Male Pronouns

In my years teaching English, I’ve noticed that even advanced learners sometimes hesitate when choosing between he, him, his, and himself. The confusion usually isn’t about which form to use — it’s about when and why each form matters. Male pronouns follow a clear pattern once you see it, and that pattern mirrors every other pronoun set in English.

You’ll breaks down male pronouns step by step, shows you exactly when to use each form, and reveals the most common mistakes my students make. By the end, you’ll have the confidence to use he, him, his, and himself without second-guessing yourself.

What Are Male Pronouns?

Male pronouns refer to or stand in for a person traditionally identified as male. The complete set includes five forms: he, him, his, his (possessive pronoun), and himself. These pronouns function grammatically the same way as female pronouns (she, her, her, hers, herself) — the only difference is the form itself.

It’s important to understand that male pronouns aren’t inherently “male” in meaning. They’re simply one grammatical option. In modern English, a person of any gender can use male pronouns if that’s their preference. What matters is using the pronouns someone has told you they prefer.

Example 1: “He is working on the project.” (He is the subject — the person doing the work.)

Example 2: “I gave him the report.” (Him is the object — the person receiving the report.)

Example 3: “That’s his responsibility.” (His shows who owns or is responsible for something.)

The Complete Male Pronoun Paradigm

Case	Form	Function	Example
Subject	He	The person performing the action	He finished the assignment.
Object	Him	The person receiving the action	I saw him at the store.
Possessive Adjective	His	Shows ownership before a noun	His laptop is in the office.
Possessive Pronoun	His	Stands alone; the object is understood	This coat is his.
Reflexive	Himself	Refers back to the subject	He taught himself to code.

Common Mistakes with Male Pronouns

✗ Incorrect: “John gave it to him book.”

✓ Correct: “John gave it to him.”

Why: Him is the object pronoun that stands alone. Don’t add a noun after it unless you’re changing the sentence structure completely.

✗ Incorrect: “Him went to the store.”

✓ Correct: “He went to the store.”

Why: He is the subject form — it’s who’s doing the action. Him can only follow a verb (someone gave it to him) or a preposition (I spoke with him).

✗ Incorrect: “When a doctor examines a patient, he should listen carefully.”

✓ Correct: “When a doctor examines a patient, they should listen carefully.”

Why: Doctors of any gender perform this job. Using “he” as a generic pronoun erases women and non-binary doctors. Modern English prefers they or rephrasing.

✗ Incorrect: “Michael prepared himself a sandwich, and he ate it.”

✓ Correct: “Michael prepared himself a sandwich and ate it.” (Or: “Michael prepared a sandwich for himself and ate it.”)

Why: Both sentences are grammatically acceptable, but combining them with “and he ate it” is slightly redundant since the subject is already clear.

When to Use “He” — The Subject Case

Use he 🔊 🎤 when the male person (or anyone using male pronouns) is the subject of the sentence — meaning they’re performing the action.

Example 1: “He is a great basketball player.” (He is performing the action of playing.)

Example 2: “He called me yesterday.” (He performed the action of calling.)

Example 3: “He will attend the meeting.” (He will perform the action of attending.)

Remember: if you can answer “Who is doing the action?” with the person’s name, then you use he.

When to Use “Him” — The Object Case

Use him 🔊 🎤 when the male person is the object of the sentence — meaning the action is being done to them, or they’re the object of a preposition (a word like to, for, with, from).

Example 1: “I gave him the keys to the car.” (The action of giving is being done to him.)

Example 2: “The dog chased him down the street.” (The action of chasing is being done to him.)

Example 3: “I spoke with him yesterday.” (Him is the object of the preposition “with.”)

Quick test: if you can replace the person’s name with “him” in that exact position, you’ve used it correctly.

When to Use “His” — Possession

Use his 🔊 🎤 in two situations:

1. Before a noun (possessive adjective): “His favorite color is blue.” Here, his describes the color — it belongs to him.

2. Alone, standing for the whole phrase (possessive pronoun): “That car is his.” Here, his means “that car belongs to him,” and you don’t repeat the noun.

Example 1: “His presentation impressed everyone.” (His modifies presentation.)

Example 2: “Is this his jacket?” (His modifies jacket.)

Example 3: “The blue notebook is his.” (His stands alone; the object is understood.)

When to Use “Himself” — The Reflexive Case

Use himself 🔊 🎤 when the action comes back to the subject — the person is both doing the action and receiving it.

Example 1: “He bought himself a new car.” (He both bought and received the car.)

Example 2: “He taught himself to play guitar.” (He was both the teacher and the student.)

Example 3: “He reminded himself to call home.” (He both gave and received the reminder.)

A helpful trick: if you can say “by himself” (alone, without help), you’re probably using the reflexive correctly.

Male Pronouns in Professional and Formal Writing

Formal Contexts (business emails, reports, academic papers):

✓ Correct: “The CEO announced his resignation.” (Refers to a specific person.)

✓ Correct: “Each employee will receive his or her orientation.” (When gender is unknown, use both pronouns or use they.)

✓ Correct: “The team completed their project on time.” (Generic group; use they/their.)

Informal Contexts (texts, casual emails, everyday speech):

✓ Acceptable: “Hey guys, let’s grab lunch.” (Informal plural, not technically grammatically precise but common.)

✓ Acceptable: “He’s a great employee, always on time.” (Referring to a specific person; standard usage.)

In formal writing, avoid using he as a generic pronoun (as in “when a person goes shopping, he should bring a list”). Instead, use they or rephrase: “when shopping, people should bring a list.”

Male Pronouns and Gender Identity

A crucial point: using male pronouns does not automatically mean someone identifies as male. Some women use he/him pronouns. Some non-binary people use he/him. Some cisgender men don’t use male pronouns. Gender identity and pronouns are separate choices.

The respectful approach is always to listen to what pronouns someone uses and apply them, regardless of assumptions about appearance or identity.

Example: “My colleague uses he/him pronouns and identifies as a woman. I always use he when referring to her.”

Sample Dialogue: Using Male Pronouns Correctly

Quick Quiz: Testing Your Male Pronoun Knowledge

Related Articles

• ↑ Master Pillar: English Grammar
• They/Them Pronouns: Gender-Neutral Usage and Agreement
• Fae Pronouns: A Neopronoun Guide
• Avoiding Vague Pronouns: Clarity in Writing
• ↑ Back to pillar: English Pronouns (Pillar)

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