Post by moon125 on Nov 4, 2024 3:53:40 GMT -5
When to use I or me in an English sentence?
How to say “I” in English?
The answer to this question is: it depends on the case.
In the English language, we sometimes use “ I ” and sometimes “ me ” to refer to ourselves. For many Portuguese speakers, these two words can cause some confusion in specific situations.
For example, a very common doubt is when we want to refer to two different subjects, separated by “and”, such as “ you and I ” or “ you shopify website design and me ”. So, when should we use each of these terms?
To understand better, just go back to a very simple rule that will clarify this difference: the pronoun “ I ” is used as the subject of the sentence, while the pronoun “ me ” is used as the object .
This simple difference will make it much easier to figure out when to use each pronoun in an English sentence. See:
“ I ” is a personal pronoun that acts as the subject of a sentence, representing the first person singular (equivalent to “eu” in Portuguese).
For example:
I went camping yesterday. | I went camping yesterday.
Charles and I went camping yesterday .
In both sentences above, in the same way, “I” is playing the role of the subject in the sentence. In other words, it represents the person who is carrying out the action – in the first, only “I” performs the action of going camping, and, in the second, “Charles and I” do the same.
When to use “me”?
“Me” is a complementary personal pronoun that also refers to the first person singular. In this case, however, the pronoun fulfills the role of the object of the sentence – not the one who performs the action, but the receiver of it. (In Portuguese, it can be translated as “eu”, “me” or “mim”, depending on the sentence).
For example:
The receptionist came to help me . | The receptionist came to help me .
The receptionist came to help my sister and me . | The receptionist came to help my sister and me .
In the two examples above, “me” is the receiver of the action, that is, the object that receives it.
➔ Tip: A good way to remember whether you should use “me” in an English sentence is to think about the action represented in the sentence (in these cases above, “help”) and ask the question “ to whom? ”, “ whom? ” or “ for whom? ”. If “me”, whether alone or accompanied by another object, answers one of these questions, then it is undoubtedly an object and it is the term “me” that should be used in the sentence.
See below some other examples to better consolidate this difference.
Sentences using “me” as the object of the sentence
This is a secret to be kept between you and me .
This is a secret that must be kept between you and me.
She set the appointment for you and me .
She made the appointment for you and me.
Stop talking to me while I'm driving.
Stop talking to me while I'm driving.
Everyone helped my mother and me with the moving.
Everyone helped my mom and I with the moves.
Is this whole plate of food just for you and me ?
Is this whole plate of food just for you and me?
He always beats John and me at chess.
He always beats John and me at chess.
Sentences using “I” as the subject of the sentence
I am watching the match.
I'm watching the game.
You and I are going shopping.
You and I are going shopping.
John and I made pasta for dinner.
John and I made pasta for dinner.
My friends and I watched this movie last night.
My friends and I watched this movie last night.
You and I have to talk later.
You and I have to talk later.
Your cousin and I met each other at the market.
Your cousin and I met at the market.
So that's the difference. Simple, right?
Want to check out other articles similar to this one? Visit the English Tips category on our blog!
How to say “I” in English?
The answer to this question is: it depends on the case.
In the English language, we sometimes use “ I ” and sometimes “ me ” to refer to ourselves. For many Portuguese speakers, these two words can cause some confusion in specific situations.
For example, a very common doubt is when we want to refer to two different subjects, separated by “and”, such as “ you and I ” or “ you shopify website design and me ”. So, when should we use each of these terms?
To understand better, just go back to a very simple rule that will clarify this difference: the pronoun “ I ” is used as the subject of the sentence, while the pronoun “ me ” is used as the object .
This simple difference will make it much easier to figure out when to use each pronoun in an English sentence. See:
“ I ” is a personal pronoun that acts as the subject of a sentence, representing the first person singular (equivalent to “eu” in Portuguese).
For example:
I went camping yesterday. | I went camping yesterday.
Charles and I went camping yesterday .
In both sentences above, in the same way, “I” is playing the role of the subject in the sentence. In other words, it represents the person who is carrying out the action – in the first, only “I” performs the action of going camping, and, in the second, “Charles and I” do the same.
When to use “me”?
“Me” is a complementary personal pronoun that also refers to the first person singular. In this case, however, the pronoun fulfills the role of the object of the sentence – not the one who performs the action, but the receiver of it. (In Portuguese, it can be translated as “eu”, “me” or “mim”, depending on the sentence).
For example:
The receptionist came to help me . | The receptionist came to help me .
The receptionist came to help my sister and me . | The receptionist came to help my sister and me .
In the two examples above, “me” is the receiver of the action, that is, the object that receives it.
➔ Tip: A good way to remember whether you should use “me” in an English sentence is to think about the action represented in the sentence (in these cases above, “help”) and ask the question “ to whom? ”, “ whom? ” or “ for whom? ”. If “me”, whether alone or accompanied by another object, answers one of these questions, then it is undoubtedly an object and it is the term “me” that should be used in the sentence.
See below some other examples to better consolidate this difference.
Sentences using “me” as the object of the sentence
This is a secret to be kept between you and me .
This is a secret that must be kept between you and me.
She set the appointment for you and me .
She made the appointment for you and me.
Stop talking to me while I'm driving.
Stop talking to me while I'm driving.
Everyone helped my mother and me with the moving.
Everyone helped my mom and I with the moves.
Is this whole plate of food just for you and me ?
Is this whole plate of food just for you and me?
He always beats John and me at chess.
He always beats John and me at chess.
Sentences using “I” as the subject of the sentence
I am watching the match.
I'm watching the game.
You and I are going shopping.
You and I are going shopping.
John and I made pasta for dinner.
John and I made pasta for dinner.
My friends and I watched this movie last night.
My friends and I watched this movie last night.
You and I have to talk later.
You and I have to talk later.
Your cousin and I met each other at the market.
Your cousin and I met at the market.
So that's the difference. Simple, right?
Want to check out other articles similar to this one? Visit the English Tips category on our blog!
And in chorus, we learn how to read music. What about you?
But yeah, working on the missing location pictures. <3