Practice
Joe and I or Joe and me?
Joe and I planned the meeting. The manager thanked Joe and me after it. The name Joe stays the same, but I changes to me because the pair has a different job in each sentence.
Choose Joe and I when the pair is the subject, and Joe and me when the pair receives an action or follows 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
Joe and I will call the office. /dʒoʊ ən aɪ wɪl kɔl ði ˈɔfɪs/
The short answer
Write Joe and I before a verb when the pair is the subject. Write Joe and me after a verb or preposition when the pair is an object.
Joe and I will send the proposal today.
Why it works: Joe and I are the people who will send the proposal, so the phrase is the subject.
5 more examples
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Joe and I take the train to work.
The pair takes the train, so the phrase is the subject.
Not this:The driver greeted
Joe and meat the station. What changes: The driver did the greeting. Joe and me receive the action. -
Joe and I reviewed the budget before lunch.
The pair performed the action reviewed.
Not this:The director reviewed the budget
with Joe and me. What changes: With is a preposition, so the phrase after it uses the object pronoun me. -
Joe and I are ready for the call.
The phrase comes before are and names the people who are ready.
Not this:The invitation is
for Joe and me. What changes: For is a preposition, so use me after Joe. -
Joe and I agreed to meet outside the library.
Joe and you both agreed, so the pair is the subject.
Not this:The librarian spoke
to Joe and meoutside the library. What changes: To introduces the object of spoke, so use me. -
Joe and I will present the results on Monday.
Try the shorter sentence: I will present the results. I works before the verb.
Not this:The team asked
Joe and meto present the results on Monday. What changes: Try the shorter sentence: The team asked me. Me works after asked.
Read the full guide
Find the action first. Ask who performs it and who receives it. That answer tells you whether the pronoun in the pair should be I or me.
Find who does the action
The subject performs the action. When Joe and you are the people doing something, use Joe and I before the verb.
Joe and I organized the workshop.
Joe and you organized the workshop, so Joe and I is the subject.
Choose the phrase for two people who will lead a tour: Joe and I or Joe and me?
Use Joe and I: Joe and I will lead the tour.
Find who receives the action
An object receives an action. After verbs such as called, invited, thanked, or emailed, use Joe and me if someone else performs the action.
The organizer emailed Joe and me the schedule.
The organizer did the emailing. Joe and you received the schedule.
Complete the sentence: The host thanked ___ after dinner.
Use Joe and me: The host thanked Joe and me after dinner.
Look for a preposition
Words such as to, for, with, and between are prepositions. A pronoun after a preposition uses the object form. That is why the phrase is Joe and me after these words.
The seats are beside Joe and me.
Beside is a preposition, so it is followed by Joe and me.
The decision stayed between Joe and me.
Between also takes an object phrase.
Use the one-person check
Remove Joe and say the shorter sentence aloud. If I works by itself, use Joe and I. If me works by itself, use Joe and me. Keep the rest of the sentence when you test it.
I will arrive early. Joe and I will arrive early.
I works alone before will arrive, so it stays I in the full subject phrase.
Test this object sentence: The guide waited for ___. Which word works alone, I or me?
Use me alone, then use Joe and me: The guide waited for Joe and me.
Keep both pronouns in the same role
Joe and me combines a name with an object pronoun, so use it for an object. Joe and I combines a name with a subject pronoun, so use it for a subject. Match the whole pair to one role.
Joe and I sent the update.
Both people sent the update, so the phrase uses the subject pronoun I.
Choose the standard phrase after with: with Joe and I or with Joe and me?
Use with Joe and me because with is a preposition.
Before you go
Remember this
Use Joe and I for the pair that does the action. Use Joe and me for the pair that receives the action or follows a preposition. Remove Joe and test I or me in the same sentence when you need to check.
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 "Joe and I or Joe and me?"
Why is it Joe and I in a subject?
I is the subject form of the pronoun. When Joe and you do the action, the whole phrase is the subject, so write Joe and I. For example, Joe and I finished the report means that both people finished it.
Joe and I take the train to work.
Why is it Joe and me after a verb?
Me is the object form. Use it when someone else performs an action to the pair. In The supervisor called Joe and me, the supervisor did the calling, and Joe and the speaker received the action.
The driver greeted Joe and me at the station.
Do I use Joe and me after with, for, or between?
Yes. With, for, and between are prepositions, and English normally uses object pronouns after prepositions. Write with Joe and me, for Joe and me, and between Joe and me.
Joe and I reviewed the budget before lunch.
Does the one-person check always work?
It works well when you keep the full sentence pattern. Remove Joe and test the remaining pronoun where it appears: I will call is correct, while the office called me is correct. Then put Joe back in the same place.
The director reviewed the budget with Joe and me.
What should I write after a form of be?
This area has different formal and conversational patterns. In everyday speech, It was Joe and me is common. Some formal style guides prefer It was Joe and I. Follow the style required by an exam, workplace, or publication, and use the clear subject and object pattern elsewhere in the sentence.
Joe and I are ready for the call.