Practice
He and I or him and I?
He and I arrived early. The receptionist called him and me. The place in the sentence decides which pronouns you need.
Choose subject pronouns in a compound subject and object pronouns after a verb or 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
He and I sent the email to him and me. /hiː ən aɪ sent ðiː ˈiːmeɪl tə hɪm ən miː/
The short answer
Use he and I when the pair is the subject. Use him and me when the pair is the object of a verb or the object of a preposition.
Nora and I chose the table, and the waiter brought menus to Nora and me.
Why it works: Nora and I do the choosing. To Nora and me names the people receiving the menus.
5 more examples
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Leah and I are meeting at the library.
The pair performs the action of meeting, so it is the subject.
Not this:The librarian greeted
Leah and me. What changes: The librarian performs the action, so Leah and me receive it. -
He and I checked the address before we left.
He and I are the people who checked the address.
Not this:The guide gave
him and mea map. What changes: The guide gave the map, and him and me received it. -
My colleague and I sent the form yesterday.
The pair sent the form, so the phrase needs I.
Not this:The host invited
my colleague and meto the meeting. What changes: The host did the inviting, so the pair is the object. -
Between you and me, the earlier train is easier.
Between is a preposition, so it is followed by object pronouns.
Not this:
You and Ican take the earlier train. What changes: You and I are the people who can take the train. -
He and I are responsible for the display.
The linking verb are comes after the subject phrase he and I.
Not this:The display belongs to
him and me. What changes: To is a preposition, so the phrase takes object pronouns.
Read the full guide
A quick check often solves this problem. Temporarily remove the other person from the phrase. You would say I waited, not me waited, so use he and I when the pair performs the action. You would say the coach thanked me, not the coach thanked I, so use him and me after thanked.
Find who does the action
The subject is the person or thing that does the action. When two people are the subject, both pronouns need subject forms. He and I can replace two names that are doing something.
He and I arrive before the doors open.
The pair does the arriving, so he and I is the subject.
Which phrase can begin a sentence about two people who prepared the room: he and I or him and me?
Use he and I: He and I prepared the room.
Find who receives the action
An object receives the action of a verb. If another person calls, thanks, sees, or invites a pair, use object forms for that pair. Him and me can follow the verb because they receive the action.
The coordinator emailed him and me this morning.
The coordinator sent the email, so him and me are the objects.
Choose the phrase after thanked: The speaker thanked he and I, or The speaker thanked him and me?
Use him and me because the pair receives the thanks.
Check the word before the phrase
Prepositions such as to, for, with, and between are followed by object pronouns. Look at the word directly before the pair. If the phrase follows a preposition, choose him and me, not he and I.
The note is for him and me.
For is a preposition, so the phrase after it uses object forms.
She sat between him and me.
Between is also a preposition, so it takes him and me.
Use the one-person test carefully
Remove the other person and say the shorter sentence aloud. I checked the list sounds right, so use Priya and I checked the list. The manager called me sounds right, so use The manager called Priya and me. Put the other person back after you choose the form.
I wrote the message. Priya and I wrote the message.
I remains a subject pronoun when Priya is added.
The manager called me. The manager called Priya and me.
Me remains an object pronoun when Priya is added.
Keep reflexive pronouns for reflexive meaning
Myself is a reflexive pronoun. Use it when the subject and object refer to the same person, as in I reminded myself. Do not use myself simply because a phrase has two people. After a verb or preposition, use me when you mean the speaker as an object.
I introduced myself at the workshop.
I and myself refer to the same person, so the reflexive form fits.
Please send the receipt to Dana and me.
To needs an object phrase, so Dana and me is the standard form.
Which word fits after a verb when the speaker is an object: me or myself?
Use me unless the subject and object are the same person, as in I taught myself.
Before you go
Remember this
Use he and I when the pair does the action. Use him and me after a verb or preposition when the pair receives the action or follows words such as to, for, and between. Remove the other person for a moment if you need to test the sentence.
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 "He and I or him and I?"
When do I use he and I?
Use he and I when the two people are the subject of the sentence. They do the action or appear before a linking verb. For example, He and I checked the address. The pair did the checking, so both pronouns use subject forms.
Leah and I are meeting at the library.
When do I use him and me?
Use him and me when the pair receives the action of a verb or follows a preposition. In The guide gave him and me a map, the guide did the giving. In between you and me, between requires an object pronoun.
The librarian greeted Leah and me.
Is him and I correct in standard English?
In standard English, use he and I for a compound subject and him and me for a compound object. The sentence role decides the form. Say He and I work nearby, but The message reached him and me.
He and I checked the address before we left.
Does name order change the pronoun choice?
No. Naming another person first is a common courtesy, but it does not change the grammar. Use Maya and I when the pair is the subject. Use Maya and me when the pair is the object or comes after a preposition.
The guide gave him and me a map.
Can I use myself instead of me in a pair?
Usually, no. Use myself when the subject and object refer to the same person, as in I introduced myself. Use me after a verb or preposition when the speaker is an object: Please send the receipt to Dana and me.
My colleague and I sent the form yesterday.