Me and You vs. You and I.

[OddVisions]

Admittedly, even though I'm a native English speaker, I always get confused about whether or not a correct term to use is you and I or me and you. It's embarrassing to be caught using that part of a sentence incorrectly while speaking or in a grammatical structure. How do you all believe it should be said in the various situations?

[nikolic993]

The correct term is "You and I" or "I and you", but everybody uses "me" instead in colloquial speech.

"I" is a Personal Pronoun, "me" is an Object Pronoun.

Edit: Some examples:

As a PP:

You and I are going to the bar tomorrow.

What if you and I don't make it on time?

As an OP:

He gave the money to me and you.

She said that she will kill me and you.

So as a subject you would use "I" and as an object "me".

[sidney]

Well, the grammar authorities say that "me and you" is the correct way of saying it, read more here: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/between-you-and-me

So my guess was right all along. I thought that "between you and I" sounded off for some reason.

[nikolic993]

Yes, in that context it is correct. But you can't say "You and me need to have a talk", you have to say "you and I".

[petrushka]

I agree with nikolic933. From what I remember, you use, "You/[Name] and I" every time the phrase is a subject and "you and me" every time the phrase is an object. You can figure it out by taking out the "you and" part and saying the sentence out loud to see if it makes sense.

Using nikolic's sentences, you get:

[You and] I are[am] going to the bar tomorrow.

What if [you and] I don't make it on time?

It won't make sense if you use the "me" in this situations would it?

[You and] me are[is] going to the bar tomorrow.

What if [you and] me don't make it on time?

In comparison:

He gave the money to me [and you].

She said that she will kill me [and you].

Similarly, using "I" here would make the sentence wrong:

He gave the money to [you and] I.

She said that she will kill [you and] I.

I and me are easy to distinguish so just take our the conjunction and it will be easier to determine which to use.

[Baburra]

I honestly have trouble choosing between the two as well but I just go with what sounds better and if it is wrong then I just try and not mind it too much. If I'm trying to be more correct, however, then I just try and see what the sentence would sound like if the other subject were omitted from it and often that works for me just fine.

[AureliaeLacrimae]

I agree with the grammar here:

Me is form used for objects (accusative case), whereas I is the subject (nominative) form.

Try using ''her'' instead, or ''him'' and you'll see it doesn't work either:

You and I are going to the bar tomorrow.

She and you ...

She and my brother found it.

It's incorrect to use her:

*You and her found it.

*Her and my brother found it.

Just like she in object position can't be used:

*He found she and you.

Object pronoun must be used instead:

He found her and you. He found her.

Try simple sentences and then just switch the simple form ''she'' with a more complex coordinated phrase ''she and you''. The same is with ''her'' and '' her and you'', or in your case, I/me.

Even if you use ellipsis, you should always be consistent:

He's taller than I (am).

*He's taller than me (am) - although this works in informal speech just fine, but it's not strict ellipsis then, it looks more like pro-form to me.

[Trellum]

Interesting   I'm using the him/he trick with sentences I'm not sure if to use Je or Jouw, for example.  Yes, object pronoun of personal pronoun.  It does work, I guess that little trick works with a lot languages.  Actually it helped me a lot when I just started learning dutch, but I can't remember where I read this tip? I do remember someone suggested it in some kind of forum.  Can't remember which!

[takibari]

To summarize, in order to avoid confusion - determine the function. Is it being used as an object or as a subject?

[reverserewind]

I've read Merriam-Webster site. Their experts say both ways can be correct. "Me too/neither" is way more common nowadays. 

[AureliaeLacrimae]

On 4/19/2016 at 2:17 PM, reverserewind said:

I've read Merriam-Webster site. Their experts say both ways can be correct. "Me too/neither" is way more common nowadays. 

Yes, both can be correct - both are correct, but in different contexts!! You can't use nominative case for object and vice versa it just doesn't work like that. It's like saying Who did you see? when you really have to say Whom did you see? because whom is the correct form. It goes without saying that in colloquial speech both sentences are correct, but in formal English, you will always say whom. Maybe this isn't a good example because of its popularity in colloquial speech, but the analogy is still good.

Me too / neither is a fixed expression. But if you wanted to begin the sentence with:

_______ (1st ps sg) too would love to come. 

_______ (1st ps sg) too will help you.

You will use the nominative form I, not the accusative form me.

 

On 3/7/2015 at 5:27 PM, takibari said:

To summarize, in order to avoid confusion - determine the function. Is it being used as an object or as a subject?

Yes, you are correct. 

Subject of finite clause - nominative case

Everywhere else (except for possession) - accusative case

[LindaESF]

Saying yourself first (me and you) is never correct. It's either "you and I" or "you and me". The correct one (I or me) can be found out easily by taking away "you". Would you say "me am going to the store" or "I am going to the store"? Or "Give the box to I" or "Give the box to me"?

For those who remember what nouns, verbs, and objects are, "I" is the noun doing the verb ("I [noun] am giving [verb] to..."). "Me" is an object of the verb, ("You [noun] are giving [verb] the present to me [object]").

By the way, "myself" is ONLY used as an object - "You and myself are giving..." is NEVER correct, but "I am giving a present to myself" is (only I can give to myself [Joe gives to me] or you can give to yourself [Joe gives to you]). If you can't remember, just don't say "myself" unless you are receiving something you yourself are giving. And put yourself last. It's more polite.