MyLeoNes™

Object pronouns — Foreign languages, 7–10

Learn how English replaces the person or thing receiving an action with words such as me, him, her, us and them.

The person receiving the action

In English, the person receiving an action often has a shorter pronoun. I can say Sam sees me, not Sam sees I; We help them, not We help they. These are object pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us and them.

Why English needs them

Repeating names can make a sentence clumsy: Mia calls Leo, and Mia helps Leo. Object pronouns let English show who receives the action without repeating names: Mia calls him, and she helps him. The useful problem is keeping the sentence clear and natural.

Build one sentence

Start with the meaning: Ana sees Tom. First, Ana is doing the seeing, so she stays the subject. Tom receives the action, so replace Tom with him: Ana sees him. If Tom sees Ana, the answer changes to He sees her, because the receiver is now Ana.

I or me? They or them?

It is easy to choose I or they because those words name the people doing an action: I run, they sing. But after an action word, ask who receives it. Say The dog follows me and I follow the dog, not The dog follows I. The position changes the pronoun.

In messages and conversations

You meet object pronouns whenever someone is helped, called, invited or thanked: Can you help me? I’ll call her. Please invite us. They make everyday English quicker, especially when names are already known. Listen for the person receiving the action.

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Other languages

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