Subject pronouns replace a noun that is doing the action in a sentence. Instead of saying Maria works here, English can say She works here. The pronoun stands in the subject position and points to the person, animal, or thing already known from the situation or the previous sentence.

A subject pronoun can also make a sentence shorter and smoother. Compare My brothers live in Chicago with They live in Chicago. The meaning stays clear, but the second sentence avoids repeating the noun. For more on how pronouns fit into sentence structure, see Word Order and Making Statements.

The singular subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, and it. I refers to the speaker. You refers to the person or people spoken to. He refers to a male person, she to a female person, and it to one animal, thing, idea, or place.

Use it for objects and for many situations where English treats something as a single thing, such as a company, a car, or the weather: It is cold, It needs repair, It is open today. In everyday English, these pronouns are the basic way to name the subject without repeating a noun. If you want to ask who or which person is involved, Interrogative Pronouns show that form in questions.

Core singular subject pronouns

Example	Pattern
I am ready for the meeting.	Use I when the speaker is the subject.
You have the front seat.	Use you when speaking to one person directly.
He is fixing the bike.	Use he for a man or boy.
She is reading a comic.	Use she for a woman or girl.
It looks very colorful.	Use it for an animal thing or idea when it is not a person.

We refers to the speaker plus one or more other people. They refers to two or more people or things. These pronouns work the same way as singular subject pronouns, but they point to a group.

Use we when the speaker is included: We start at nine, We live near the station. Use they when the speaker is not part of the group: They work upstairs, They are on the table. They can also refer to plural things: The keys are missing. They were on the counter. For reference to groups in a sentence, they often follows the same pattern as other subject pronouns, while we includes the speaker in the subject.

Plural subject pronouns in English

Example	Pattern
We are meeting after lunch.	Use we when the speaker is part of the group.
They are waiting at the bus stop.	Use they for more than one person or thing.

In a normal English statement, the subject pronoun comes before the verb: I know her, She likes coffee, They live here. The pattern is subject + verb, and the subject pronoun usually starts the sentence or clause.

This placement stays the same in short answers and in longer sentences with extra information: We eat at home on Mondays, It rains often in spring, You can sit here. English does not usually move the subject pronoun after the verb in a statement. In questions, word order changes, so the subject pronoun may appear after an auxiliary verb, as in Are you ready? See Asking Questions for that pattern.

Subject pronouns in normal word order

Usage	Explanation	Example
Simple statement	Use subject pronoun before the verb in a normal English statement.	She likes coffee in the morning.
Short answer	Use subject pronoun before the main verb when the sentence is short and direct.	We start at nine.
Everyday speech	Use subject pronoun before the verb even in casual conversation.	They know the way home.

Subject pronouns control the verb form in the present tense. With he, she, and it, many verbs take -s or -es: He walks, She watches, It rains. With I, you, we, and they, the verb stays in the base form: I walk, You watch, We rain is not used, so the verb must fit the meaning and the subject.

The pronoun you always takes the same verb form for singular and plural: You work, You work together. In everyday speech, they can refer to one person when the gender is unknown or not important: They are waiting, They need help. In that use, the verb still follows the plural pattern: they are, they were, they need. For more on the forms that work with pronouns, Making Statements shows how the whole sentence is built.

Present tense agreement with subject pronouns

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation	Example
I	write	write	I write notes every day.
you	write	write	You write very clear emails.
he	write	writes	He writes postcards on Sundays.
she	write	writes	She writes with a blue pen.
it	write	writes	The app writes the summary for you.
we	write	write	We write together in class.
they	write	write	They write quick messages every day.

Scramble

A subject pronoun must fill the subject role, not the object role. After a verb or after a preposition, English usually needs an object pronoun, not a subject pronoun. Say She saw him, not She saw he. Say This is for us, not This is for we. For the object forms, see Object Pronouns.

Subject pronouns also get mixed up with possessive forms. She is the subject, but her can mean possession or an object: Her bag is here, I called her. The sentence position tells the role. When the pronoun is doing the action, use the subject form. When it receives the action or follows a preposition, use the object form.

Replying to who questions with pronouns

Usage	Explanation	Example
Identifying one person	Use I or another subject pronoun when a who question asks for the subject of the action.	Who called first Me? I called first.
Identifying another person	Use he or she when the answer names a person as the subject.	Who fixed the lamp She did.
Identifying a group	Use we or they when the answer names a group as the subject.	Who brought the snacks We did.

When answering a question with who, use a subject pronoun if the answer is the subject of the verb. If someone asks Who called?, the reply can be I did, She did, or They did, depending on the person who made the call. The pronoun matches the person doing the action.

If the answer needs more information, the subject pronoun still leads the clause: Who is coming? He is, We are. In short replies, English often uses the pronoun alone with a form of do or be: Who finished the report? I did. For naming people directly in questions and replies, Interrogative Pronouns gives the question form, and Relative Pronouns shows how pronouns connect clauses in longer sentences.