# EN: you and I / you and me



## loftypimp

je comprend pas très bien la subtilité entre "me" and "I" en fait, jtrouve que c'est assez compliqué, par exemple entre " you and me " et "you and I" ... j'ai jamais compris ça ! 
Merci en tout cas

*Moderator note:* multiple threads merged to create this one.


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## Franglais1969

[…]

Well we wouldn't really say "you and I" unless it was something like:

*Do you remember the day you and I went to Auxerre? *_(Although it is far more common to say "we," of course)._

The same rules apply. I is only used as a subject, as in the phrase above. (You and I went).


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## SwissPete

> I was talking about the differences between "you and me " and "you and I" for exemple.


 Do not despair. A lot of English speakers are confused, too. If you peruse the English Only forum, you will find threads dealing with just that. I will try to find some for you.

EDIT: Here are two:

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=149341

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=213886


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## loftypimp

Thank you both ! but you don't understand what I'm trying to say ! I know when I wanna say " toi et moi " I have to say " you and me " . 
nevertheless ,sometimes , on some songs (for exemple) we can see " you and I " 
Check this Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle's song out :
"Just you and I,Sharing our love together."*
*So why it's not " you and me " ?


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## virki

Hi!
I'm French and I was watching an American TV show. There is something I did not understand : what is the difference between " You and I " and " You and me ". Do we have to use them according to different sentences or there is no difference at all ?

Thank you.


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## Donaldos

_You and I_... s'utilise quand _You_ et _I_ sont sujets de la phrase.
_You and me_... lorsqu'ils sont objets.

(il s'agit de la même distinction que tu pourrais faire entre _I_ et _me_ utilisés seuls). 

Cependant, en pratique, _You and me_... est aussi utilisé dans le premier cas.


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## Pipsy

Well, You and I is grammatically correct and you and me is not.

c'est comme "toi et moi" non pas "moi et toi" en français.


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## vaneaudodo

Although it is incorrect, a lot of people use "you and me" when they should use "you and I" or vice versa. 

ex: Brian was surprised by you and I when we came around the corner.* INCORRECT*! But often said... 
 Brian was surprised by you and me when we came around the corner. *CORRECT*! Because "you and me" = us = object of the sentence.


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## Fred_C

Hi,
you have got a very strange notion of object indeed !
I would say that "I" is for subject, and "Me" is for non-subject. (not only object)


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## vaneaudodo

Perhaps this was not the best example. Sorry it is probably confusing because it is in the passive and past tense. 

You are right, Fred_C. "you and me" is not the object of the sentence, but it is the object of the preposition "by" which still makes the use of "I" incorrect. I mistyped, or should have been more clear.


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## virki

OK. Is it possible that one of you give me an example : one where we should use " You and I " and an other one where we should use " You and me " ? 
Because it's a bit unclear for me.
Thank you a lot.


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## lady_byron

Ex: You and I both know that we have to part. (you ET I sont sujets de "know")



Pipsy said:


> Well, You and I is grammatically correct and you and me is not.
> 
> c'est comme "toi et moi" non pas "moi et toi" en français.


 
Non, en fait, cela n'a rien à voir avec cet exemple français. Il s'agit de savoir QUAND  "toi et moi" est sujet du verbe exprimant l'action,  et quand "toi et moi" subit l'action.


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## Angle O'Phial

*virki*:

You and *I* went to the store.
The watch belongs to you and *me*.

Le I et le me restent invariants lorsqu'on ajoute une deuxième personne tandis qu'en français, on a tendence à changer le pronom et à préciser exactement de qui il s'agit :

I went to the store -> You and I went to the store.
Je suis allé au magasin -> Toi et moi, nous sommes allés au magasin.

et :

The watch belongs to me -> The watch belongs to you and me.
La montre m'appartient -> La montre nous appartient, toi et moi.

L'anglais est nettement plus facile .


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## ryanjarman

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this trick.  The difference between I and me is a tricky one even for native English speakers.  To figure out if it should be "you and I" or "you and me", take out the "you".  Ex:
"You and I are interested in the same hobbies" becomes "I am interested in the same hobbies"
"He gave you and me the papers" becomes "he gave me the papers".
I hope that this trick helps!


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## astrid78

I think there is no translation for each of two expressions in french. Is there ones ?
And can you explain me the difference between those ?

Thanks !!


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## Maître Capello

_*You and I* both know it._ (sujet) → Toi et moi, nous le savons.

_This song is for *you and me*_. (objet) → Cette chanson est pour nous deux.


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## Tresley

Hello Astrid78,

Welcome to Word Reference.

If you can use the pronoun 'we', use *'you and I'*.


For example: *'You and I* (_we_) both know how to speak English and French'
If you can use the pronoun 'us', use *'you and me'*.


For example: 'The people who replied to this question wrote to *you and* *me* (_us_) in English and French'
Another way of working out whether to use 'I' or 'me' is to forget the other person (just to work it out).

For example:


'I speak English and French' _becomes '_You and I speak English and French.
'Speaking English and French is useful to me' _becomes_ 'Speaking English and French is useful to you and me'.
It is always 'you and me' after a preposition. For example:

For you and me
To you and me
After you and me
Before you and me
etc

I hope this helps, because:

Word Reference is a very helpful site for *you and me* (us) and *you and I* (we) can always rely on someone to help!


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