/Pronouns
A1Pronouns

Pronouns (overview)

1

What is it?

Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition. SUBJECT PRONOUNS (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) do the action: "I like pizza." OBJECT PRONOUNS (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) receive the action: "She likes me." POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) come before nouns: "my book". POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) stand alone: "The book is mine." REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves) refer back to the subject: "I hurt myself."

2

How to form it

SubjectPositiveNegativeQuestion
Subject pronounsI, you, he, she, it, we, theyI don't / He doesn't / They don'tDo I? / Does he? / Do they?
Object pronounsme, you, him, her, it, us, themHe doesn't like me.Does he like me?
Possessive adjectivesmy, your, his, her, its, our, their + nounnot my bookIs this your book?
Possessive pronounsmine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs (alone)not mineIs this yours?
Reflexive pronounsmyself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselvesnot usedDid you hurt yourself?
ExampleI love my book. The book is mine. I bought it myself.not usednot applicable
  • • Subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they (do the action)
  • • Object pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, them (receive the action)
  • • Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their (+ noun)
  • • Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs (stand alone)
  • • Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves
  • • Subject pronouns come BEFORE the verb → I like pizza. / She runs fast.
  • • Object pronouns come AFTER the verb or preposition → She likes me. / Give it to him.
  • • Possessive adjectives need a noun after → my book (not: my alone*)
3

When to use it

  1. 1

    Subject pronouns — do the action (before verb)

    "I like pizza." / "She runs fast." / "They are happy." / "He is tall." / "We play soccer."

  2. 2

    Object pronouns — receive the action (after verb or preposition)

    "She likes me." / "I know him." / "Give it to her." / "Look at them." / "He told us."

  3. 3

    Possessive adjectives — before nouns (ownership)

    "my book" / "your house" / "his car" / "her phone" / "our school" / "their dog"

  4. 4

    Possessive pronouns — stand alone (no noun after)

    "The book is mine." / "Is this yours?" / "The car is his." / "The house is ours."

  5. 5

    Reflexive pronouns — action comes back to subject

    "I hurt myself." / "She taught herself." / "He cut himself." / "We enjoyed ourselves."

4

Common mistakes

Me like pizza.

I like pizza.

Use subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) before the verb, not object pronouns.

She likes I.

She likes me.

Use object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) after the verb.

This is my.

This is mine. OR This is my book.

Possessive adjectives (my, your) need a noun. Use possessive pronouns (mine, yours) alone.

I hurt me.

I hurt myself.

Use reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself) when action comes back to subject.

5

Quick reference

  • Subject: I, you, he, she, it, we, they (do action) → I like pizza.
  • Object: me, you, him, her, it, us, them (receive action) → She likes me.
  • Possessive adj: my, your, his, her, its, our, their (+ noun) → my book
  • Possessive pronoun: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs (alone) → It's mine.
  • Reflexive: myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves (action back) → I hurt myself.
  • Before verb: subject pronoun | After verb: object pronoun
  • With noun: possessive adjective | Alone: possessive pronoun
6

Natural conversation example

Friends talking about belongings

T

Tom

Is this your book?
L

Lisa

No, it's not mine. Maybe it's his.
T

Tom

John, is this yours?
J

John

Yes! I've been looking for it. Thank you!
T

Tom

No problem. I found it myself on the table.
L

Lisa

Did you hurt yourself with that book?
T

Tom

No, I'm fine. We should put our things away carefully!

Practice Exercises

Complete with the correct pronoun.

  1. 1.
    like pizza. (I/me)
  2. 2.
    She likes . (I/me)
  3. 3.
    This is book. (my/mine)
  4. 4.
    The book is . (my/mine)
  5. 5.
    I hurt . (me/myself)
  6. 6.
    are happy. (They/Them)
All TopicsSubject and Object Pronouns

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