Subject and Object Pronouns
1. Target Vocabulary
Study the following core pronouns, their meanings, translations, and how they function in contextual sentences.
| Word / POS | Definition & Translation | Contextual Example |
|---|---|---|
| I pronoun |
Used by a speaker to refer to himself or herself as the subject. tôi |
I am a student in sixth grade. |
| he pronoun |
Used to refer to a male person previously mentioned as the subject. anh ấy / ông ấy |
He plays soccer every weekend. |
| she pronoun |
Used to refer to a female person previously mentioned as the subject. cô ấy / bà ấy |
She likes to read mystery books. |
| we pronoun |
Used to refer to the speaker and one or more other people as the subject. chúng tôi / chúng ta |
We are going to the zoo tomorrow. |
| they pronoun |
Used to refer to two or more people or things as the subject. họ / chúng nó |
They are the best players on the team. |
| me pronoun |
Used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to the speaker. tôi (tân ngữ) |
My teacher gave me a new pen. |
| him pronoun |
Used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to a male. anh ấy (tân ngữ) |
I saw him at the library yesterday. |
| her pronoun |
Used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to a female. cô ấy (tân ngữ) |
Please tell her that the meeting is at noon. |
| us pronoun |
Used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to the speaker and others. chúng tôi (tân ngữ) |
The coach asked us to practice harder. |
| them pronoun |
Used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to people or things. họ / chúng nó (tân ngữ) |
I bought some apples and gave them to my friends. |
2. Grammar Explanations & Structures
Grammar Point 1: Subject Pronouns (Đại từ nhân xưng chủ ngữ)
A subject pronoun replaces a noun that is the subject of a sentence. It tells who or what performs the action of the verb and always sits before the main verb.
Examples:
- She is the captain of the debate team. (Replaces: Sarah / The girl)
- They visited Washington, D.C. last summer. (Replaces: My parents / Tom and Mary)
- It is a very beautiful day today. (Replaces: The weather)
Grammar Point 2: Object Pronouns (Đại từ nhân xưng tân ngữ)
An object pronoun replaces a noun that receives the action of a verb or follows a preposition like ‘to’, ‘with’, ‘at’, or ‘for’. It is placed after verbs or prepositions.
Examples:
- The principal congratulated them on their success. (Receives the verb action ‘congratulated’)
- Will you go to the park with us? (Follows the preposition ‘with’)
- I found the key and put it on the table. (Receives the verb action ‘put’)
? Advanced Study: Summary & Rule Alignment
To avoid repetition in English, nouns must match their replacement pronouns perfectly in gender (male/female/neutral) and number (singular/plural). Never use a subject pronoun where an object is required, and vice versa!
| Person / Number | Subject (Before Verb) | Object (After Verb/Preposition) |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person Singular | I | me |
| 2nd Person Singular/Plural | you | you |
| 3rd Person Singular (Male) | he | him |
| 3rd Person Singular (Female) | she | her |
| 3rd Person Singular (Thing) | it | it |
| 1st Person Plural | we | us |
| 3rd Person Plural | they | them |
3. Practice Exercises
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
- 1. David is a fantastic chef. works at a top restaurant downtown. (Hint: Replace David as subject)
- 2. My parents gave a laptop for my birthday. I was so excited! (Hint: Refer to the speaker as object)
- 3. Sophia lost her keys this morning, so her brother helped look for them. (Hint: Replace Sophia as object)
- 4. Peter and I are studying together because have an exam tomorrow. (Hint: Replace Peter and I as subject)
- 5. The box is heavy, so please do not lift by yourself. (Hint: Replace ‘the box’ as object)
- 6. Look at those kids! are playing beautifully in the garden. (Hint: Replace ‘those kids’ as subject)
- 7. Our teacher asked to submit our assignments before noon. (Hint: Replace the plural speaker group as object)
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
- 1. Mr. Green wants to talk to _____ about your late homework.
- 2. _____ are going to visit our grandparents in the countryside this weekend.
- 3. I saw Mary today, and she told me that _____ passed her driving test.
- 4. The teacher gave the text books to Tom and Lucas, then asked _____ to read aloud.
- 5. Do you like this dress? My mother made it for _____.
- 6. The new dog is friendly, but our cat does not like _____ yet.
- 7. Anna and _____ went to the bookstore to buy some new notebooks.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
- 1. My brother is older than me, but him cannot drive a car yet. [ True / False ]
- 2. The manager called us to discuss the upcoming school project. [ True / False ]
- 3. Mrs. Smith bought a cake and split it evenly between they. [ True / False ]
- 4. She and her best friend go to the cinema every Saturday afternoon. [ True / False ]
- 5. I forgot my lunchbox today, so John shared his sandwich with I. [ True / False ]
- 6. The birds are flying high, and they look beautiful in the blue sky. [ True / False ]
- 7. Can you please pass him the salt shaker from across the table? [ True / False ]
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
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1. yesterday / at / mall / the / saw / him / we / .
Your answer: ______________________________________________________________________ -
2. very / math / she / homework / helped / with / me / my / .
Your answer: ______________________________________________________________________ -
3. tomorrow / park / the / they / coming / with / us / to / are / .
Your answer: ______________________________________________________________________ -
4. a / teacher / textbook / new / gave / them / our / .
Your answer: ______________________________________________________________________ -
5. delicious / baked / apple / pie / he / a / for / her / .
Your answer: ______________________________________________________________________ -
6. cannot / find / where / keys / I / are / they / ?
Your answer: ______________________________________________________________________ -
7. easily / test / passed / because / studied / hard / we / the / .
Your answer: ______________________________________________________________________
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
- 1. My cousin lives in Canada. [ He / Him ] sends email updates to my family every month.
- 2. Please tell [ she / her ] that the school bus is arriving in five minutes.
- 3. The stray cat was starving, so we left food out for [ it / they ] last night.
- 4. [ They / Them ] built a giant snowman in the front yard after the storm.
- 5. Regular physical exercise helps [ we / us ] stay healthy and energetic.
- 6. Uncle Bob promised to take [ I / me ] fishing at the lake this coming weekend.
- 7. Since the children were making noise, their father asked [ they / them ] to be quiet.