Blog about English
Subject and object pronouns referring to people, animals and things.
Personal pronouns replace nouns referring to people, animals, places or things.
They help avoid repetition and change their form according to grammatical function.
Maria is my friend. She lives in Chicago.
Мария — моя подруга. Она живет в Чикаго.
"She" replaces the noun "Maria" and avoids repetition.
I saw John at the store, and I talked to him.
Я видел Джона в магазине и поговорил с ним.
"Him" replaces the noun "John" as the object of the preposition "to".
My friends called me after work.
Мои друзья позвонили мне после работы.
"Me" is a personal pronoun referring to the speaker as the object.
The dog is outside, but it is cold.
Собака на улице, но там холодно.
"It" refers to the animal in this context.
I invited Sarah and Tom, and they arrived at seven.
Я пригласил Сару и Тома, и они пришли в семь.
"They" replaces the two names as the subject of the second clause.
My brother gave us the keys.
Мой брат дал нам ключи.
"Us" refers to the speaker and another person or people.
I called my parents, but they did not answer.
Я позвонил родителям, но они не ответили.
"They" replaces "my parents" as the subject of the second clause.
The company sent us an email, and we replied immediately.
Компания отправила нам письмо, и мы сразу ответили.
"Us" is an object pronoun, while "we" is a subject pronoun.
Subject pronouns function as the subject of a clause.
The English subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we and they.
I work from home on Fridays.
Я работаю из дома по пятницам.
"I" is the subject of the sentence.
You look tired today.
Ты выглядишь уставшим сегодня.
"You" is the subject pronoun referring to one person.
He works at a bank.
Он работает в банке.
"He" is the subject pronoun referring to a male person.
She lives near the airport.
Она живет возле аэропорта.
"She" is the subject pronoun referring to a female person.
It is on the table.
Это находится на столе.
"It" is the subject pronoun referring to a thing.
We are ready to leave.
Мы готовы уходить.
"We" is the subject pronoun for the speaker and at least one other person.
They live in Texas.
Они живут в Техасе.
"They" is the subject pronoun for two or more people or things.
They are waiting outside the office.
Они ждут возле офиса.
"They" can refer to several people whose names are already known from context.
Object pronouns function as direct objects, indirect objects or objects of prepositions.
The English object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us and them.
She called me this morning.
Она позвонила мне сегодня утром.
"Me" is the direct object of "called".
I saw you at the supermarket.
Я видел тебя в супермаркете.
"You" is the object of the verb "saw".
We invited him to dinner.
Мы пригласили его на ужин.
"Him" is the direct object of "invited".
I called her after work.
Я позвонил ей после работы.
"Her" is the object of "called".
I found it under the bed.
Я нашел это под кроватью.
"It" is the direct object of "found".
The manager sent us an email.
Менеджер отправил нам письмо.
"Us" is the indirect object of "sent".
The teacher asked them a question.
Учитель задал им вопрос.
"Them" is the indirect object of "asked".
The gift was for me.
Подарок был для меня.
"Me" is the object of the preposition "for".
Subject and object pronouns have different forms and must be used according to their grammatical function.
Compare She knows him with Him knows she, which is incorrect.
She knows him.
Она знает его.
"She" is the subject, while "him" is the object.
He called me yesterday.
Он позвонил мне вчера.
"He" is the subject and "me" is the object.
They invited us to the party.
Они пригласили нас на вечеринку.
"They" is the subject form, while "us" is the object form.
We invited them to the party.
Мы пригласили их на вечеринку.
"We" is the subject and "them" is the object.
I saw him at the office.
Я видел его в офисе.
"I" is the subject; "him" cannot be used as the subject here.
She talked to me after class.
Она поговорила со мной после занятия.
"Me" is required after the preposition "to".
He and I work together.
Мы с ним работаем вместе.
"He" and "I" are subject pronouns because they are the subjects of "work".
The manager spoke to him and me.
Менеджер поговорил с ним и со мной.
"Him" and "me" are object pronouns after the preposition "to".
Animals and things are commonly referred to with it, although animals may be referred to as he or she when their sex is known or important.
Personal preference and emotional attachment often influence pronoun choice for animals.
The cat is on the sofa. It is sleeping.
Кошка на диване. Она спит.
"It" is the normal neutral pronoun for an animal when sex is not relevant.
My dog is old, but he is still very active.
Моей собаке много лет, но он все еще очень активный.
"He" is natural because the speaker knows the dog is male and is personally attached to him.
My cat is very friendly. She loves people.
Моя кошка очень дружелюбная. Она любит людей.
