Accusative Case in English | Pronouns & Examples
In some languages, the accusative case is a grammatical case for the direct object of a verb. For example, in “I made two pizzas and baked them in the oven,” the pronoun “them” is the direct object of the verb “baked.” In English, the grammatical case for direct objects (as well as indirect objects and objects of prepositions) is called the objective case.
The term “accusative case” isn’t common in English because its three grammatical cases are nominative, genitive, and objective. In other languages (e.g., German and Russian), the accusative case is for direct objects, and the dative case is for indirect objects. In English, direct objects and indirect objects are both part of the objective case.
Learning about the objective case helps with correct pronoun usage. When a pronoun is a direct object, it must be an objective case pronoun (e.g., “her” or “me”). Nominative case pronouns (e.g., “she” or “I”) are not correct for direct objects.
I love Lady Gaga, but I’ve never seen her live.
Jenna bought peonies and put them in a vase.
What is the accusative case in English?
In English grammar, the accusative case is considered part of the objective case, which also includes the dative case. English has three cases for nouns and pronouns:
- Nominative case for the subject of a verb (e.g., “I,” “we,” “she,” “he,” “it,” “they,” “you,” and “who”)
- Genitive case to show possession (e.g., “my,” “ours,” “Beyoncé’s”)
- Objective case for a direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition (e.g., “me,” “us,” “you,” “her,” “him,” “them,” “it,” and “whom”)
Some (but not all) other languages (e.g., German and Latin) include four or more cases, including nominative, genitive, accusative (direct objects), and dative (indirect objects).
| Direct objects (accusative case) | Indirect objects (dative case) |
|---|---|
| I filled 20 Easter eggs with candy and hid them around the house. | The school gave him a generous scholarship. |
| The students whom I teach on Friday are so creative and intelligent. | The kids cooked her breakfast on Mother’s Day. |
How to identify a direct object for accusative case
In order to use objective case (in English) or accusative case (in other languages), you need to know when a noun or pronoun is a direct object of the verb.
The direct object in a sentence answers the question “what?” or “whom?” For example, in the sentence “We watched a movie,” the direct object “movie” answers the question “What did we watch?”
A sentence can have an indirect object, too, which is dative case in some languages and objective case in English. An indirect object receives a direct object and answers the question “to whom?” or “for whom?” (e.g., “him” in “Steve gave him a promotion”).
When I saw those silver boots, I had to buy them.
Heidi gave me the keys, and I put them in my purse.
Accusative case pronouns (i.e., objective case pronouns)
Pronouns that are in the accusative case in some languages are part of the objective case in English. Objective case pronouns include object pronouns and reflexive pronouns.
- Object pronouns: “me,” “us,” “you,” “her,” “him,” “them,” “it,” and “whom”
- Reflexive pronouns: “myself,” “ourselves,” “yourself,” “yourselves,” “himself,” “herself,” “themselves,” “oneself,” and “itself”
A reflexive pronoun can only be an object when it refers to the same person, place, or thing as the sentence subject (e.g., “himself” in “Link taught himself how to fly”).
| Person | Pronouns | Examples in sentences |
|---|---|---|
| First-person object pronouns | Me, us | Aunt Viv visited us last week. |
| Second-person object pronoun | you | I can’t hear you over the noise. |
| Third-person object pronouns | Him, her, them, it | We saw him on Saturday Night Live. |
| First-person reflexive pronouns | Myself, ourselves | We rewarded ourselves with ice cream. |
| Second-person reflexive pronouns | Yourself, yourselves | You should congratulate yourself for winning. |
| Third-person reflexive pronouns | Himself, herself, themselves, itself | Grandma considers herself lucky. |
The nominative case pronouns (aka subject pronouns) “I,” “we,” “you,” “she,” “he,” “it,” “they,” and “who” are not correct for direct objects. This rule is trickier when a direct object has two pronouns or a noun and a pronoun, in which case objective case pronouns are still necessary.
- Louise’s dad took she and Sylvie to A Minecraft Movie.
- Louise’s dad took her and Sylvie to A Minecraft Movie.
- The new client invited my coworkers and I to lunch.
- The new client invited my coworkers and me to lunch.
Frequently asked questions about the accusative case
- Is it you and me or you and I?
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It can be you and me or you and I depending on the sentence. “You and I” is correct for a sentence subject because it’s in the nominative case (e.g., “You and I should have lunch”).
“You and me” is correct when you need the accusative case for a direct object or the dative case for an indirect object or object of a preposition (e.g., “The restaurant reserved a special table just for you and me”).
Use the subject pronoun “I” for nominative case and the object pronoun “me” for the accusative/dative case (aka the objective case).
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker for help with pronouns? It can show you which pronouns are correct in any piece of writing.
- Is it him and I or him and me?
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“Him and I” is incorrect, but you can use “him and me.” “Him” and “me” are both object pronouns, so they can be used together when you need the objective case (which includes the dative case and the accusative case).
- Dative case: The neighbors play volleyball with him and me every Saturday.
- Accusative case: They asked him and me to water their garden during their vacation.
The subject pronoun “I,” which is one of the nominative case pronouns, cannot be combined with the object pronoun “him.” “I” can only be a subject or a predicate nominative.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can instantly find and fix errors—such as “him and I”—in your writing.
- Is it her and I or she and I?
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“Her and I” is not correct, but you can use “she and I” because they’re both nominative case pronouns that can be part of a compound subject (e.g., “She and I lived together during college”).
“Her” is not a nominative case pronoun but rather, an object pronoun. You can say “her and me” when you need the objective case (which includes the dative case and the accusative case).
- Dative case: The teacher gave her and me extra credit.
- Accusative case: Mom took her and me out to dinner.
When you combine two pronouns with “and,” they need to be in the same case.
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can instantly find and fix errors—such as “her and I”—in your writing.
