Personal Pronouns Examples For Elementary

What are Personal Pronouns?

I love cats. He loves dogs. We love animals.

In the sentences above, what are the italicized words? They’re personal pronouns!

A personal pronoun is a word that stands in for another noun in a sentence.

For example, let’s say our names are Emily and Persephone. So, we could say, “Emily and Persephone love animals.” Or, we could say, “We love animals.”

As another example, let’s talk about Pablo. Pablo loves dogs. Pablo also loves horses. If we wrote, “Pablo loves dogs, and Pablo also loves horses,” that would sound a bit strange. Instead, we can say, “Pablo loves dogs, and he loves horses.”

Here all of our examples are suitable for elementary students to grasp personal pronouns, check out our interactive flashcards and paperless tests designed for teachers on a busy schedule. You can use our paperless quizzes for time-saving assessments.

Personal Pronouns In English

Here is our list of personal pronoun examples that all elementary kids should know by the end of 5th grade.

• I, me
• you (singular)
• he, him
• she, her
• it
• we, us
• you (plural)
• they, them

Examples of Personal Pronouns - Digital Classroom

For younger children to grasp the concept of personal pronouns, use this simple slideshow story with images.

Click the right arrow < / > to move on to the next image.

Flashcard Checkpoint

Flip the flashcards to reveal a surprise example sentence!

Types of Persons in English

There are three “persons” in English, which tells us about who is speaking or being spoken to.

Read the following passages a few times by clicking the right arrow < / >.

Personal Pronoun Examples for Elementary Kids

Struggling to understand how a personal pronoun and a person link? Personal pronouns replace names, people, places, or things. They are types of nouns. They are sometimes called the stunt doubles in English because they replace the person in the sentence. Look at how they're used to show who is speaking or being spoken to below.

First-Person

Here are some super simple personal pronoun examples. Read through the sentences and see if you spot the first-person personal pronoun!

• I go to school.
• I like oranges.
• We like to play in the park after school. (More than one person.)

Second-Person

Where is the second-person personal pronoun?

• You go to school.
• You like oranges.
• You all like to play in the park after school. (More than one person.)

Third-Person

Where are the third-person personal pronouns?

• He goes to school.
• She likes oranges.
• It likes to swim in the pond at the park.
• They like to play in the park after school.

Did you know? The "person" doesn't have to be a human. It could be an animal or thing, such as a piece of furniture or even an alien!

Subject vs. Object

Another great feature of personal pronouns is case. And this refers to the role the pronoun plays in a sentence. 

Subject Pronoun

If the pronoun is the subject of a sentence, then it is the thing doing the action in that sentence. For example, she is eating ice cream. She is the subject pronoun because she is doing the action, which in this case is eating.

• I, you (singular), he, she, it, you (plural), and they.

Object Pronoun

If the action in the sentence is happening to someone, we say they are the object of that sentence. For example, she gave me ice cream. I am getting something, so me is the object pronoun of the sentence.
The object pronouns in English are these:

• me, you (singular), him, her, it, us, you (plural), and them.

Objects and subject pronouns can also be from different points of view.

Personal Pronouns: Recap and Useful Examples

Check out our example sentences for a deeper dive into personal pronouns, subject vs. object, and point of view.

First Person

Look at the examples for singular and plural subjects and objects.

Singular Subject

Let's take a look at some subject pronoun examples using I.

• I want to go to the movies.
• Tomorrow, I will go to school.
• I don't want broccoli! Can I have sweetcorn instead?

Now, let's look at some sentences using me as the object of the sentence.

• Molly gave me a homemade cookie.
• The teacher didn't tell me about the test.
• Do you want to play with me?

Plural Subject

Now let's look at some plural example sentences using the subject pronoun we.

• We never arrive late.
• Yesterday, we went swimming at the pond.
• Although it’s hard, we like to play chess.

Plural Object

Here are some example sentences for first plural object using the object pronoun us.

• Please tell us if you need the toilet.
• It doesn’t matter to us if Nikolette misses class.
• Will you send us a Christmas card?

Second Person

Want to know more about the second person? Check out our examples here.

Singular Subject

Simple personal pronoun examples in the second person for singular subjects when you want to refer to one person.

• You eat ice cream every day.
• You have explored many places.
• Without water, you would die.

Singular Object

These sentences use the second personal pronoun, you, but the personal pronoun is the object of the sentence.

• Did Ms. Rockville give you the paper?
• What did the doctor tell you?
• Sienna asked if you wanted to sleep over.

Plural Subject

In many sentences, you can’t tell whether “you” is singular or plural – you need to understand that from context.

Sometimes people say or write “you all” or “y’all” if it’s plural. However, this is generally not accepted in formal or academic writing.

• You (all) can see the dolphins if you look over the side of the boat.
• You (all) have a biology test on Monday, so please don’t be late.
• After class, you (all) need to go straight to the cafeteria.

Plural Object

• I’m jealous of you (all)! You don’t have to take English this year!
• Has Cindy talked to you (all) about the new class rules?
• I know Mr. Leo made you (all) hate math, but it’s actually a fun subject.

Third Person

He and she are used for people, and often we use them for animals, too. He is for males, and she is for females.

People sometimes use it for animals, but we mainly use it for anything that isn’t a human or animal, such as plants, objects, or concepts.

Singular Subject

Check out these example sentences using the third-person singular subject.

• He loves his new sneakers.
• Look at that giraffe! He’s so tall!
• She won the spelling bee two years ago.
• Every Sunday, she visits her grandmother.
• I love Carlotta’s new puppy. She’s so cute!
• Look at that flower! It is so beautiful.

Singular Object

Here are some examples of a third-person singular object.

• When did you see him?
• There’s a new kid at school. He’s really nice, and I like him a lot.
• Have you talked to her since Monday?
• Why do you like Monopoly? I hate it.
• My new computer program confuses me because I don’t know how to use it.
• I grew zucchini in my garden, and Dad fried it for dinner.

Plural Subject

Now, let's talk about the third-person plural subject.

• At parties, they never talk to me.
• My cat had a litter of kittens, and they are adorable.
• Have you been to amusement parks before? They are so much fun!

Plural Object

And the third-person plural object.

• Why don’t you play with them?
• Chickens are entertaining. I love to watch them flap their wings.

Who is The Singular "They"

Who are they? 

Most of the time, they is a plural word. But you can use it as a singular pronoun in a very specific situation. 

When you’re talking about a person or an animal, and you don’t know the gender, you can use they/them. Since we don’t use it for people, they is the appropriate non-gendered personal pronoun.

Flashcard examples

Flip the flashcards to reveal an example sentence.

Tips For Practicing Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are a really important part of the foundation of English. And you probably already use them every day! There are a few tricky things, such as figuring out the correct gender and number. Also, you need to know whether to use a subject or object pronoun. But once you master these pronouns, your sentences will come together easily. Here are some fun activity ideas to help them stick!

Flashcards

Utilize online digital flashcards or print some off to put around the house. Write the personal pronoun example on the front and an example sentence on the back. You could use this activity with kids and focus on matching the pronoun with the picture. There are endless possibilities.

Pictionary

Pictionary is super fun, so why not use it to help you or your students practice personal pronouns? Simply grab a whiteboard and work on identifying the personal pronoun example.

Related Topics:

• Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns
• Idioms For Kids
• Assonance
• Personification for Kids
• Alliteration for Kids
• Similes
• Metaphors
• Words that Rhyme with Orange
• Words that Rhyme with Man
• Adjectives Starting with M
• Adjectives Starting with N
• Verbs Starting with M
• Verbs Starting with G
• Groups of Animal Names