• He gave the letter to me. (Subject)
• I gave the letter to him. (Object)
• You would never say "Him gave the letter to I" or "Me gave the letter to he."
• It's the same with who (subject) and whom (object).

So how do I know when to use whom as the object and who as the subject in a question?

A trick I use is to imagine the answer and then work backwards.

• Question: _______ is this letter for?
• Answer: The letter is for HIM.
• The correct usage would be "Whom is this letter for?"

• Question: _______ is that guy over there?
• Answer: HE is my friend.
• The correct usage would be "Who is that guy over there?"

Another easy trick is to look for is prepositions because they usually go with whom. (You remember prepositions: "The squirrel runs on, over, toward, with, along, under, etc. the branch.")

• Whom will you give the present to?
• Whom are you going to the movies with?

Extra credit! You may recall learning that you shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition. While this rule is considered somewhat archaic for modern times, some people prefer to follow it anyway to make their sentences clearer

• Whom will you give the present to? –>To whom will you give the present?
• Whom will you go to the movies with? –> With whom will you go to the movies?
• Bonus! This makes you sound super fancy.

You try! (Answers are at the bottom.)

• _____ is your favorite actor?
• _____ do you want to work with?
• _____ are you lending your car to?
• _____ has the day off today?
• With _____?

For whom can I answer a burning grammar question? Is it you? Let me know!

(Answers: Who, Whom, Whom, Who, Whom)