Knowing when to use me and I can be confusing, so here is a quick guide: Use me when you’re talking about an action done to, toward, for, with, or without you. And use I whenever you’re the one doing the action.
What is the difference between me and I?
Me and I are both first-person personal pronouns. A personal pronoun is a word that’s substituted for an individual’s name.
Third-person personal pronouns include she, he, his, they, and them. Although it’s extremely rare to use your own name when speaking in the first person, I, me, my, and mine work similarly to other personal pronouns.
Here is an example of I and me operating as personal pronouns:
- “Camila, please come to my desk,” the teacher said to me. I stood up and walked toward her.
The difference between me and I is how they’re used in sentences. I is subjective, which means it’s used when the speaker is the subject of the sentence or the doer of the action. Me is objective, which means it’s used when the speaker is the object of the sentence or the receiver of the action.
When to use I
Use I when you’re the subject of the sentence. This is anytime you’re the one performing the action the sentence describes.
- I walked to the store and bought a loaf of bread.
Use I even when you’re one of multiple subjects in a sentence. When there is another subject, mention them first.
- Darren and I both love skateboarding.
When to use me
Use me when you’re the direct or indirect object of a sentence. The direct object of a sentence is the noun or noun clause the subject directly acts upon. Here is an example of me as the direct object of a sentence:
- The coach asked me to mentor the team’s new player.
- Andre passed me his magic markers.
The indirect object is the noun that doesn’t directly receive the subject’s action. The indirect object can receive the direct object or simply add details to the sentence. Here are a few examples of me as the indirect object of a sentence:
- Shayna gave me her old textbooks.
- Gabriel brought me notes from the conference.
How to remember when to use me or I
Sometimes, knowing when to use I and when to use me can be difficult, especially when you’re not sure whether you’re the subject, direct object, or indirect object of a sentence. To make it easier, here’s a handy trick writers use to determine whether to use me or I: Remove any additional nouns and see if the sentence still makes sense. Take a look at this sentence:
Miguel, Sara, and __ are taking Intro to Literary Criticism next semester.
If you aren’t sure whether to use me or I, take away the other subjects, replace them with I and me, and see which makes sense:
Using me or I when there’s more than one subject
When using me or I, the same rules apply regardless of the number of subjects in the sentence. Take a look at these examples:
- Irene and I were late to class.
- Goldilocks shared her porridge with Jack, Jill, and me.
If you and one or more others are the subjects of the sentence, use I. If you and one or more others are the objects or direct objects of the sentence, use me.
Conjugate the verbs in the sentence according to the number of subjects. For example, if you alone were late to class, the sentence would be I was late to class. However, because you and Irene were both late to class, you’d use the verb were rather than was. This is known as subject-verb agreement.
Correct and incorrect examples
Me vs. I FAQs
What is the difference between me and I?
I is subjective, which means it’s used when the speaker is the subject of the sentence or the doer of the action. Me is objective, which means it’s used when the speaker is the object of the sentence or the receiver of the action.
What is a trick for remembering when to use each?
Remove any additional nouns and try the sentence with just I or me. Then, see if the sentence still makes sense.
For example:
Jon, Staci, and __ got B’s on our papers.
