Dear MDA, Administrative Assistant:
You wrote:
> HELP: Which is correct: Barney and I went to the store,
>
> Between you and I or Between you and me. Why? and how can I remember when
> to use ‘I’.
>
I is the subject; me is the object. In most cases you can remember which one to use by omitting the word it is paired with. Is it “me went to the store” or “I went to the store”? Clearly, “Barney and I went to the store” is correct. I is the subject.
Between is slightly more tricky because you need to have something plural for it make sense. But between is a preposition; therefore, it takes an object. You should say “Between you and me.” If it were possible, you would say “between me,” just as you say “to me” or “with me” or “between us.” Me follows prepositions.
I occasionally do hear people say “Between you and I,” but I am not sure where this came from.
Similar pattern for other pronouns:
| Subject | Object |
| he | him |
| she | her |
| we | us |
| they | them |
| who | whom |
| thou | thee (if you are into Shakespeare or King James) |
It and you are the same for both subject and object in modern English.