Third person in English. Personal Pronouns in English

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As we have already said, a pronoun is a part of speech that indicates an object or its belonging, but does not name the object itself. English pronouns are divided into personal, possessive, indefinite, interrogative, reflexive, . In today's post we will look at personal and possessive pronouns.

Personal pronouns in English

In English, the following personal pronouns are distinguished:


As a rule, we need personal pronouns to designate persons or objects depending on their relationship to the speaker. Thus, the pronoun I is used to designate the speaker himself; we – to designate other persons along with the speaker himself; they – someone else other than the speaker and his interlocutors.

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English personal pronouns can be modified depending on person, case (only nominative and objective cases are distinguished), number, gender (only pronouns in the third person singular indicate the gender of the speaker).

Here are the English personal pronouns you need to remember

If the personal pronoun is in the nominative case, then in the sentence it will serve as the subject:

• He is hungry - he is hungry
• We did not go to school yesterday – Yesterday we did not go to school

And if we have a pronoun in the objective case, then in the sentence it will be an addition:

• He brought those beautiful roses for me - he brought these beautiful roses for me
• Our teacher told us about a famous hero - The teacher told us about the famous hero

Sometimes, when we need to talk about ourselves, we use the objective case form of the pronoun “I” - Me.

• Who opened the box without permission? – Me – Who opened the box without permission? - I
• Look, this is me in the picture - Look, this is me in the photograph.

The pronoun I should always be capitalized, even if it is in the middle of a sentence, and the pronoun you is used for both the second person singular (you) and the plural (you). The pronoun it is used to replace nouns denoting an inanimate object.

Possessive pronouns in English

Possessive pronouns are used in cases where it is necessary to indicate that an object belongs to a person. They differ in numbers and persons, and always come before the noun as a modifier; ь is not used with them.

The English pronoun “your” is also translated into one of the possessive pronouns, depending on the context:

• He thanked and went his way - he thanked and went his way
• Don’t leave your things here – Don’t leave your things here

If there is no noun after the personal pronoun, the so-called is used.

• A friend of mine gave me your telephone number – One of my friends gave me your phone number.

Personal pronouns in English are one of the first grammatical topics any student encounters. Despite its simplicity, it often raises questions among students. To choose the correct form of a personal pronoun, it is necessary to consider in detail the category of this part of speech.

Class of personal pronouns and their characteristics

It is not difficult to guess that the role of these pronouns is to indicate a person, replacing nouns: names, objects, etc. This avoids unnecessary repetition.

As in the Russian language, the indicated type of pronouns will vary according to persons:

• 1st person - I (I), we (we);
• 2nd person - you (you, you);
• 3rd person - he (he), she (she), it (object without gender).

Similarities with our language are also observed in the change in numbers. If I, he, she, it represent a singular number, then you, we, they- plural. The only reservation should be made about the word you, which, depending on the context, is translated as “you”, “you”.

In English it will be used in the plural, and it does not matter whether you are addressing a group of people or one person:

• You are a nice girl (You are a good girl).
• You are nice girls (You are good girls).

In addition, in the 3rd person you can determine the gender of pronouns. For example:

• he - he, a male representative (uncle - uncle, dad - dad, boy - boy);
• she - she, a female representative (mum - mother, lady - lady, girl - girl);
• it is an object that has no gender.

Let's take a closer look at the last pronoun. The it group includes all objects of the surrounding world (animals, objects, abstract concepts) in the singular that cannot be classified as men or women. For example, love (love), penguin (penguin), bread (bread), in order to avoid repetition, we will replace it with it and translate it taking into account the previous text. Please pay attention to the suggestions below:

• Take off your hat, it is ugly (Take off your hat, it's ugly).
• I have found a nest, it is tiny (I found a nest, it’s tiny).

In the plural, gender does not play any role, and it will change to they.

Also, English personal pronouns change by case, but, unlike the Russian language, there are only two of them, which greatly simplifies learning the rules of personal pronouns in English. Cases will be discussed in detail in the next paragraph.

Declension of personal pronouns

Only in the group of personal pronouns does English allow declension (that is, change) by case. There are only two of them - nominative (or subjective) and objective (plays the role of all other cases except the nominative) - so it will be quite easy to remember. Considering that children become familiar with the concept of cases already in the 3rd grade, learning the case forms of pronouns in English will not be difficult for them.

Here is a table of personal pronouns in English.

The nominative case implies the use of a pronoun as a subject, i.e. action performer:

She was beautiful (She was beautiful).

In any other role, and most often this is an addition, the objective case form is used:

I am waiting for them (I'm waiting for them).

Particularly convenient in this regard are the pronouns you and it, the forms of which do not change.

If we are dealing with several personal pronouns relating to one predicate, then we follow the following scheme: second person - third person - first person.

They and we get on well (We get along well).

