Who vs. Whom: What’s the difference?

“Who is that?”

The difference between “who” and “whom” lies in their grammatical function within a sentence. Here’s a clear explanation to help you understand these tricky words.

Who

• Function
  • “Who” is a subjective pronoun. This means it acts as the subject of a verb. In simpler terms, it’s the one performing the action.
• How to check
  • If you can replace the word with “he,” “she,” or “they,” then “who” is correct.
• Examples
  • “Who is going to the store?” (He/She is going to the store.)
  • “The person who called was very polite.” (He/She called.)

Whom

• Function
  • “Whom” is an objective pronoun. This means it acts as the object of a verb or a preposition. In simpler terms, it’s the one receiving the action.
• How to check
  • If you can replace the word with “him,” “her,” or “them,” then “whom” is correct.
• Examples
  • “Whom did you see?” (I saw him/her/them.)
  • “To whom did you give the book?” (I gave the book to him/her/them.)
  • “The person whom I met was very nice.” (I met him/her.)

Simplified trick for remembering

• “Who” = he/she/they (subject)
• “Whom” = him/her/them (object)

Important notes

• In everyday spoken English, “whom” is becoming less common. Many people simply use “who” in most situations.
• However, in formal writing, it’s still important to use “whom” correctly.
• Especially after prepositions, it is still considered proper to utilize “whom”. (To whom, with whom, etc.)

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