Object Pronouns
English Grammar Rules
The seven basic pronouns have one form when they are used as subjects and another
form when they are used as objects.
Subjects are what the sentence is about. (See more about Subject Pronouns)
Objects are what is affected by the action of the subject.
I like orange juice. (I is the subject).
I read books. (Books is the object as it is receiving the action).
PRONOUNS
Subject Pronoun Object Pronoun
I Me
You You
He Him
She Her
It It
We Us
You (plural) You
They Them
Object pronouns are used instead of nouns, usually because we already know what the
object is. It makes the sentence easier to read and understand and avoids repetition. We
normally use object pronouns after a verb or a preposition.
Examples
I like horses. Subject Pronoun
Horses don't like me. Object Pronoun
We talk to our neighbour. Subject Pronoun
She talks to us. Object Pronoun
They listen to the teacher. Subject Pronoun
Listen to me carefully. Object Pronoun
You speak very quickly. Subject Pronoun
We watch them on TV. Object Pronoun
The Object Pronoun - it
Be careful when using 'it' as an object pronoun because it is only in the correct context that
it has meaning. It needs to have already been mentioned or obvious to the listener what
you are referring to. Compare;
You are sitting on it! (The listener probably doesn't know what the speaker refers
to).
The letter is on the sofa. You are sitting on it! (It is obvious in the second sentence
that the reference is to the letter)
Personal Pronouns
Dentro de los pronombres personales, la lengua inglesa distingue entre pronombres en funcin de
sujeto (subject pronouns) y pronombres en funcin de objeto (object pronouns).
Pronombres (en
Ejemplo
funcin de sujeto)
I I am ill.
yo Yo estoy enfermo.
you You are tall.
t, usted T eres alto. / Usted es alto.
he He is handsome.
l l es guapo.
she She is pretty.
ella Ella es guapa.
it It is cold today.
ello (neutro) Hoy hace fro.
we We are tired.
nosotros Nosotros estamos cansados.
you You are angry.
vosotros, ustedes Vosotros estis enfadados. / Ustedes estn enfadados.
they They are at the cinema.
ellos, ellas Ellos estn en el cine.
Pronombres (en
Ejemplo
funcin de objeto)
me Can you help me?
mi Puedes ayudarme?
you I can help you.
a ti, a usted Puedo ayudarte. / Puedo ayudarle.
him Can you see him?
a l Le puedes ver?
her Give it to her.
a ella Dselo a ella.
it Give it a kick.
a ello Dale una patada.
us Can you see us?
a nosotros Nos puedes ver?
you I see you.
a vosotros, a ustedes Os veo. / Les veo.
them He can help them.
a ellos Les puede ayudar.
Nota: En ingls no existe la forma usted o ustedes formal. Por lo tanto los nativos de la lengua
ni siquiera lo tienen conceptualizado como una forma aqu llamada formal. Se tiene que entender
por tanto, que la forma masculina, femenina y neutra son lo mismo, lo nico que las diferencia es el
gnero.
Adems, ten en cuenta que en ingls slo existe una forma para tu y vosotros, you, excepto en
la forma reflexiva que distingue entre el singular (yourself) y plural (yourselves).
Neuter Form (Forma neutra)
Los pronombres en ingls distinguen entre masculino (he), femenino (she) y neutro (it).
El pronombre personal it se utiliza cuando nos referimos a cosas, a animales que no sabemos su
sexo o al tiempo (calendario y meteorolgico). La forma plural de it es they.
Ejemplos:
Where is it [the book]? (Dnde est [el libro]?)
What time is it? (Qu hora es?)
It is raining. (Est lloviendo.)
Nota: It es una partcula muy importante en ingls de la que los hablantes de lengua espaola se
suelen olvidar.
Function (Funcin)
1. El pronombre en funcin de sujeto
El sujeto de una oracin es la persona o cosa que realiza la accin del verbo. Se utilizan cuando el
pronombre es el sujeto de la oracin. Este pronombre en ingls, a diferencia del espaol, debe
figurar siempre.
Ejemplos:
I am ill. (Yo estoy enfermo.)
Subject = I
You are tall. (T eres alto.)
Subject = you
He is handsome. (l es guapo.)
Subject = he
We are tired. (Nosotros estamos cansados.)
Subject = we
2. El pronombre en funcin de objeto
Este pronombre se coloca detrs del verbo al que complementa o detrs de preposiciones como
for, to, with y at.
Ejemplos:
I can help you. (Puedo ayudarte.)
Subject = I, Object = you
Can you see him? (Puedes verle?)
Subject = you, Object = him
He is going to the party with us. (l va a la fiesta con nosotros.)
Subject = he, Object = us
It [the letter] is for you. (Es [la carta] para ti.)
Subject = it, Object = you
