From I or from me?

I recently had someone visit this website from a Google search for the following phrase:

from i or from me

I presume they’re wondering about such sentences as “Is that blue present from me?”

The quick answer is that you would say, “from me”. I tried as much as I could, but I couldn’t think of an example when you’d use “from I”.

When to use I

I is the nominative first-person pronoun. This means that we use it when referring to the subject of the sentence:

  • I went to the store.
  • I am baking a cake.
  • I will return before supper.

In all three examples, the pronoun refers to the thing in the sentence doing the action (i.e. going, baking, returning). Whenever you refer to yourself as the subject of a sentence—the thing performing the action in the sentence—use I.

When to use me

Me is the objective first-person pronoun. This means that we use it when referring to an object of the sentence.

  • They sent a letter to me.
  • You love me.
  • She pitched the ball to me.

In all three examples, the pronoun refers to the thing in the sentence having the action (i.e. sending, loving, pitching) done to it. Whenever you refer to yourself as an object of a sentence—a thing that is having something done to it by something else—use me.

Every instance I can imagine someone talking about themselves using from requires pairing it with me.

  • The flowers are from me.
  • You got your brown hair from me.
  • He was hiding from me.

In these examples, the actions (i.e. are, got, was hiding) are performed by something other than me, which makes me an object in the sentence, so I’d use me, not I.

I hope you read this random, anonymous reader and that this answers your question.

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By Kim Siever

I am a copywriter and copyeditor. I blog on writing and social media tips mostly, but I sometimes throw in my thoughts about running a small business. Follow me on Twitter at @hotpepper.