Download 30 “ask the teacher” lessons
English learners often get confused about whether to use I or me in sentences that include another person. Let’s clear it up!
1. My friend and I → Correct when it’s the subject
When you and another person are the subject of the sentence (the ones doing the action), the correct pronoun is I.
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My friend and I went to the store.
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My friend and I are studying English.
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John and I are going to the party.
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The teacher and I talked after class.
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My parents and I visited Rome last summer.
👉 This is the standard form in English. Notice that we usually put the other person first.
2. Me and my friend → Incorrect… but people sometimes say it
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Me and my friend went to the store.
- Me and John are going to the party
This form is very common in casual spoken English, but it’s not considered correct in standard grammar. That’s because “me” is an object pronoun, not a subject pronoun.
👉 Avoid starting a sentence with “me and my friend” in exams, writing, or professional situations.
3. I and my friend → Grammatically OK… but unnatural
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I and my friend went to the store.
This is grammatical, but native speakers rarely say it because it sounds awkward.
4. My friend and me → Correct when it’s the object
When you and another person are the object (the ones receiving the action), then me is correct.
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The cashier looked at my friend and me.
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The gift was for my friend and me.
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He invited my friend and me to dinner.
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They saw my friend and me at the concert.
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The teacher helped my friend and me with our project.
👉 Quick tip: Take out the other person to check. You’d say “The cashier looked at me” (not “The cashier looked at I”) – so me is correct.
✅ Quick Summary:
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My friend and I = subject (correct, polite).
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My friend and me = object (correct).
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Me and my friend = common but not technically correct.
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I and my friend = grammatically OK, but unnatural.
