Pre-A1 Starter Pronouns, to be and articles
Subject pronouns
Lesson goal. After this lesson you can replace names of people and things with I, you, he, she, it, we, they, and you will stop mixing up he and she.
When to use it
- Talking about yourself: I am Nam.
- Talking about the person you speak to: You are my friend.
- Referring back to someone or something already mentioned: This is Lan. She is my sister.
Form
| Who or what | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I, me | I | I am a student. |
| you | you | You are kind. |
| a boy, a man | he | He is my brother. |
| a girl, a woman | she | She is my teacher. |
| a thing, an animal | it | It is a big dog. |
| me and other people | we | We are in class 6A. |
| several people or things | they | They are my books. |
Step by step
- Decide who or what the sentence is about.
- Ask: one or more than one? More than one → they (or we if you are included).
- If it is one: a male → he, a female → she, a thing or an animal → it.
Three things to remember
| Rule | Correct | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| I is always a capital letter, wherever it is | Nam and I are friends. | Nam and i are friends. |
| Each sentence has only one subject | My mother is a teacher. | My mother she is a teacher. |
| Things and animals take it | My bag is new. It is red. | My bag is new. He is red. |
Examples
I am from Hai Phong.
You are a good student.
My brother is tall. He plays basketball.
Ms Hoa is kind. She helps me.
Look at my cat. It is sleeping.
Lan and I study together. We are classmates.
My parents work in a hospital. They are doctors.
Common mistakes
My sister, she is a nurse. → My sister is a nurse.
Vietnamese often repeats the subject, but an English sentence allows only one subject. If you have My sister, drop she.
Minh is my friend. She is funny. → Minh is my friend. He is funny.
Vietnamese uses one word for both, so learners have no habit of choosing. English forces it: male → he, female → she.
My bag is new. He is red. → My bag is new. It is red.
Things and animals are always it. Only people take he or she.
Memory tip
Remember by the first letter: she goes with sister, he with he-man. Everything that is not a person takes it.
Summary
- One male → he · one female → she · a thing or animal → it.
- More than one → they. If you are in the group → we.
- I is always capital. One sentence, one subject.
Practise this lesson
Do exercises with an explanation for every question, take mini tests and track your progress on GrammUp.