Practice
I or me? Choose the right pronoun in a pair
Sign in to saveKira and I are meeting the client. The client is meeting Kira and me. The same two people appear in both sentences, but their job changes the pronoun.
Use I in a coordinated subject and me in a coordinated object or after a preposition.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Kira and I /ˈkɪrə ən aɪ/
The short answer
Use I when a phrase such as Sam and I is the subject. Use me when a phrase such as Sam and me is an object or follows a preposition. Check the job of the whole phrase. The word next to and does not decide the form.
Dara and I sent the agenda.
Why it works: Dara and I do the action sent, so the paired phrase is the subject.
5 more examples
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Kira and I are meeting the client.
Kira and I are doing the meeting, so the phrase is the subject.
Not this:The client is meeting
Kira and me. What changes: The client does the action. Kira and me receive it, so the phrase is the object. -
Please send the agenda to Dara and me.
The phrase follows to, so it needs the object pronoun me.
Not this:
Dara and Isent the agenda. What changes: Here the pair does the sending, so I is the subject form. -
Between you and me, the deadline is too short.
Between is a preposition, and the pronoun after a preposition is me.
Not this:
You and Ican discuss the deadline later. What changes: You and I do the discussing, so the coordinated phrase is a subject. -
My brother and I live nearby.
The pair is the subject of live. Removing my brother leaves I live nearby.
Not this:The neighbors know
my brother and me. What changes: The neighbors do the knowing. My brother and me are the object of know. -
Amir spoke with Lian and me after class.
With is a preposition, so the paired phrase uses me.
Not this:
Lian and Ispoke with Amir after class. What changes: Lian and I do the speaking, so the pair is a subject.
Read the full guide
First, find the verb and ask who does the action. If the paired phrase does it, use I. If the verb acts on the pair, or the pair follows to, for, with, or another preposition, use me. Removing the other name can confirm the choice: I sent the agenda; the client thanked me.
Find the job of the whole pair
Do not choose I or me because one appears at the end of a phrase. First, ask whether the phrase joined by and does the action or receives it. That answer decides the pronoun.
Nora and I plan the event.
Nora and I do the planning. In The manager thanked Nora and me, the pair receives thanked.
Which phrase is the subject in The manager and I checked the room?
The manager and I is the subject because the pair did the checking.
Use I when the pair does the action
Use I when the paired phrase is the subject. To check it, remove the other person. If I works by itself, I works in the pair.
Sofia and I arrive before nine.
Remove Sofia: I arrive before nine. Me arrive before nine is not standard English.
Choose the pronoun: Ben and ___ will lead the tour.
Use I. Ben and I are the people who will lead the tour.
Use me when the pair receives the action
Use me when a verb acts on the paired phrase. The removal check changes the sentence to one with me: The supervisor called Amir and me becomes The supervisor called me.
The supervisor called Amir and me this morning.
Amir and I called the supervisor this morning has a different meaning because the pair now does the calling.
Which pronoun completes The guide thanked Luis and ___?
Use me. Luis and me receive the action thanked.
Use me after a preposition
Words such as to, for, with, and between are prepositions. A pronoun after one of these words uses the object form. This is why phrases such as for Kim and me and between you and me use me.
The message is for Elena and me.
Elena and I wrote the message. Here the pair is the subject, so use I.
Complete the phrase: between you and ___.
Use me because between is a preposition.
Keep the usual order in a pair
In ordinary English, name the other person before yourself: Lian and I, Lian and me, you and I, and you and me. The order does not change the grammar rule. Find the phrase's job first, then choose I or me.
You and I can compare the two reports.
The director asked you and me to compare the reports. The pair is an object after asked.
Which form fits a subject: me and Ravi or Ravi and I?
Use Ravi and I. The pair is a subject, and the other person's name comes first.
Treat expressions after be with care
English speakers often say It's me in everyday conversation. Some formal styles prefer It is I. That variation does not change the rule for a pair that clearly does an action, receives an action, or follows a preposition.
It's me at the door.
Mara and I are at the door has a clear coordinated subject, so I is the standard choice.
What should you check first in a phrase with and?
Check whether the whole phrase is a subject, an object, or follows a preposition.
Before you go
Remember this
Look at the whole phrase joined by and. Use I when that phrase does the action. Use me when it receives the action or follows a preposition. Remove the other person for a quick check, then put the pair back in its usual order.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "I or me? Choose the right pronoun in a pair"
Do I say Sam and I or Sam and me?
Use Sam and I when the pair is the subject: Sam and I arrived early. Use Sam and me when the pair is an object: The organizer greeted Sam and me at the door.
Kira and I are meeting the client.
How can I check a phrase with and?
Remove the other person and read the shorter sentence. I signed the form shows that use I in a subject. The clerk called me shows that use me when the pair receives the action.
The client is meeting Kira and me.
Why do I use me after between?
Between is a preposition, and pronouns after prepositions use object forms. In a private comment to another person, the standard phrase is between you and me.
Please send the agenda to Dara and me.
Should the other person's name come before I or me?
Usually, yes. English normally puts the other person's name or pronoun first: Asha and I, Asha and me, you and I, and you and me. The order does not decide the pronoun form.
Dara and I sent the agenda.
Is It's me correct?
It's me is common in everyday English. Some very formal styles use It is I. For phrases joined by and, make the clearer choice by checking whether the phrase is a subject, an object, or follows a preposition.
Between you and me, the deadline is too short.