What is the subjective case? (with examples)

What is the subjective case? (with examples)

The subjective case is the case used for a noun or pronoun that is the subject of a verb. For example (shaded subjective case):

• The boy eats pies.
  (The noun“boy“is the subject of the verb“eats.““Boy“is in the subjective case. In English, nouns do not change in the different cases. Pronouns, however, do.)
• He eats pies.
  (The pronoun“he“is the subject of the verb“eats.““He“is in the subjective case. In the objective case (i.e., if“he“were not the subject of a verb), this would be“him.“For example,“The cannibals ate him.“)
• They eat pies.
  (The pronoun“they“is the subject of the verb“eats.““They“is in the subjective case.)
• They eat them.
  (Here,“they“is in the subjective case, but“them“is the objective case.)

The subjective case is also used for a subject complement. For example:

• Lee is an editor.
  (Here,“Lee“is in the subjective case because it’s the subject of“is,“and“editor“is in the subjective case because it’s a subject complement; i.e., it renames the subject.)
• It was I.
  (Here,“it“is in the subjective case because it’s the subject of“was,“and“I“is in the subjective case because it is a subject complement; i.e., it renames the subject.)

Only Pronouns Change Their Forms

The subjective case is also used for a subject complement. For example:

• The man saw the dog.
  (Here,“man“is in the subjective case because it’s the subject of“saw.“)
• The dog saw the man.
  (This time,“man“is in the objective case, but there has been no change in spelling.)

Pronouns, however, change their forms depending on their case. Subjective pronouns are“yo“,“you“,“the“,“ella“,“it’s“,“us“,“they“,“who“y“any“. Look at this example:

• I saw the dog. The dog saw me.
  (“I“is the subject of the verb“saw.“It is a subjective pronoun. However, it changes to“me“when it is not in the subjective case; i.e., when it is not the subject of a verb or a subject complement.)

Subjective Pronouns

Here is a list of subjective pronouns and objective pronouns:

Subjective Pronoun	Objective Pronoun	Comment
I	me
you	you	There is no change.
he	him
she	her
it	it	There is no change.
we	us
they	them
who	whom	who & whom.
whoever	whomever

Why Should I Care about the Subjective Case?

Aquí hay cinco buenas razones para preocuparse por el caso subjetivo.

(Reason 1) Ensure subject-verb agreement.

A noun in the subjective case governs a verb, that is, it determines how the verb changes (or how the verb is“conjugate“as they say). In other words, a noun case or subjective pronoun must agree in number with its verb. This sounds complicated, but it just means that we should say“The dog is“and no“The dog is“. When we get it right, it’s called subject-verb agreement.

As a general rule, native English speakers are brilliant at subject-verb agreement, but there are some catches. The most common mistake people make is treating a modifier as if it were the subject. Look at this example:

• A box of knives were found on the back seat. ❌
  (This is wrong because the noun in the subjective case is“box,“which is singular. The phrase“of knives“is just to modify. It doesn’t govern the verb.)
• A box of knives was found on the back seat. ✔️

There are also many other traps. You can read about them on the subject page or the subject-verb agreement page.

(Reason 2) You must know the cases if you are learning a foreign language

The subjective case (also called“nominative case“) is the first case addressed by language students. It is the version of the word that appears in the dictionary. It is the version of the word for the subject of your sentence. In other words, it is the main case. Any changes that occur in the other cases (called“oblique cases“) can be considered as changes in the version of the subjective case. In other words, the subjective case is the baseline. So if you’re learning a foreign language or teaching English, you need to know the subjective case well. It is the first thing you will learn or teach.

(Reason 3) Don’t use“I“as the object of a verb or the object of a preposition.

“I“is a pronoun in the subjective case. It must be used as the subject of a verb. You can’t use it as the object of a verb (for example, She knows that I) or as the object of a preposition (for example, with me, close to me). This includes when“yo“appears in terms like“my wife and I“y“between you and me“. For example:

• They knew my wife and I. ❌
  (The subjective pronoun“I“must be the subject of a verb. Here, it’s the direct object of the verb“knew.“It should read“They knew me and my wife.“Of note, the word order“my wife and me“sounds awkward to most native English speakers, who prefer“me and my wife.“This also contributes to writers saying“my wife and I.“)
• I sent a card from my wife and I. ❌
  (“I“cannot be the object of a preposition. This should be“…from me and my wife.“)
• My wife and I sent a card. ✔️
  (This time,“I“is fine. It’s the subject of the verb“sent.“)
• Between you and I, I think she’s annoyed. ❌
  (The term“between you and I“is always wrong. It should be“between you and me.“)

(Reason 4) Don’t use“myself“with an order.

• Call me tomorrow.
  (There is an inferred“you“in this order. In other words,“you“is the subject of an imperative verb.)
• [You] Call me when you arrive.
  (Even though we don’t say the“you,“it is inferred.)

This is relevant because you can only use“yourself“o“yourselves“with an imperative verb (ie, a command). you can’t use“myself“. This is a common mistake.

• Send any complaints to the Human Resources Department or directly to myself. ❌
  (You can’t use“myself

(Reason 5)“Who“is the subjective case.“Whom“isn’t.

Si usas“who“, make sure it is the subject of a verb. If not, use“who“. For example:

• Who is she? ✔️
  (Here,“who“is the subject of“is.“It is correct.)
• I know the woman who lost her dog. ✔️
  (Here,“who“is the subject of“lost.“It is correct.)
• Who did you sit with? ❌
  (Here,“who“is not the subject of a verb. Therefore, it must be wrong. It should be“whom.“The subject of“sit“is“you.“)

Key Points

• Learn or teach a language? Learn the roles of all cases, starting with the subjective case.
• Don’t say“my wife and I“unless it is the subject of a verb.
• Never say“between you and me“… never.

“Myself“is not an intellectual word for“yo“. (cannot use“myself“after an imperative verb).

• Send your ideas to myself or Derek.