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Object Pronouns in English: Me, You, Him, Her, It, Us, Them
The 7 pronouns that go after the verb in English, with examples and what they're really for.
Written by Bryan López, Profesor de inglés · Updated
Object pronouns in English are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them: they go after the verb or a preposition and receive the action instead of doing it. Their main job is avoiding repeating a name you already mentioned.
The 7 object pronouns in English
They go after the verb or a preposition
An object pronoun almost never opens a sentence: it goes right after the verb (Help me! / I will miss him.) or after a preposition like for, to, with, from, about (Wait for us. / Listen to her. / Come with me.).
What they're for: avoiding repetition
You use an object pronoun once you've already mentioned who you're talking about. "It's Angelica's birthday today. I sent her some flowers" sounds more natural than repeating "I sent Angelica some flowers" right after already saying her name. That's why you rarely hear the same name said twice in a row in the same conversation.
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Practice object pronouns with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
With the imperative (orders and instructions)
Object pronouns show up constantly with the imperative, when you give a direct order or instruction: Help us! Stop him! Listen to me! Give me the ball. The verb comes first and the object pronoun goes right after it, with no subject.
Direct object and indirect object
The direct object receives the action directly: "I read it" (it = the book). The indirect object is who the action is done for: "I sent her some flowers" (her = who, flowers = what). The same sentence can often be said with a preposition instead: "I sent some flowers to her."
Common mistakes learners make
Putting the object pronoun before the verb out of habit. Some languages attach the object pronoun before the conjugated verb, but in English it always comes after: "I see it," never "I it see." Dropping the object pronoun because the context already makes it clear. In some languages you can say the equivalent of just "I already did" without repeating what, but English almost always needs the explicit pronoun: "I already did it," not "I already did."
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Frequently asked questions
What are the 7 object pronouns in English?
Me, you, him, her, it, us, and them. They go after the verb or a preposition and receive the action of the sentence.
What's the difference between subject and object pronouns?
The subject pronoun performs the action and comes before the verb (I, he, she...); the object pronoun receives it and comes after the verb or a preposition (me, him, her...). "She calls him," not "Her calls he."
What are direct object pronouns?
They're the object pronouns that receive the action directly from the verb, with no preposition in between: "I read it" (it = what you're reading). They're the exact same 7 pronouns, just a different role in the sentence.
Where does the object pronoun go in a sentence?
Right after the verb (Help me!) or after a preposition (Wait for us). It never opens a sentence as the subject.
Why do you use object pronouns instead of the name?
To avoid repeating a name you already mentioned. Once you've said "Angelica," the next sentence uses "her" instead of saying her name again.
How are object pronouns used in commands?
They go right after the verb, with no subject: Help us! Stop him! Listen to me! The imperative in English uses object pronouns constantly.
Practice object pronouns with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.