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Is it improper to say "me and Person X"?

I always hear it said as "Person X and I", but have personally learned to say "me and Person X".

Is there a difference between the two versions and is one of them incorrect? "Person and I" just sounds more formal to me.

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You would use "X and I" if you and X are the subject of the verb.

You would use "X and me" if you and X are the object of the verb.

For example:

"Smith and I are going to the store."

"She gave the apples to Jones and me."

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    Why is one way correct and the other not?
    – n8bar
    Jul 3, 2017 at 18:46
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Yes, placing yourself at the beginning is improper grammar. As far as why, I don't know. It just is. To me, it always sounded self-centered to begin a sentence or list of people with myself. I imagine that is the genesis of the rule but I have no idea. It makes someone sound pretty uneducated to do it, though. "Me and Leon" typically followed by "was..." seems pretty common among those with poor grammar.

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    Placing oneself at the beginning of a sentence has very little to do with "grammar", it's merely a convention, a question of good manners, bon-ton, politeness... Curiously, "me and Alex" sounds better than "Alex and me", and I'm not sure why this is so.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Feb 12, 2015 at 15:50
  • ... 'Me and my shadow' certainly does.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Feb 12, 2015 at 16:08

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