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Personal Pronouns

Learn English personal pronouns, the words we use instead of nouns like people's names, so we don't have to repeat the same noun again and again.

By the flumi team About 6 min read 20 vocabulary wordsGrammar learning path: Pronouns and basic determiners
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What is a pronoun?

A pronoun is a word we use instead of a noun (a person, place, animal, or thing).

We use pronouns so that we do not repeat the same noun again and again.

Without a pronoun

"Mina is my friend. Mina is kind. Mina likes music."

With a pronoun

"Mina is my friend. She is kind. She likes music."

The word "she" is a pronoun because it replaces the noun "Mina."

Pronouns make sentences shorter and less repetitive.

What are personal pronouns?

Personal pronouns replace people, animals, or things in a sentence.

There are three personal-pronoun groups:

  • Subject pronouns – tell us who does the action.
  • Object pronouns – tell us who receives the action.
  • Possessive pronouns – show ownership.

Subject: She likes pizza.

Object: Give it to me.

Possessive: This book is mine.

Subject pronouns (who does the action?)

Subject pronouns tell us who does the action or who or what the sentence is about.

They usually come before the verb.

Subject pronouns are:

  • I – used to talk about yourself.
  • you – used to talk to one person or more than one person.
  • he – used for one male person.
  • she – used for one female person.
  • it – used for a thing or an animal.
  • we – used for yourself and other people together.
  • they – used for more than one person, animal, or thing, or for one person when their gender is not known or is not important.
  • "I like coffee."
  • "You are my friend."
  • "He works here."
  • "She is happy."
  • "It is on the table."
  • "We are students."
  • "They live nearby."
  • "Someone left their bag. They may come back for it."

The pronoun "I" is always written with a capital letter.

English sentences normally need a subject: say "It is raining," not "Is raining." Here it does not refer to a thing.

Object pronouns (who receives the action?)

Object pronouns tell us who or what receives the action.

They usually come after verbs or after prepositions such as to, for, with, and next to.

Object pronouns are:

  • me – the speaker.
  • you – one person or more than one person you are talking to.
  • him – one male person.
  • her – one female person.
  • it – a thing or an animal.
  • us – the speaker and others.
  • them – more than one person, animal, or thing, or one person when their gender is not known or is not important.
  • "Please give it to me."
  • "I will give this book to you."
  • "She loves him."
  • "I saw them yesterday."
  • "Can you help me?"
  • "She is sitting next to him."
  • "I have a gift for her."
  • "The dog is eating it."
  • "He is coming with us."
  • "I am sending a message to them."
  • "Someone left their bag. I will give it back to them."

Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns show who something belongs to. Look at this pair: my book → mine. My book has two words, but mine replaces both words.

We call words like my possessive adjectives. A possessive pronoun replaces a possessive adjective + noun.

They are used alone, without a noun after them.

Possessive pronouns are:

  • mine – belongs to me.
  • yours – belongs to you.
  • his – belongs to a male person.
  • hers – belongs to a female person.
  • ours – belongs to us.
  • theirs – belongs to them.
  • "This book is mine."
  • "The bag is yours."
  • "The jacket is his."
  • "That phone is hers."
  • "The house is ours."
  • "The seats are theirs."

There is no common independent possessive pronoun for it. Use its + noun: "The dog likes its toy," not "The toy is its."

it's means it is.

These are different words.

his does not change. It is both the possessive adjective ("his book") and the possessive pronoun ("The book is his"). Every other form changes: my → mine, your → yours, her → hers, our → ours, their → theirs.

For my book / mine and the other possessive adjectives, see the Possessive Adjectives lesson.

Common mistakes

Incorrect Correct Why?
❌ "Her likes pizza." ✅ "She likes pizza." Use a subject pronoun before the verb.
❌ "I saw she." ✅ "I saw her." Use an object pronoun after a verb.
❌ "This book is her." ✅ "This book is hers." Her needs a noun after it: "her book." Use hers alone.
❌ "The dog is wagging it’s tail." ✅ "The dog is wagging its tail." Its shows possession; it's means it is.
❌ "Is raining." ✅ "It is raining." English sentences need a subject.

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Every morning before school, brush my teeth and get dressed.

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Quick summary

Role Pronouns
Subject I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Object me, you, him, her, it, us, them
Possessive mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs

The same person has a different form in each group.

  • I → me → mine
  • she → her → hers
  • they → them → theirs

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Personal Pronouns

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Last updated October 14, 2026