he
hee
He (pron) means used to refer to a male person or animal already mentioned or understood. Example: “John said he would be late.”
pron
1
Used to refer to a male person or animal already mentioned or understood.
"That friend of your cousin's, he's on the phone."
"John said he would be late."
"The dog wagged his tail because he was happy to see us."
"My brother says he prefers tea to coffee."
How to use he
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe basic third-person singular masculine pronoun.
When to use it
Increasingly, "they" is used instead of "he" when gender is unknown or irrelevant.
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Word forms
- Plural
- hes
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
John said _____ would be late.
Etymology
From Old English hē, going back through Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European demonstrative meaning "this one."
Synonyms
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Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “he” mean?
The word “he” means used to refer to a male person or animal already mentioned or understood. In plain terms, the basic third-person singular masculine pronoun.
How do you pronounce “he”?
“He” is pronounced hee ([hi(ː)] in IPA).
How do you use “he” in a sentence?
Here is “he” used in a sentence: “John said he would be late.”
What is another word for “he”?
Words with a similar meaning to “he” include one, you, he or she, he/she, they and s/he.
What part of speech is “he”?
“He” is a pronoun.
Where does the word “he” come from?
The word “he” comes from Old English. From Old English hē, going back through Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European demonstrative meaning "this one.".
Is “he” a common word?
“He” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
What is the difference between "he" and "him"?
"He" is a subject pronoun, used for the person doing the action ("He called me"), while "him" is an object pronoun, used for the person receiving the action or following a preposition ("I called him," "with him"). A quick test: if you could replace the word with "I," use "he"; if you could replace it with "me," use "him."
Should you use "he" or "they" when a person's gender is unknown?
Singular "they" is now widely accepted for a person of unknown or unspecified gender: "Someone left their umbrella." Using "he" as a generic default was once standard but is now generally avoided; alternatives include "he or she" or rewriting the sentence in the plural.
Is it "he and I" or "him and me"?
It depends on the role in the sentence. Use "he and I" as a subject ("He and I went out") and "him and me" as an object ("She saw him and me"). Test it by dropping the other person: you would say "I went" and "she saw me."
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