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Do you think it's correct to use the verb to be this way in these sentences?

1 Who do you think is me in the picture?

2 Who do you think is you in the picture?

3 How can I recognize who is you in this crowd?

I happen to hear natives' opinion that they are not correct. They should be:

4 Who do you think I am in the picture?

5 Who do you think you are in the picture?

6 How can I recognize who you are in this crowd?
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  • 4
    All 6 sentences are grammatical.
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented May 29, 2020 at 15:38
  • What's the difference in semantics?
    – user1425
    Commented May 29, 2020 at 17:38
  • Note that "Who do you think you are" has an entirely different idiomatic meaning.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented May 29, 2020 at 19:28

1 Answer 1

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All your 6 examples are grammatical.

I would read #1 as meaning something like "of all the people in the picture, which one is me? can you guess?".

I feel #4 has a broader range of possible interpretations. #4 could mean something like "Who do you think I am (pretending to be)?" or "Who do you think I am (representing)?"

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