English Lesson 102—You And I Or You And Me

Too often, people use I in expressions like you and I or my wife and I when they should be using me.

· It is a present from my wife and me. (correct)

(me - objective case of I after the preposition from)

· It is a present from my wife and I. (wrong)

(This is as wrong as saying from I.)
· Keep this between you and I. (wrong)
(This is as wrong as saying between I and the post.)

Remember, prepositions govern the objective case. Therefore, the word I must change to me when it is the object of a preposition (i.e., follows the preposition).

The fact that it is preceded by you and or my wife and is actually irrelevant.

You should only use I in an expression like you and I when it is the subject of the verb

For example:
· You and I argue on this subject on a daily basis. (correct)

(You and I subject of the verb to argue)
· My husband and I accept your apology. (correct)

(My husband and I subject of the verb to accept)
If the terms objective case and subject of a verb are confusing, there is a neat trick to determine whether to use the you and I form or the you and me form. Simply remove everything apart from the I and try your sentence again. You will naturally use the correct version.

· It was proposed by my wife and I/me.
Question: I or me?
Step 1: Remove my wife and
Step 2: Try the sentence again.
Step 3a: It was proposed by I. (wrong)
Step 3b: It was proposed by me. (correct)
Therefore:
· It was proposed by my wife and me. (correct)

· It was proposed by my wife and I. (wrong)

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