We recently got this question from a subscriber: When do we use “me” and “I” in a sentence?
This is a confusion for many second language learners because “I” and “me” mean the same thing. It’s a pronoun you use to refer to yourself.
However, “I” is used as a subject and “me” is used as an object.
Sentences usually come in this form: Subject + Verb
And they may come with an object that receives the action: Subject + Verb + Object
Let’s look at these examples.
- I kicked the ball.
In this sentence, “I” is the subject–the person who performed the action of kicking the ball. So this sentence is correct.
- Roza and I are going to the store today.
In this sentence, you would also use “I” because both “Roza” and “I” are the subjects in this sentence.
- The cat scratched me.
In this sentence, “me” is the direct object of the verb “scratched” because it receives the action of scratching. Ouch.
- The cat scratched my sister and me.
In this sentence, “me” is used because it’s also considered as the object that receives the action of scratching.
So just remember, “I” is used before the verb, while “me” is almost always used after the verb.
(There is one exception where you use “I” after a verb, but that’s another post.)
With practise and careful consideration of whether you’re referring to the subject or the object in a sentence, you can ensure you make the right choice between “I” and “me” every time.
The more you hear and use these pronouns, the easier it will be to know which pronoun to use when you refer to yourself.
