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pronoun A1 Beginner Very common

ME

mee

ME (pronoun) means the object form of "I" — used for the speaker when they are not the one doing the action, e.g. after a verb or preposition. Example: “Can you pass me the salt?”

pronoun
1
The object form of "I" — used for the speaker when they are not the one doing the action, e.g. after a verb or preposition.
"Can you pass me the salt?"
"She gave the book to me before she left."
2
Used informally on its own, or after "and", even where formal grammar would call for "I".
"Who's there? Me."
"Me and my brother built that treehouse ourselves."
noun
1
A person's inner self or true identity.
"Going back to painting helped her reconnect with the real me."

How to use ME

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe word you use for yourself when you're not the subject of the sentence — "I" does the action, "me" receives it.

Common mistake

Many people say "between you and I" or "him and I went" by mistake — after a preposition or as part of an object, it should be "me": "between you and me", "he and I went, but they invited him and me."

Common pairings
give me tell me let me between you and me

Word forms

me's adjective, mes plural, mes plural

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Test yourself on “ME” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

Can you pass _____ the salt?

Etymology

From Old English mē, the very old dative form of "I" that eventually took over from the original accusative form too — it goes all the way back to a Proto-Indo-European root shared by Latin mē, Greek emé, and Sanskrit mā.

Origin: Latin

myself yours truly M🜨 M♁ I my ass us mine my

Related words

Frequently asked questions

What does “ME” mean?

The word “ME” means the object form of "I" — used for the speaker when they are not the one doing the action, e.g. after a verb or preposition. In plain terms, the word you use for yourself when you're not the subject of the sentence — "I" does the action, "me" receives it.

How do you pronounce “ME”?

“ME” is pronounced mee (/mi/ in IPA).

How do you use “ME” in a sentence?

Here is “ME” used in a sentence: “Can you pass me the salt?”

What is another word for “ME”?

Words with a similar meaning to “ME” include M🜨, M♁, I, my ass, us and mine.

What part of speech is “ME”?

Depending on how it is used, “ME” can be a pronoun and a noun.

Where does the word “ME” come from?

The word “ME” comes from Latin.

Is “ME” a common word?

“ME” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

How many meanings does “ME” have?

“ME” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the object form of "I" — used for the speaker when they are not the one doing the action, e.g. after a verb or preposition.

What is the difference between "me" and "I"?

"I" is the subject form, used for the person doing the action ("I wrote the email"), while "me" is the object form, used after verbs and prepositions ("She emailed me," "with me"). If the word receives the action rather than performing it, "me" is correct.

Is it "John and me" or "John and I"?

It depends on the sentence role: "John and I went" (subject) but "She invited John and me" (object). The easiest test is to drop the other name — you would say "She invited me," not "She invited I".

Is "between you and me" correct, or "between you and I"?

"Between you and me" is correct, because "between" is a preposition and prepositions take the object form "me." "Between you and I" is a common hypercorrection and is considered nonstandard in careful writing.

Is it wrong to say "It's me"?

"It's me" is standard in everyday speech and writing. The traditional form "It is I" is grammatically defensible but sounds extremely formal, and almost no one uses it in conversation.

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