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them
/ðɛm/
object pronoun for people/things
I gave the books to them.
The speaker directed the action toward a group of people or things.
formalinformal
Third-person plural object pronoun, referring to people or things previously mentioned or implied
She called them yesterday.
The pronoun refers to a group of people or things.
I don’t know them personally.
Refers to a group of people not previously specified.
Used after verbs or prepositions (e.g., 'give to them', 'talk about them').
Pro Tip
Avoid confusion with 'they'
'Them' is an object pronoun (e.g., 'I see them'), while 'they' is a subject pronoun (e.g., 'They see me').
Gold Rule
Object pronoun rule
Use 'them' when the pronoun is the object of a verb or preposition (e.g., 'I told them the truth').
Word Origin
Old English 'þām' (dative plural of 'hīe'), from Proto-Germanic '*þaim' (them/their). Related to Old Norse 'þeim' and German 'ihnen'.
Usage Notes
Always used as an object pronoun (never as a subject). In informal speech, 'them' can sometimes replace 'those' (e.g., 'them books' instead of 'those books'), but this is nonstandard.
English Dictionary