick Summary

The Complete Pronoun Chart

The Position Rule

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

Ask: Is the pronoun doing the action (subject) or receiving it (object)?

The Deletion Test for Compound Pronouns

1. Identify the compound: "Sarah and ___"
2. Remove the other part: "___"
3. Test both forms: "I went" ✅ or "Me went" ❌
4. Use the form that works: "Sarah and I"

Dummy 'It' Quick Reference

Practice Tips

1. Use the Deletion Test every time you write a compound subject or object. Remove the other person and check which form sounds right on its own.
2. Watch prepositions: After any preposition (to, with, for, from, between, of, at...), always use the object form: me, him, her, us, them.
3. Spot 'it' patterns: When you see it at the start of a sentence, ask yourself: is there a real noun it refers to? If not, it's a dummy subject — weather, time, or importance.
4. Check your writing for hypercorrection: If you wrote "between you and I" or "with John and I", correct it to "me". Prepositions always take object forms.
5. Practise the pronoun chart from memory: Cover the object column and say the object form for each subject pronoun — or vice versa. Fluency comes from instant recall, not from stopping to think.

Practice All Exercises

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

👉 Practice Pronouns in Complex Structures →