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Personal Pronouns in English: The Four Groups

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Personal pronouns are small words like I, you, him and ours that replace a noun so you do not have to repeat it. Instead of “Sarah called Sarah’s mother”, you say “She called her mother”.

This guide is for A1 to B1 learners. It covers the four groups of personal pronouns, the full table you can memorise, and the mistakes learners make most. Three exercises let you practise straight away.

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A quick video summary

What are personal pronouns?

Personal pronouns are small words that stand in for a person, an animal or a thing so you do not repeat the same noun again and again. They change according to what they refer to, the number (one or several) and the gender.

Because English verb endings change very little compared with other languages, pronouns do a lot of the work. Using the right subject and object pronoun is what keeps a sentence clear about who is doing what to whom.

The four groups of personal pronouns

There are four main groups. Each one replaces a different part of the sentence:

  • Subject pronouns – replace the subject, the person or thing doing the action. She works in London.
  • Object pronouns – replace the object, the person or thing receiving the action. I saw them yesterday.
  • Possessive pronouns – replace a noun and show who owns it, with no noun after them. This book is mine.
  • Reflexive pronouns – are used when the subject and object are the same person, and refer back to the subject. He hurt himself.

Here is the full table. Read across each row to see the four forms for the same person:

PersonSubjectObjectPossessiveReflexive
1st person singularImeminemyself
2nd personyouyouyoursyourself
3rd person (male)hehimhishimself
3rd person (female)sheherhersherself
3rd person (thing)itititsitself
1st person pluralweusoursourselves
2nd person pluralyouyouyoursyourselves
3rd person pluraltheythemtheirsthemselves
Many people now use they, them and themselves as singular pronouns for a person whose gender is not known or who is non-binary.

Pronouns look simple, but small slips make you sound less fluent. Book a free trial lesson and practise them with an experienced native teacher, no credit card needed.

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Common mistakes with personal pronouns

  1. Mixing up subject and object pronouns. Say “She and I went” (subject), not “Her and me went”. After a verb or preposition use the object form: “between you and me“.
  2. Confusing a possessive determiner with a possessive pronoun. A determiner needs a noun after it (“my car”); a pronoun stands alone (“the car is mine“).
  3. Adding an apostrophe to possessive pronouns. Yours, hers, its, ours and theirs never take an apostrophe. “The dog wagged its tail”, not “it’s tail”.
  4. Using the wrong reflexive. The form must match the subject: “I taught myself“, “they taught themselves“, never “theirselves”.

Practice exercises on personal pronouns

Try this exercise and check your results straight away.

How did that go? Getting pronouns right in an exercise is a start; using them without thinking as you speak is the goal. In a free trial lesson, an experienced native teacher will help you build that habit.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the four types of personal pronoun?
Subject pronouns (I, you, he…), object pronouns (me, you, him…), possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his…) and reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself…). Each one replaces a different part of the sentence.
What is the difference between a possessive determiner and a possessive pronoun?
A possessive determiner comes before a noun: “That is my book.” A possessive pronoun stands alone and replaces the noun: “That book is mine.”
When do I use a subject pronoun and when an object pronoun?
Use a subject pronoun for the person or thing doing the action (“She works here”). Use an object pronoun for the person or thing receiving the action, and after prepositions (“I saw her”, “with them”).
Can they be singular?
Yes. They, them and themselves are widely used as singular pronouns for one person whose gender is unknown or who is non-binary: “Someone left their bag.”
Do possessive pronouns take an apostrophe?
No. Yours, hers, its, ours and theirs are never written with an apostrophe. “It’s” with an apostrophe always means “it is”.

Key takeaways

  • Personal pronouns replace a noun so you do not repeat it.
  • There are four groups: subject, object, possessive and reflexive.
  • A possessive determiner needs a noun (my car); a possessive pronoun stands alone (mine).
  • Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe; “it’s” always means “it is”.
  • They, them and themselves can refer to one person in the singular.

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Written and reviewed by the experienced native English teachers at Live English, online since 2007.