He vs. Him – Which is Correct?

“He” and “him” are both correct, but they serve different grammatical roles. Use “he” as a subject performing an action: “He called.” Use “him” as an object receiving an action or following a preposition: “I called him” or “with him.” Choose by asking who acts or whom the action affects directly.

He or Him – Which is Correct?

He and him are both correct English pronouns, but they cannot usually be exchanged. He is a subject pronoun, so it identifies the person performing an action or being described. Him is an object pronoun, so it identifies the person receiving an action or following a preposition.

Use he in sentences such as “He arrived early” and “He is my neighbor.” Use him in sentences such as “We invited him” and “The letter was addressed to him.”

The Best Trick to Remember the Difference

Use the I/me swap test. If you could replace the pronoun with I, choose he. If you could replace it with me, choose him.

• He arrived early → I arrived early.
• I spoke to him → I spoke to me.

Another quick question is: Who is performing the action? Use he. Whom does the action affect, or after whom does a preposition come? Use him.

How to Use He

He is a third-person singular subject pronoun. It refers to a male person, a person who uses he pronouns, or sometimes a male animal when the speaker knows or emphasizes the animal’s sex. It normally appears before a verb because it identifies who performs the action.

Use he after a noun has already established who or what you are discussing. For example, “Marcus said he would call” avoids repeating Marcus’s name. In formal and casual English alike, he is appropriate when it matches the individual’s pronouns.

Example 1: He completed the report before lunch.

Example 2: Daniel said he would meet us at the station.

Example 3: He is responsible for organizing the event.

What are the different forms of He?

He is the subject form of the third-person singular personal pronoun. Its object form is him, and its possessive forms are his and his: “He brought his coat,” “The coat is his.” The reflexive form is himself: “He prepared himself.” Unlike nouns, pronouns do not take regular plural endings. The corresponding gender-neutral plural or singular pronoun may be they, depending on the person’s stated pronouns and the context.

Etymology of the word He

He comes from Old English hē, which was the masculine singular personal pronoun. It developed through Middle English forms into the modern English word. Its role as a subject pronoun has remained stable for centuries, although modern English also recognizes individual choices about gendered and gender-neutral pronouns.

How to Use Him

Him is a third-person singular object pronoun. Use it when a male person or a person who uses him pronouns receives the action of a verb, or when it follows a preposition such as to, for, with, about, or from.

In “The manager thanked him,” him receives the action of thanked. In “I went with him,” it follows the preposition with. In compound phrases, test the pronoun by removing the other person: “The coach spoke to Maya and him” becomes “The coach spoke to him,” not “The coach spoke to he.”

This same object-pronoun test clarifies choices in phrases such as Him and I, especially when both pronouns appear together.

Example 1: The committee selected him for the position.

Example 2: Please send the completed form to him.

Example 3: I saw him near the entrance.

What are the different forms of Him?

Him is the object form of he. The related subject form is he, the possessive forms are his and his, and the reflexive form is himself. Use him after a transitive verb or preposition, but use he when the pronoun performs the action.

Etymology of the word Him

Him developed from Old English him, the dative and accusative form of the masculine pronoun. Over time, English simplified several case endings, but the distinction between the subject form he and the object form him remained.

Related Concepts

Understanding subject and object roles makes the difference between he and him much easier to recognize.

• Subject pronouns: Subject pronouns perform an action or serve as the subject of a linking verb. Examples include I, you, she, he, we, and they.
• Object pronouns: Object pronouns receive an action or follow a preposition. Examples include me, you, her, him, us, and them.
• Personal pronouns: Personal pronouns stand in for people, animals, or things. Their forms can change according to person, number, gender, and grammatical case.
• Possessive pronouns: Possessive forms show ownership or association. For he and him, the relevant form is his, as in “That is his notebook.”
• Prepositions: Prepositions establish relationships between words. Object pronouns generally follow them, as in “for him,” “beside him,” and “without him.”

Examples from Media and Literature

These examples show how authors, journalists, and screenwriters use the two forms in natural contexts:

• Literary narration: A novel may introduce a character with “He entered the room,” using he because the character performs the action.
• Dialogue in film: A character might say, “I told him the truth,” using him because another person receives the telling.
• News reporting: A report may state, “He appeared in court,” and later say, “The judge questioned him.” The first pronoun is the subject; the second is the object.
• Biographical writing: A profile may explain, “He founded the organization,” followed by “Colleagues praised him for his leadership.”
• Everyday storytelling: Someone may say, “I went to the concert with him,” where him follows the preposition with.

Practice Exercises

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.

1. [He/Him] submitted the application yesterday.
2. The teacher congratulated [he/him] after the presentation.
3. I went shopping with [he/him].
4. [He/Him] explained the instructions clearly.
5. We invited Sarah and [he/him] to dinner.

Answer Key

1. He — It is the subject performing the action of submitting.
2. him — It receives the action of congratulating.
3. him — It follows the preposition with.
4. He — It is the subject performing the action of explaining.
5. him — It follows the preposition to, understood in “invited Sarah and him.”

He Synonyms

Pronouns do not have exact synonyms in every sentence, but these contextual substitutes may work when the meaning remains clear.

Him Synonyms

Possible substitutes for him depend on the person’s identity, age, and the sentence’s level of formality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: Should I say “between you and he” or “between you and him”?
Say “between you and him.” The preposition between requires object forms, so him is correct.

Question 2: Is “He and I” or “Him and me” correct?
Both can be correct depending on the sentence. Use “he and I” as a subject, as in “He and I attended the meeting.” Use “him and me” as an object, as in “The manager spoke to him and me.”

Question 3: Is it correct to say “It was him”?
“It was him” is standard in everyday modern English. “It was he” is a formal and traditional alternative, but it sounds unnatural in many ordinary conversations.

Question 4: Can “him” begin a sentence?
Yes, when it has an appropriate object role, as in “Him, I remember well,” although this construction is emphatic and less common. In ordinary statements, use he when the pronoun is the subject.

Conclusion

He and him are both correct, but he is the subject form and him is the object form. Use the I/me swap test: if I fits, choose he; if me fits, choose him. Pro Tip: Correct pronoun choices improve clarity and help maintain a polished, professional reputation.