Pronouns and possessives, part 1 of 6

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

They are the words that say who does something: I, she, they. In English you almost always need one: She lives in Lima.

A1 · 12 min

The idea

What a subject pronoun is

It is the word that says who does something without repeating a name. English almost never leaves it out.

It replaces a name. So you do not repeat it: Carlos is late. He is in traffic.
It goes before the verb. At the start of the sentence: We speak Spanish.
It is for things. A thing or an animal: The door is open. It is broken.

When to use it

To say who does something without repeating a name: Ana is she, and your parents are they. These expressions go with it:

With it, even with no real subject

It's dark.
It's raining.
It's cold outside.
It's Friday!

With you

You know what?
See you!
Bless you!
Thank you.

With I and we

I think so.
I don't know.
We can go.
We're ready.

Examples

Yourself
I live in Bogotá.
The person you talk to
You sing very well.
A woman
She teaches yoga.
A thing
My phone is old, but it works.
Your group
We eat lunch at two.
Other people
My cousins live in Miami. They visit us in May.

How to build it

3 steps

Think about who it isOne person, one thing, or several:my sister = she
Choose the pronounA man he, a woman she, a thing or an animal it, several they:the books = they
Put it before the verbAt the start of the sentence:She works in a bank.

Sentence

Subject (pronoun)We
verblive
complementnear the beach.

The rule

The seven pronouns

Pronoun	Who it is	Example
I	the speaker (always a capital I)	I drink tea.
you	the listener (one or many)	You look great.
he	a man or a boy	He drives a bus.
she	a woman or a girl	She has a new job.
it	a thing or an animal	It needs water.
we	the speaker and others	We need more chairs.
they	other people or things	They cost ten dollars.

How to pronounce it

i
/aɪ/
It sounds like eye and is always a capital letter.
you
/ju/
One sound for one person or many: /ju/.
he
/hi/
The h is just air: /h/.
she
/ʃi/
Sh as in shoe, not s: /ʃ/.
it
/ɪt/
A short, relaxed i: /ɪ/.
we
/wi/
Round your lips for the w: /w/.
they
/ðeɪ/
The th has the tongue between the teeth: /ð/.

Check

The keys are on the table. (blank) are new. Which word goes in the blank?

Don't confuse them with me, him, her

She calls him every day.

She does the action

He calls her every day.

Her receives the action

I, he, and she do the action and go before the verb. Me, him, and her receive it and go after.

Part 2: me, him, her

In real life

In speech, with be people almost always use the short form: I'm, you're, she's, it's, we're, they're. That form has its own lesson in the verb to be series.

Frequently asked questions

Can you use they for one person in English?

Yes. When you do not know if it is a man or a woman, or the person prefers it, use they: Someone called. They left a message. The verb goes as with they: they work, not they works.

Why is the pronoun I always a capital letter?

It is a rule of written English: I is a capital letter anywhere in the sentence (Ana and I share a room). The other pronouns only take a capital at the start.

Which pronoun do you use for the weather or the time in English?

It, even when nothing real is the subject: It is windy, It is 5 p.m., It is Monday.

Do you use it or he and she for a pet?

For a pet with a name, people almost always use he or she: Max is my dog. He sleeps a lot. It is for an animal you do not know: Look at that bird! It is so big.

In short

For people: I, you, he, she, we, they.
For one thing or animal, it; for several things, they.
In a statement, the pronoun goes before the verb and stays: She works.
You is for one person or many.

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