Practice
John and I or John and me?
Sign in to saveJohn and I arrived early. The organizer greeted John and me at the door. The people are the same, but their job in each sentence changes.
Use John and I as a subject and John and me as an 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
John and I /dʒɒn ən aɪ/
The short answer
Choose John and I for a subject. Choose John and me for an object or after a preposition. Decide what the whole paired phrase does before you choose the pronoun.
John and I will lead the workshop.
Why it works: John and I do the leading, so the paired phrase is the subject.
4 more examples
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John and I checked the room before the meeting.
John and I do the checking. Removing John gives I checked the room.
Not this:The manager asked
John and meto check the room. What changes: John and me are the people asked to do something, so the paired phrase is the object of asked. -
Please send the revised schedule to John and me.
The phrase follows the preposition to, so it takes the object pronoun me.
Not this:
John and Isent the revised schedule yesterday. What changes: Here the pair does the sending, so it is a subject and uses I. -
The coach spoke with John and me after practice.
With is a preposition. A pronoun after it uses the object form me.
Not this:
John and Ispoke with the coach after practice. What changes: John and I perform the action spoke, so the phrase is the subject. -
The decision was made by John and me.
By is a preposition, so the phrase after it uses the object pronoun me.
Not this:
John and Imade the decision together. What changes: The active sentence makes the pair the subject of made, so it uses I.
Read the full guide
Find the main verb, then ask who performs its action. If John and the speaker perform it, use John and I. If somebody acts on the pair, use John and me. The same object form follows a preposition: the message is for John and me. A short one-person version can confirm the result, but first keep the role of the phrase clear.
Choose by the phrase's job
The last word of the pair does not decide the answer. First, identify the whole phrase joined by and. Then ask whether it does the action, receives the action, or follows a preposition.
John and I signed the form.
John and I do the signing. In The clerk filed the form for John and me, the pair follows for.
In John and I booked the table, who performs the action?
John and I perform the booking, so the phrase is the subject.
Use I when John and the speaker act
Use John and I when the pair is the subject. Subjects usually come before the verb and perform its action. You can check this by taking John out of the phrase and keeping the same sentence.
John and I are preparing the presentation.
Without John, the sentence is I am preparing the presentation. That confirms I as the subject form.
Complete the subject: John and ___ will meet the client.
Use I because John and the speaker will do the meeting.
Use me when the pair receives an action
Use John and me when a verb acts on the pair. The person or thing that does the action is the subject. The person affected by it is the object.
The receptionist called John and me after lunch.
The receptionist does the calling. John and me receive the action, so me is the object form.
Which form completes The team invited John and ___?
Use me. The team invited the pair, so John and me are the object.
Use me after a preposition
Prepositions include to, for, with, by, and between. When John and the speaker come after one of these words, use John and me. The preposition gives the paired phrase an object role.
The seats are beside John and me.
Beside is a preposition, so the phrase ends with me. The same pattern appears in a note from John and me.
Choose the pronoun: Please keep this between John and ___.
Use me because between is a preposition.
Use the one-person check carefully
The one-person check can settle many choices. Remove John and read the shorter sentence: I sent the update, but the editor thanked me. Put John back only after you have found the phrase's role. The check supports the grammar; it does not replace it.
John and I are waiting outside.
I am waiting outside is the short subject version. In The guard spoke to John and me, the short object version is The guard spoke to me.
Which short sentence checks The organizer thanked John and me?
The organizer thanked me. Me works because the pair receives the action.
Before you go
Remember this
Look at John and the speaker as one phrase. Use John and I when that phrase does the action. Use John and me when it receives an action or comes after a preposition. Put John first in ordinary phrasing, then use the one-person check if you need it.
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
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "John and I or John and me?"
Is John and I correct?
Yes, when John and the speaker are the subject of the sentence. John and I will lead the workshop is correct because the pair performs the action lead. The order puts the other person's name first, but the subject role is what requires I.
John and I will lead the workshop.
When should I say John and me?
Use John and me when a verb acts on the pair or when the phrase follows a preposition. The coordinator chose John and me to lead the workshop uses an object, and Please send the revised schedule to John and me follows to.
The coordinator chose John and me to lead the workshop.
Why is between John and me correct?
Between is a preposition, and standard English uses the object form after a preposition. The same rule appears in The coach spoke with John and me after practice and The decision was made by John and me.
John and I checked the room before the meeting.
How does the one-person check work?
Temporarily remove John and keep the sentence's meaning. John and I checked the room becomes I checked the room. The manager asked John and me to check the room becomes The manager asked me to check the room.
The manager asked John and me to check the room.
Does putting John first make the phrase correct?
Putting the other person's name first is usual in polite standard English, but it does not choose the pronoun. Check the phrase's job. John and I made the decision together is a subject, while The decision was made by John and me follows by.
Please send the revised schedule to John and me.