Wherever the pronoun I appears, it will always be capitalized!

The pronoun you involves the use of the plural, as if we were addressing a crowd with “you” or a polite “you” to one person. Therefore, the predicate next to it will also be used as for the pronouns we, they.

The pronoun it can be replaced with he or she when talking about animals. Once you call them by name (thereby determining whether it is a girl or a boy), you can safely use the English pronouns “he” and “she”.

There are some exceptions when instead it nessesary to use she or he. For example, the country name England will change to she.

What have we learned?

We learned that the category of personal pronouns is intended to indicate the person in order to get rid of unnecessary repetitions of the same word. Such pronouns change according to: persons (1st - I, we; 2nd - you; 3rd - he, she, it, they), numbers (singular - I, he, she, it; plural .ch. – we, you, they), gender in the 3rd person (he - masculine, she - feminine, it - without gender), cases (nominative – I, we, you, he, she, it, they; object - me, us, you, him, her, it, them). Pronouns in the nominative case play the role of the subject, in the objective case they are the object. If we are dealing with several pronouns as objects, then we put the second person pronoun first, then the third, and finally the first.

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In many languages, including ours, all nouns are divided into three categories according to gender: masculine, feminine and neuter nouns. In English, the vast majority of nouns denoting objects are neuter (it), but in no case he and not she. For those who are taking their first steps in English, it is very difficult to readjust, but over time and with practice, such reservations disappear.

So, there is a category of gender in the English language, it’s just that words are divided into genders differently than in Russian. How to determine the gender of a noun in Russian, or, for example, in German? Only by memorization method. Of course, if you speak this language from birth, then you subconsciously learn the gender of words (the words “coffee” and “birthday” do not count). In English everything is much simpler because there are basic rules.

Names own are divided into two genders: masculine (masculine) and feminine (feminine), and are replaced by personal pronouns he or she.

Nouns meaning animals, belong to the neuter gender (neutral) and are replaced by a personal pronoun it.

Nouns that mean inanimate objects, belong to the neuter gender and are replaced by a personal pronoun it.

As you can see, these simple rules make learning English much easier compared to learning Russian. But every rule has exceptions, which we will discuss with you.

• personal pronouns: he(he is masculine) she(she is feminine) it(it is neuter).
• object pronouns: him(his), her(her), it(his).
• possessive adjectives: his(his), her(her), its(his is neuter), and possessive pronouns: his(him and hers(her).

When talking about people, they use the pronouns he or she, depending on their gender.

If one is talking in general about a certain person whose gender is unknown or unimportant, then he/ his/him is used. The pronoun he in this case can refer to both a man and a woman. This use is found in formal communication styles.

If anybody calls, tell him to call back later. - If someone calls, tell them to call back later.

Opponents of gender inequality (and there are many of them) try to avoid such use of the pronoun he, that's why they often talk about an unknown person he or she/his or her/him or her:

When a customer pays by his or her credit card, he or she must enter pin code. - When the buyer pays with his or her credit card, he or she must enter a PIN code.

In everyday communication, when referring to a person whose gender is unimportant or unknown to the speaker, the pronoun they is used. Especially often they used after the words person, somebody, anybody:

Somebody called me, but when I answered, they hung up the phone. - Someone called me, but when I answered, they hung up.

When a person enters university, they should become more responsible. - When a person enters university, he must become more responsible.

Concerning animals, then sometimes you can find the pronouns he and she in relation to our smaller brothers. He And she used when talking about their pets or fairy-tale characters. These pronouns used in relation to the animal emphasize that the speaker endows the animal with intelligence, some human qualities, and feelings:

Some inanimate nouns that mean cars, motorcycles sometimes replaced by the pronoun she. The same goes for ships And boats:

I took a ride in Bob's car. She is so fast! - I took a ride in Bob's car. She is so fast!

We have not seen the St. Mary since she sailed to the north. “We haven’t seen Saint Mary since she sailed north.”

She can also refer to titles countries, but this is rarely seen, usually used it:

Canada develops diplomatic relationships with other countries. Recently she has signed a new agreement. - Canada is developing diplomatic relations with other countries. She recently signed a new agreement.