"She" is used because the speaker knows the cat is female.
The car is outside. It needs to be washed.
Машина снаружи. Ее нужно помыть.
"It" is the normal pronoun for a car.
I bought a new laptop, and it is very fast.
Я купил новый ноутбук, и он очень быстрый.
"It" refers to the non-human object "laptop".
The horse hurt its leg.
Лошадь повредила ногу.
"Its" is natural when the horse's sex is unknown or irrelevant.
Our dog is very old. We think of her as part of the family.
Наша собака очень старая. Мы считаем ее частью семьи.
"Her" is common for a female pet when the animal is emotionally significant.
The computer is broken, so I turned it off.
Компьютер сломан, поэтому я его выключил.
"It" refers to the computer as a thing.
The pronoun it is commonly used to refer to time, dates, weather, temperature and distance.
Examples include It is raining, It is five o'clock and It is ten miles to London.
It is five o'clock.
Сейчас пять часов.
"It" is used as the subject when talking about time.
It is Monday today.
Сегодня понедельник.
"It" is used when stating the day.
It is raining outside.
На улице идет дождь.
"It" is a dummy subject in a weather expression.
It is very cold this morning.
Сегодня утром очень холодно.
"It" is used with a weather or temperature description.
It is ten miles to the next town.
До следующего города десять миль.
"It" is used in an expression of distance.
It is two hours to New York by car.
До Нью-Йорка две часа езды на машине.
"It" can introduce a statement about travel time or distance.
It was sunny yesterday.
Вчера было солнечно.
"It" is required in this ordinary weather expression.
It is almost midnight.
Почти полночь.
"It" is used to state the time.
The pronoun you refers to one or more people.
Modern English uses the same form for both singular and plural.
You look tired.
Ты выглядишь уставшим.
"You" can refer to one person.
You are all welcome here.
Вы все здесь желанные гости.
"You" can refer to more than one person.
Are you ready?
Ты готов? / Вы готовы?
"You" has the same form for singular and plural.
You and Maria can sit here.
Вы с Марией можете сесть здесь.
"You" can refer to one person even when another person is mentioned separately.
You guys can wait here.
Вы можете подождать здесь.
In informal American English, "you guys" is commonly used to make the plural meaning of "you" explicit.
I will call you tomorrow.
Я позвоню тебе / вам завтра.
"You" has the same form whether it is singular or plural and whether it is a subject or object.
I told you the same thing yesterday.
Я вчера говорил тебе / вам то же самое.
"You" is also the object form for both singular and plural.
You are the only person who can help us.
Только ты можешь нам помочь.
"You" may refer to one specific person even without additional context.
You may be used to refer to people in general rather than a specific person.
Generic you is common in conversation, instructions and informal writing.
You never know what can happen.
Никогда не знаешь, что может произойти.
"You" refers to people in general rather than one specific person.
If you eat too much, you can feel sick.
Если слишком много есть, можно почувствовать себя плохо.
Both instances of "you" refer generally to anyone in that situation.
You have to be careful when you drive at night.
Нужно быть осторожным, когда едешь ночью.
"You" refers to drivers in general.
You can find good Mexican food all over Texas.
Хорошую мексиканскую еду можно найти по всему Техасу.
"You" is generic and does not refer to a particular person.
When you open the app, you see the dashboard first.
Когда открываешь приложение, сначала видишь панель управления.
Both "you" forms refer to any user of the app.
You need a ticket to enter the museum.
Чтобы войти в музей, нужен билет.
This can be an instruction for people in general rather than one named person.
You feel better after a good night's sleep.
После хорошего ночного сна чувствуешь себя лучше.
"You" has a general meaning similar to "a person" or "people".
You can't always get what you want.
Не всегда можно получить то, чего хочешь.
This is a general statement about people rather than one particular listener.
Personal pronouns often appear in coordinated subjects and objects.
Word order and case should remain grammatically correct in expressions such as John and I or between you and me.
John and I went to the store.
Мы с Джоном пошли в магазин.
"I" is correct because the coordinated phrase is the subject of "went".
Maria and I work together.
Мы с Марией работаем вместе.
"I" is the subject form after the name "Maria".
The manager spoke to John and me.
Менеджер поговорил с Джоном и со мной.
"Me" is required because the phrase follows the preposition "to".
She invited him and me to dinner.
Она пригласила его и меня на ужин.
"Him" and "me" are object pronouns.
You and I should talk about this.
Нам с тобой стоит об этом поговорить.
"You and I" is the subject of "should talk".
The teacher gave you and me some advice.
Учитель дал нам с тобой совет.
