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Grammatica
Pronouns A1 A2

Basic pronouns

Use subject, object, possessive, and basic indefinite pronouns to avoid repeating nouns.

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Visuele uitleg

Pronouns: pointers that change by job

pronoun = a pointer word

person/thing in mind
        │  avoid repeating the noun
        ▼
   PRONOUN POINTER
        │
        ▼
same pointer + different job = different form

  ├─ doer (subject = who does/is)
  │  Maria is here. She is tired.
  │
  ├─ receiver (object = gets the action)
  │  Tom called me.
  │
  ├─ owner (possessive = belongs to)
  │  before noun: This is our room.
  │  alone: The blue bag is mine.
  │
  └─ unknown/general person or thing
     Someone is at the door.

First ask what the pronoun points to; then choose the form for its job in this sentence.

Introduction

What pronouns do

Pronouns stand in for nouns when the listener already knows who or what you mean. First name the person or thing if needed; after that, use a pronoun. 'Maria is here. She is tired.' is smoother than repeating Maria. 'The keys are on the table. They are near the door.' is smoother than repeating the keys. In English, a pronoun must match its meaning and its sentence job: speaker, listener, one person, more than one thing, subject, object, or possession.
Core Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Maria is here. She is tired.

A pronoun is clear after the noun is known.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Maria is here
antecedent clause
Names the person first so the pronoun is clear.
She is tired
subject pronoun clause
Uses she to refer back to Maria.
Leer als één geheel
Core Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

The keys are on the table. They are near the door.

They can refer to plural things, not only people.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

The keys are on the table
antecedent clause
Introduces the plural thing.
They are near the door
plural pronoun clause
Uses they for more than one thing.
Leer als één geheel
Cognitive metaphor

Pronouns are pointers

Think of a pronoun as a pointer, not a new name. The pointer works only when the target is clear. In 'Where is Ben? He's in the kitchen,' he points to Ben. If several men are in the story, say the name again when he would be confusing. The pointer can also point to a thing, a group, or a whole situation. Use it for one thing or an idea, and they for more than one thing or person. Clarity comes first: repeat the noun when a pronoun would be unclear.
Question Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Where is Ben? He's in the kitchen.

A pronoun works like a pointer when the target is clear.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Where is Ben
question about a known person
Introduces the person being discussed.
He's in the kitchen
pronoun answer
Uses he because Ben is already clear.
Leer als één geheel
Core logic

Four basic jobs

Pronouns have four common jobs. Subject pronouns do the action: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. 'I like coffee.' Object pronouns receive the action or follow a preposition: me, you, him, her, it, us, them. 'Tom called me.' Possessive forms show ownership or connection: my, your, his, her, its, our, their before a noun; mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs alone. 'This is our room.' 'The blue bag is mine.' Indefinite pronouns refer to people or things not named exactly, such as someone, anyone, everything, and nothing.
Core Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I like coffee.

I is a subject pronoun.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I like
subject pronoun + verb
I is the subject doing the action or having the feeling.
Leer als één geheel
coffee
object noun
Names what is liked.
Core Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Tom called me.

Me is an object pronoun after a verb.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Tom called
subject noun + verb
Shows the action and who did it.
me
object pronoun
Me receives the action.
Leer als één geheel
Core Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

This is our room.

Our is used before a noun.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

This is
identifying frame
Introduces what something is.
our room
possessive determiner + noun
Our comes before the noun room.
Leer als één geheel
Core Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

The blue bag is mine.

Mine replaces a possessive phrase like my bag.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

The blue bag
subject noun phrase
Names the thing being identified.
is mine
possessive pronoun frame
Mine stands alone; no noun follows it.
Leer als één geheel
Core pattern

Subject forms and object forms

Choose the form by sentence job, not by who is important. A subject pronoun normally comes before the verb: he works, they know, we live. An object pronoun comes after a verb or a preposition. 'Can you help us?' uses you as the subject and us as the object. In 'I can't see them,' I does the seeing and them receives the action. After prepositions, use object forms: to me, with her, for us, about them. 'I spoke to her.' You and it keep the same form for subject and object.
Question Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Can you help us?

Object pronouns can appear in questions after the verb.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Can you help
request frame
A common request frame with you as the subject.
Leer als één geheel
us
object pronoun
Us receives the help.
Negative Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I can't see them.

Them is an object pronoun after a verb.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I can't see
negative subject + verb
A reusable negative frame.
Leer als één geheel
them
object pronoun
Them receives the action of seeing.
Core Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I spoke to her.