There are pairs of masculine - feminine nouns:

bachelor/spinster- bachelor/unmarried woman
boy/girl- boy/girl
brother/sister- brother/sister
father/mother- dad mom
gentleman/lady- gentleman/lady
grandfather/grandmother- grandfather grandmother
grandson/granddaughter- grandson, granddaughter
husband/wife- husband wife
king/queen- king/queen
man/woman- man Woman
monk/nun- monk/nun
nephew/niece- nephew niece
sir/madam- sir/madam
son/daughter- son daughter
uncle/aunt- Uncle Aunt
widower/widow- widower/widow

The same goes for animals. For some species, there are different names for male and female individuals:

bull/cow- bull/cow
rooster/hen- rooster/hen
gander/goose- gander/goose
pig/sow- boar/sow
ram/ewe- ram/sheep
stallion/mare- stallion/mare

If it is necessary to indicate the gender of an animal, but there is no separate word for this, use the pronouns he or she:

he-elephant- elephant
she-elephant- elephant
he-cat- cat
she-cat- cat

And in other animals, the names of females are formed using the suffix -ess:

lion/lioness- lion/lioness
tiger/tigress- tiger/tigress

Some profession names also change their gender using the suffix -ess and the words man/woman:

actor/actress- actor/actress
steward/stewardess- steward/stewardess
waiter/waitress- waiter/waitress
policeman/policewoman- policeman/policewoman
postman/postwoman- male postman/female postman
salesman/saleswoman- male salesperson/female salesperson

However, the same opponents of sexual inequality insist that the names of professions be the same for representatives of both sexes. As a result, all police officers began to be called policeofficers, sellers - salespeople, stewards and flight attendants - flightattendants. But there are still words that can denote both a woman and a man: chairman(chairman), press(speaker). But more and more often instead of the word man a neutral word is used person or word woman: chairperson, spokesperson.

Sometimes the gender can be identified using the words man, woman, male, female. Have you ever thought that there are professions that are associated with a certain gender? Eg, soldier(soldier) , boxer(boxer) and footballer(football player) evoke a masculine image in our minds, and activities such as nurse(nurse), model(model), babysitter(children's nanny) are usually associated with women. In life, it happens the other way around: women are boxers, and men are nurses. Then you should note your gender:

Woman boxer, woman footballer, male babysitter, male model

Some nouns can change their gender, for example the words friend (friend), teacher (teacher), student (student) and others. How to determine the gender of such nouns in a sentence? Using context and pronouns.

My friend is a big fan of Sting. She knows all his lyrics by heart! - My friend is a big Sting fan. She knows the lyrics to all his songs.

Have you met the new teacher? They say he is very strict. - Have you already met the new teacher? They say he is very strict.

This is the student who passed her exams with flying colors. She is the best student in the college. - This is a student who passed her exams perfectly. She is the best student in college.

As you can see, if at the beginning it is not clear what gender a person is, then later everything becomes clear when the speaker uses a pronoun.

Having remembered the simple rules that we talked about in this article, you will not have to return to this topic again. I wish you success!

If you need professional help in learning English, our teachers are ready to help you. Try it and a positive result will not take long to arrive!

- these are pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, they. The main purpose of personal pronouns is to replace nouns if it is clear from the context what or who we are talking about.

Pronouns I And we refer to the speaker, and correspond to the Russian pronouns “I” and “we”. They are first person pronouns ( I has a singular form, we– plural form).

For example:
I am free now.
Now I free

We have to go.
We must go.

Pronoun you refers to the interlocutor or interlocutors, and is a second person pronoun. Please note that in modern English you always has a plural form, and, accordingly, the verb after it always follows in the plural form. In Russian, it corresponds to both the pronoun “you” when addressing a group of people, or one person (in a polite form), and the pronoun “you”, depending on the context.

For example:
You are a good worker.
You you good worker.

You have finished your assignments successfully.
You successfully completed their tasks.

Pronouns he, she, it, they, are third person pronouns. All of them have a singular form, except the pronoun they, which has a plural form. In addition, pronouns he And she are used to refer to male and female people respectively, and the pronoun it denotes all inanimate objects, events, phenomena, etc. (that is, corresponds to the neuter gender in Russian). Also it often used to refer to animals.

Pronoun they used to refer to both people and objects:

I"ve found my books. They were in my bag.
I found my books. They were in my bag.

There are some people waiting for you. They are in the office.
Some people are waiting for you. They in the office.

Pronoun it can also be used in relation to people when the speaker is trying to establish the identity of the interlocutor:

It was John I gave the book to, not Harry.
I gave the book to John, not Harry.

"Is that your sister?" "No, it isn't."
It's your sister? - No, it's not her.

It used in disjunctive questions when the subject is expressed in words nothing, everything And all:

Everything is all right, isn't it?
It's okay, isn't it?

Nothing happened, did it?
Nothing happened, right?

It can be used as an introductory subject or object in such sentences where the subject or object is actually expressed by an infinitive or subordinate clause. In Russian, in such cases, the pronoun it there is no equivalent.

For example:
It is not easy to solve this math problem.
It's not that easy to solve this math problem.

It used as a formal subject that does not have its own meaning in statements about time, weather, temperature, distance, etc.:

It is raining.
It's raining.

It is six o"clock.
Six o'clock.

It is a cold day.
Cold day.

Personal pronouns in English have different forms, depending on the case. Distinguish nominative case of personal pronouns (Subject Pronoun), And subject case of personal pronouns (Object Pronouns).

