Subject Pronouns | Definition, Examples & List
A subject pronoun (“I,” “we,” “she,” “he,” “they,” “you,” “who,” or “it”) performs the action in a sentence or clause. It’s different from an object pronoun (“me,” “us,” “him,” “her,” “them,” “whom”), which receives the action in a sentence.
Subject pronouns can be first person, second person, or third person. They can also be plural or singular.
- We is always plural.
- I, she, he, and it are always singular.
- They, you, and who can be singular or plural.
Third-person, singular subject pronouns sometimes show gender: “she” (feminine), “he” (masculine), and “singular they” (nonbinary). In addition, “they” is the right subject pronoun for a hypothetical person whose gender is irrelevant to the context or is unknown.
| Pronoun | Person | Number | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | First | Singular | I watched a fascinating movie about pinball last night. |
| We | First | Plural | When my friends and I visited New Orleans, we got matching tattoos. |
| You | Second | Singular | You tell the best jokes, Dusty. |
| Plural | You have been a fantastic audience, and I hope everyone enjoyed the show. | ||
| She | Third | Singular | Michelle Yeoh deserved the Oscar because she gave the best performance. |
| He | Third | Singular | After he invented record players, Edison invented movies. |
| They | Third | Singular | Korey loathes cilantro because they think it tastes like soap. (Korey is a person whose pronouns are “they”/”them”)
If a student has questions about the assignment, they should meet with the instructor. (In this context, gender is irrelevant, so “they” is correct) |
| Plural | The archeologists published several articles after they discovered the artifacts. | ||
| Who | Third | Singular | The candidate who won the election wants to increase teacher salaries. |
| Plural | Viewers who like The Office will enjoy Abbott Elementary. | ||
| It | Third | Singular | The owl dropped a feather as it flew across the meadow. |
When to use a subject pronoun
Use a subject pronoun (e.g., “she”) rather than an object pronoun (e.g., “her”) when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence or clause. Another term for this is the nominative case. Always use the nominative case for pronouns that perform the action in a sentence or clause.
A subject pronoun performs the action (or is described or renamed) in the following situations:
- Subject
- Compound subject
- Predicate nominative
- Subject of a question
- Subject of a comparison
- Subject of an adjective clause
| Use | Example | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Last summer, I worked at a garden center. | A single subject pronoun like “you” or “I” can be a sentence’s main subject. |
| Compound subject | She and James have been best friends since kindergarten.
The neighbors and I are collecting food to donate to charity. |
Subject pronouns can be part of compound subjects such as “she and James.” When one of the two subjects is “I,” place it after the other subject. |
| Predicate nominative | The winner of the pie eating contest was I. | A predicate nominative follows a “to be” verb and is interchangeable with the subject. If you can flip the position of the pronoun and the subject (e.g., “I was the winner of the pie eating contest”), use the nominative case. |
| Subject of a question | Can he watch the game with us?
When will we get the test results back? |
In questions, subject pronouns are often preceded by modal verbs (e.g., “can”), interrogatives (e.g., “when”), or auxiliary verbs (e.g., “will”). |
| Subject in a comparison | Even though Shawna is a pastry chef, I make better cookies than she does. | Use nominative case when both nouns in the comparison perform the action. Use objective case when both the pronoun and the other noun receive the action (e.g., “Billy loves Daphne more than me”). |
| Adjective clause | My sister, who lives in Portland, collects owl figurines. | “Who” can be the subject of an adjective clause, in which case it’s also a relative pronoun. |
- The winner of the costume contest is going to be me.
- Don’t worry if the house is messy when we come over. It’s just us!
When you’re speaking or writing informally, use subject pronouns or object pronouns as predicate nominatives, depending on your preference. In formal writing, use subject pronouns.
Subject pronouns and antecedents
Every subject pronoun needs a clear antecedent (the noun that the pronoun represents). A pronoun without an antecedent is a vague pronoun reference. When you’re writing, use the antecedent before you substitute it with a subject pronoun so that your meaning is clear.
Professor Kahn teaches literature courses. She also writes children’s books.
Subject pronouns must also agree in number with their antecedents. If the antecedent is plural, the subject pronoun must be plural, too.
- Television shows are more interesting when it has funny characters.
- Television shows are more interesting when they have funny characters.
- My brother he lives in Los Angeles and owns a bicycle store.
- My brother lives in Los Angeles and owns a bicycle store.
- My brother, who lives in Los Angeles, owns a bicycle store.
In this example, you only need one subject (“brother”) for the two verbs “lives” and “owns.” Even though it’s not correct to say “my brother he,” you could say “my brother, who” if you want to use an adjective clause instead of a compound predicate.
Subject pronouns and subject-verb agreement
Subject pronouns must also agree with their verbs. Two of the singular subject pronouns–she and he–take present-tense verbs that end in “-s.” Who, which can be singular or plural, only takes present-tense verbs that end in “-s” when the antecedent is singular.
The rest of the subject pronouns take present-tense verbs that don’t end in “-s.”
| Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|
| I | Every morning, I enjoy a cup of coffee on my deck and listen to the birds. |
| She | Gloria lives in Chicago, where she teaches music lessons to children. |
| He | Although he usually goes to bed early, Joel stayed up late watching football. |
| They | Schools in the US are banning cellphones because they distract students. |
| You | Since you love chocolate, I baked us a cake. |
| Who | The woman who lives in the purple house makes pottery in her basement. (singular antecedent)
Doctors who listen to their patients are usually more successful. (plural antecedent) |
| It | Sourdough bread isn’t difficult to make, but it does take practice. |
Frequently asked questions about subject pronouns
- What’s the difference between subject and object pronouns?
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Subject pronouns (“I,” “we,” “she,” “he,” “they,” “you,” “who,” and “it”) perform the action in a sentence or clause (e.g., “We watched a documentary about pyramids yesterday”).
Object pronouns (“me,” “us,” “him,” “her,” “them,” “whom”) receive the action (e.g., “The instructor gave us a new assignment today”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes with subject and object pronouns.
- What are the plural subject pronouns?
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The plural subject pronouns are “we,” “you,” “they,” and “who.”
“We” is always plural and means “one or more other people and I” (e.g., “We all love working here because our jobs are so fun”).
“You,” “they,” and “who” can be singular or plural (e.g., “I know all of the people who live in this building” and “The person who lives next door is my best friend”).
If you’re unsure about when to use singular or plural pronouns, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes.
- Is who a singular or plural pronoun?
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Who can be a singular or plural subject pronoun.
Sometimes “who” represents one person (e.g., “The person who shares my office has a terrific sense of humor”).
“Who” can also represent two or more people (e.g., “The people who live across the street have a new puppy”).
If you’re unsure about when to use who in your writing, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you choose the correct pronoun.
- Is you singular or plural?
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The subject pronoun “you” can be singular or plural.
If you’re talking to one person, “you” is singular (e.g., “You are a motivated student”).
If you’re talking to two or more people, “you” is plural (e.g., “You are all great students”).
If you’re unsure about when to use you in your writing, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you choose the correct pronoun.
- Is are singular or plural?
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Because “are” is a verb and not a noun, it’s not plural or singular. However, the verb “are” agrees with the plural subject pronoun “we” and plural nouns, such as “cats” (e.g., “My cats are watching the birds out the window”).
The verb “are” also agrees with the subject pronouns “you” and “they,” which can be singular or plural (e.g., “You are such a good friend” or “Babies cry when they are hungry”).
If you’re unsure about when to use are in your writing, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you choose the correct verb.
