Thread: It was I... vs It was me.. , etc.

I do not 100% understand the pattern, if it exists.. I hope the native speakers of English could kindly elaborate on how to use this structure... The examples are:

1. It was me (or I?) who opened the file. - Именно я открыл файл.
2. It was he (or him?) who opened the file - Именно он открыл файл.
3. It is me (or I?) who opened the file - must translate the same: Именно я открыл файл.
4. It is he (or him?) who opened the file - must translate the same: Именно он открыл файл.
(is it OK to use 'is' in 3 and 4???)

5. It is me (or I?) who thinks about it all the time. - Does this structure make sense at all???

(if you are interested, we could discuss it via email or PM).. thanks, folks!

Well Alex, i hope this will help you a little ;

-It was I who got a present last night.
Here "I" is subject. To understand it better, note that you will say "I got a present last night."
You won't say "Me got a present last night."

-"It was me they elected as the moderator!" Or "It was me whom they elected as the moderator".
To understand why it is so, remember that you will say "They elected "me" as the moderator."
You will not say "They elected I as the moderator."
Here "me" is "object" . ( unlike the previous example which "i" was "subject")

-It was I/she/he "who" danced in the club.
-It was me/her/him "whom" they saw dance in the club.

If you can't decide which is correct, try placing the pronoun (I vs Me, etc) in front of the action!
( BTW don't take any of the examples serious )

Did you get it Alex? Cause you didn't reply or anything!
For your questions:
1. It was me (or I?) who opened the file. --» It was "I" who opened the file. [I opened the file✔- Me opened the file✘]

2. It was he (or him?) who opened the file. --» It was he who opened the file. [ He opened the file✔ - Him opened the file ✘]

3. It is me (or I?) who opened the file . --» "I"

4. It is he (or him?) who opened the file. --» "he"

¤¤ is it OK to use 'is' in 3 and 4??? --» yes it is. Both are correct (was/is)

5. It is me (or I?) who thinks about it all the time. --» "I"
¤¤Does this structure make sense at all??? --» you should say, "think" and not "thinks" .

And in the end, as I heard It's not uncommon (at least in the U.S.) to make mistakes in these kind of cases. *even by native English speakers*
But to be grammatically correct, you should follow the structure that is explained.

Good luck!

Alex, use "it was me/it was him" in all of those examples - if you are speaking American English. Use "it was I/it was he" if speaking British English. The British version is more grammatically correct... but in America, almost no one says it that way and it would sound strange here.

С Новым Годом, Саша!

Originally Posted by alexsms

I do not 100% understand the pattern, if it exists.. I hope the native speakers of English could kindly elaborate on how to use this structure... The examples are:

1. It was me (or I?) who opened the file. - Именно я открыл файл.
2. It was he (or him?) who opened the file - Именно он открыл файл.
3. It is me (or I?) who opened the file - must translate the same: Именно я открыл файл.
4. It is he (or him?) who opened the file - must translate the same: Именно он открыл файл.
(is it OK to use 'is' in 3 and 4???)

5. It is me (or I?) who thinks about it all the time. - Does this structure make sense at all???

(if you are interested, we could discuss it via email or PM).. thanks, folks!

I think put succinctly:

I = я
Me = меня

He = он
Him = его

She = она
Her = ее

Тhey = они
Them = их

That is to say:

Me, Him, Her, Them = винительный падеж. Кого?
I, he, she, they = именительный падеж. Кто?

Of course, this does not encompass all grammatical properties and usage of these words, but it is fairly steadfast when one of these cases in English would be called for.

Usage in the structure you provided should conform to the pronoun you would use in Russian. Deborski may be on to something with what may be confusing you, though. Many American speakers will use the grammatically incorrect pronoun in certain circumstances. One of the most common examples would be during a telephone call:

Caller: "Is Jack/Jane there?"
Answering person: "This is him/her."


In this context the grammatically correct thing to say would be "This is he/she." This doesn't stop us pesky Americans from defiling the language in informal speech and using 'him/her' though.