After to, use her, not she.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I spoke
subject + verb
Introduces the action.
to her
preposition + object pronoun
Use object pronouns after prepositions.
Leer als één geheel
Sentence xray

Sentence X-ray: one sentence, three jobs

In 'She gave them her number,' three pronoun forms have three different jobs. She is the subject, so it uses the subject form. Them is an object: it receives what she gave, so it uses the object form. Her comes before the noun number, so it is the possessive determiner, not the object form. If you remove the noun, use a possessive pronoun instead: 'The number is hers.' When a sentence feels confusing, ask: Is the word doing the action, receiving the action, or showing possession?
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

She gave them her number.

One sentence can contain different pronoun jobs.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

She gave
subject pronoun + verb
She is the subject doing the action.
them
object pronoun
Them receives what was given.
Leer als één geheel
her number
possessive determiner + noun
Her comes before the noun number.
Form variations

Possessive forms: before a noun or alone

English has two possessive sets. Use my, your, his, her, its, our, and their directly before a noun: 'Is this your phone?' Use mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs when the noun is not repeated: 'Yes, it's yours.' The form his works in both positions: his coat, the coat is his. The form its is used before a noun at this level: its color, its name. Do not say mine phone; say my phone. Its means belonging to it and has no apostrophe. It's means it is or it has, so it is not a possessive form.
Question Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Is this your phone?

Use your before the noun.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Is this
identifying question frame
A common way to ask who something belongs to.
your phone
possessive determiner + noun
Your comes before the noun phone.
Leer als één geheel
Spoken Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Yes, it's yours.

Yours replaces your phone in a short answer.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Yes
short confirmation
Confirms the answer.
it's yours
possessive pronoun clause
Yours stands alone; the noun is not repeated.
Leer als één geheel
Core pattern

Basic indefinite pronouns

Basic indefinite pronouns are useful when the exact noun is unknown or not important. For people, use someone or somebody, anyone or anybody, everyone or everybody, no one or nobody. For things, use something, anything, everything, and nothing. Use some- forms in normal positive statements: 'Someone is at the door.' Use any- forms in many questions and negatives: 'Do you know anyone here?' 'I don't know anyone here.' No one and nothing already make the idea negative, so do not add not to the same verb. These pronouns usually take a singular verb. In everyday English, 'Everyone has their ticket' is natural.
Core Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Someone is at the door.

Someone uses a singular verb.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Someone
indefinite pronoun subject
Refers to an unknown person.
Leer als één geheel
is at the door
verb + place
Uses a singular verb after someone.
Question Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Do you know anyone here?

Anyone is common in questions about an unknown person.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Do you know
question frame
A common question frame.
anyone here
indefinite object phrase
Anyone is natural in many questions.
Leer als één geheel
Negative Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I don't know anyone here.

Use anyone in many negative sentences.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I don't know
negative knowing frame
A reusable negative frame.
anyone here
indefinite object phrase
Anyone is natural in negatives.
Leer als één geheel
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Everyone has their ticket.

Everyone usually takes a singular verb, and their is natural for an unknown or mixed group.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Everyone
indefinite pronoun subject
Means all the people in the group.
Leer als één geheel
has their ticket
singular verb phrase
Has is singular; their is common for each person's ticket.
Contrast

Common contrast: meaning is not enough

The closest confusion is using the right meaning but the wrong form. For subjects, use subject forms. Mistake: 'Her likes music.' Corrected: 'She likes music.' After a verb or preposition, use object forms. Mistake: 'I spoke to she.' Corrected: 'I spoke to her.' Before a noun, use a possessive determiner. Mistake: 'This is mine bag.' Corrected: 'This is my bag.' With joined phrases, the same rule applies: 'Alex and I are late,' but 'The teacher saw Alex and me.'
Mistake Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Her likes music.

Her is not a subject form.

Corrected Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

She likes music.

Use she for the subject of the sentence.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

She likes
subject pronoun + verb
She is the subject form.
Leer als één geheel
music
object noun
Names what she likes.
Mistake Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

This is mine bag.

Mine cannot come before a noun in this pattern.

Summary

The basic pronoun checklist

To choose a basic pronoun, follow four steps. First, make sure the listener can identify the noun; if not, say the noun. Second, choose meaning: I or we for the speaker, you for the listener, he, she, or they for people, it for one thing, and they for plurals or an unknown person when natural. Third, choose the sentence job: subject, object, or possessive. Fourth, for unknown people or things, choose a basic indefinite pronoun such as someone, anyone, everyone, no one, something, or nothing. Clear reference matters more than avoiding repetition.
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