"You and me" functions as the indirect object.
Between you and me, this plan will not work.
Между нами, этот план не сработает.
"Me" is correct after the preposition "between".
He and she were the first people to arrive.
Он и она были первыми, кто приехал.
"He" and "she" are both subject pronouns.
After than and as, either subject or object pronouns may be correct depending on the structure.
Compare She is taller than I am with She is taller than me.
She is taller than I am.
Она выше меня.
"I" is the subject of the understood clause "I am".
She is taller than me.
Она выше меня.
"Me" is common in informal spoken English after "than".
He works harder than I do.
Он работает усерднее меня.
"I" is the subject of the omitted clause after "than".
He works harder than me.
Он работает усерднее меня.
"Me" is widely used in conversational English when no full clause follows.
No one knows her as well as I do.
Никто не знает ее так хорошо, как я.
"I" is the subject of the understood clause "I do".
No one knows her as well as me.
Никто не знает ее так хорошо, как меня.
"Me" is common in informal usage when the comparison is not expressed as a full clause.
They hired him rather than I.
Они наняли его, а не меня.
Formal structures may use the subject form when an omitted clause is understood.
They hired him rather than me.
Они наняли его, а не меня.
"Me" is the normal object form in ordinary conversational English.
Formal and informal English sometimes prefer different personal pronoun constructions.
Informal speech commonly accepts forms that are avoided in formal writing.
Between you and me, the plan needs more work.
Между нами, план требует доработки.
"Me" is the standard object form after the preposition "between".
It's just between you and me.
Это только между нами.
"You and me" is the established informal and standard construction after "between".
John and I will handle the meeting.
Мы с Джоном проведем собрание.
"John and I" is appropriate because the pronouns are part of the subject.
The manager spoke with Sarah and me.
Менеджер поговорил с Сарой и со мной.
"Me" is the correct object form after "with".
You and I need to discuss this.
Нам с тобой нужно это обсудить.
"You and I" is the formal grammatical subject construction.
Me and John went home after dinner.
Мы с Джоном пошли домой после ужина.
"Me and John" occurs in informal speech, but "John and I" is preferred in standard formal writing.
The teacher gave the assignment to him and me.
Учитель дал задание ему и мне.
"Him and me" are object pronouns after the preposition "to".
Who did you invite? — I invited him and her.
Кого ты пригласил? — Я пригласил его и ее.
"Him" and "her" are used because they are objects of "invite".
Personal pronouns may be stressed for emphasis or contrast.
Examples include I did it, not him and She called me, not you.
I did it, not him.
Это сделал я, а не он.
Stress on "I" contrasts the speaker with another person.
She called me, not you.
Она позвонила мне, а не тебе.
Stress on "me" and "you" creates a clear contrast.
I can do it myself.
Я сам могу это сделать.
"Myself" emphasizes the speaker's involvement and contrasts with getting help.
We made the decision ourselves.
Мы сами приняли это решение.
"Ourselves" emphasizes that the speakers did the action without outside help.
He paid for the meal himself.
Он сам заплатил за еду.
"Himself" emphasizes that he personally paid.
They built the website themselves.
Они сами создали сайт.
"Themselves" emphasizes that they did the work without outside help.
You said it yourself.
Ты сам это сказал.
"Yourself" emphasizes that the listener personally made the statement.
I, not my brother, paid for the tickets.
Билеты оплатил я, а не мой брат.
"I" is emphasized through contrast with another possible person.
Choose the correct personal pronoun according to its grammatical function.
Common mistakes include confusing subject and object forms, using I instead of me after prepositions and incorrect coordinated pronouns such as Me and John went home.
John and I went to the store.
Мы с Джоном пошли в магазин.
Use the subject pronoun "I", not the object pronoun "me", because the phrase is the subject.
The manager spoke to Sarah and me.
Менеджер поговорил с Сарой и со мной.
Use "me" after the preposition "to".
She gave him the keys.
Она дала ему ключи.
Use the object pronoun "him", not subject "he", after the verb "gave".
They invited us to dinner.
Они пригласили нас на ужин.
Use "us", not "we", because the pronoun is the object of "invited".
The gift is for her.
Подарок для нее.
Use "her" after the preposition "for".
Between you and me, this is a bad idea.
Между нами, это плохая идея.
Use "me", not "I", after the preposition "between".
Me and John went home.
Мы с Джоном пошли домой.
"Me and John" occurs in informal speech, but "John and I" is preferred in standard writing.
It is raining outside.
На улице идет дождь.
Use the dummy subject "it" in ordinary English weather expressions.