In grammar, the personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they) are grouped into one of the three categories:
- The First Person. This category is used for the point of view of the speaker or a group that includes the speaker. A basic sentence in the first person would typically start “I [did something]” or “We [did something].” (In grammar, the first-person personal pronouns are I, me, we, and us.
- The Second Person. This category is used for those being spoken to. A basic sentence in the second person would start “You [did something].” (In grammar, the second-person pronoun is you.)
- The Third Person. This category is used for everyone else. A basic sentence in the third person would start “He [did something]”, “She [did something],” or “They [did something].” (In grammar, the third-person pronouns are he, him, she, her, it, they, and them. The third person also includes all other nouns, e.g., Fritz, Germans.
How “Person” Relates to the Personal Pronouns
As well as being categorized as one of three “person” categories, each personal pronoun is also categorized as either singular or plural. Therefore, there are six person categories overall.
The table below shows the pronouns in the six person categories and in the various cases.
| Person | Subjective Case | Objective Case | Possessive Determiner | Possessive Pronoun |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Person Singular | I | me | my | mine |
| Second Person Singular | you | you | your | yours |
| Third Person Singular | he/she/it | him/her/it | his/her/its | his/hers/its |
| First Person Plural | we | us | our | ours |
| Second Person Plural | you | you | your | yours |
| Third Person Plural | they | them | their | theirs |