Personal pronouns in the nominative case in a sentence serve as the subject or nominal part of the predicate:

Mike hasn't come back yet. He is still in his office.
Mike hasn't returned yet. He's still at work. ( he replaces proper name Mike, and performs the function of the subject.)

Personal pronouns in the subject case in a sentence serve as a direct or indirect object:

We called her to congratulate her.
We called her to congratulate her. ( In this sentence the pronouns her serve as a direct complement.)

We apologized to him.
We apologized to him. ( In this sentence the pronoun him performs the function of an indirect complement.)

It is carried out according to the person and number of the latter, which creates the opportunity to change the form of the predicate expressed by the verb and obtain so-called “personal” forms by this part of speech. Moreover, if in the Russian language numerous personal verb forms are different for each person and number, then in comparison with it the English personal verb forms are often the same, for example:

I get up early every day.	I I get up early every day.
You get up early on Mondays.	You you get up early on Mondays.
He gets up late daily.	He rises late every day.
She gets up early every day.	She rises early every day.
My cat (it) gets up at 4 o’clock in the morning.	My cat (it) rises at 4 o'clock in the morning.
We get up late at weekends.	We let's get up late on the weekend.
They get up early every day.	They get up early every day.

As can be seen from the above examples, in the first case the verbal predicate agrees with the subject I (I) and takes shape get up (first person singular), in the second example due to agreement with the subject she (she) the verb gets an ending – s – gets up (third person singular), and the difference between the third example and the first is also in the person and number of the predicate (they is the third person plural), which, however, does not in any way affect the form of the predicate.

Consequently, we come to the conclusion that the difference in person and number does not always lead to a change in its form.

English verb face

• the first one, which corresponds to the pronouns I (I), we (we):

I go skiing every winter. –I go skiing every winter.

We go swimming on Tuesdays.– We go swimming on Tuesdays.

• the second – you (you, you, you):

You always help your friend. –You always help your friend.

In the autumn you like walking in the forest together. –In autumn, you love to walk through the forest together.

• the third - he (he), she (she), it (it), they (they).

He likes writing letters to his penfriends. –He loves to write letters to his pen pals.

She helps us with our homework. – She helps us with our homework.

English verb number

I(first person singular)travel a lot during my holidays. –I travel a lot during my holidays.

We(first person plural)travel to Asia every two years. –We travel to Asia every two years.

Person and number of the subject as a guide for verb conjugation

Thus, those positions at which verbs are conjugated (as far as the grammatical system of the English language, which is rather poor in endings, allows) can be presented in the following table:

Of course, these are conditional guidelines, and in real sentences, not only pronouns can appear as subjects (see the topic for more details Subject in English), but by replacing it with the appropriate personal pronoun, you can always determine the person and number of the subject, and therefore the necessary personal form of the verb. For example:

	singular	plural
first person	I play the guitar in my free time. / I play guitar in my free time.	My parents and I (= we) play cards in the evenings. /My parents and I (= we) play cards in the evenings.
second person	You play golf every Saturday. /You play golf every Saturday.
third party	Tom(= he) plays ball with his little brother. /Tom (=he) is playing ball with his little brother. My sister (= she) plays volleyball for the school team. /My sister (= she) plays volleyball for the school team. My computer (= it) plays chess better than I do. / My computer (= it) plays chess better than me.	My friends (= they) play frisbee in the park after classes. /My friends play Frisbee in the park after school.

Differences in the category of person between Russian and English

At the same time, the correspondence of certain nouns that perform the functions of a subject with personal pronouns differs in Russian and in English, especially with regard to the third person singular. Thus, in the Russian language, the category of gender is in no way tied to the biological sex of the subject (he is a table, a backpack; she is a jacket, a tent; it is a window, a ghost). In English:

• pronoun he You can designate only a male representative (man, boy, male animal, if it is necessary to emphasize his gender);
• she– accordingly, only a female representative (woman, girl, female animal, if it is important to emphasize her gender);
• and all objects, phenomena and animals whose gender is not so important for the statement, if necessary, replace them with a personal pronoun, are designated using the word it.

Rare cases of verb expression of the categories of person and number

It was already mentioned above that verb forms in an English sentence do not reflect the category of person and number very often. Such manifestations can be discussed in the following situations:

Third person singular present simple tensePresent Simple- an ending is added to the stem of the verb - s or -es . This does not happen in cases with modal verbs, which are characterized by the presence of the same form of the present simple tense for all persons. Ending —s or -es is not formative also in cases with verbstobe And , the last of which in the third person singular is characterized by the formhas.	She goes to the candy shop every day after work and buys a big bar of bitter chocolate. He can tellyou the truth but he wouldn’t do it. She has a dream of a big house near a lake.	She goes to the candy store every day after work and buys a large bar of dark chocolate. He can tell you the truth, but he won't do it. She has a dream of a big house by the lake.