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Q&A

Comments on Why "me too" and not "I too"?

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Why "me too" and not "I too"?

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I've been studying German lately, and came across something that sparked my curiosity: The way to say "me too" in German is "ich auch" - that is, "I too". A shallow glance at other Germanic languages gives me the impression that this formation is common in those. (Dutch: "Ik ook", Swedish: "Jag också", both similarly using the nominative case)

This made me wonder about the English expression. Saying "I too" would seem more logical when "I" is the subject - as it is in most cases. For example, if someone says, "I went to the mall yesterday", then replying "I too have gone" would imply that "I too" is the "correct" shortened response. Instead, we use "me too".

What is there a reason for this divergence?

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1 comment thread

Isn't this the same question as [Is it correct to use "me too" and "I too"?](https://english.stackexc... (3 comments)
Isn't this the same question as [Is it correct to use "me too" and "I too"?](https://english.stackexc...
PSTH‭ wrote almost 2 years ago

Isn't this the same question as Is it correct to use "me too" and "I too"? ? Did you try to Google, before posting?

Moshi‭ wrote almost 2 years ago

PSTH‭ Please refrain from saying things like "Did you try to Google, before posting?" It serves no purpose other than to insult and antagonize questioners, which violates our "Be Nice" policy. As a moderator, this is an informal first warning.

Instead, it is more helpful to simply say "Here is something I found that might help:". It gives exactly the same information without being antagonistic. Or, you could even write an answer citing that link, which might even net you some rep (ooh incentives :)

Greg Price‭ wrote 11 months ago

Also, to answer the meta-question directly: no, this is a completely different question. The asker of this question is well aware that the normal expression in English is "me too" — the question is why, and in particular why it differs from other Germanic languages where an equivalent of "I too" is used instead.