She's taller than me. が現代の話し言葉の標準です。古い規範は than I(am)を求めましたが、裸の than I は今では堅苦しく響きます。丁寧に言いたいときは、動詞まで言い切る than I am が自然で上品。「me が普通、I am が改まり形」と覚えれば実戦は完璧です。
She's taller than me is today's spoken standard. The old prescription demanded than I (am), but a bare than I now sounds starchy. For formality, say the verb out loud: than I am — natural and polished. Working rule: me for everyday, I am for dress-up.
百年論争のいまの答え
A Century-Old Argument, Settled for Practical Purposes
論争の根は「than は接続詞か前置詞か」。接続詞なら後ろは文の断片で than I (am)、前置詞なら目的格で than me。現代英語の実態は明快で、話し言葉・くだけた書き言葉は than me が圧倒的、改まった文書では than I am 型(動詞つき)が好まれます。裸の than I は、正しさを狙って不自然になる「過剰修正」の代表例になりました。
The root of the argument: is than a conjunction (taking a clause fragment — than I am) or a preposition (taking an object — than me)? Modern usage is clear: speech and casual writing run overwhelmingly on than me, while formal prose prefers the full-verb form than I am. The bare than I has become a textbook case of hypercorrection: aiming for correct and landing on stiff.
実戦の3段The three working levels
My sister is two years older than me.
姉は私より2つ年上だ。
日常の標準形。The everyday standard.
She has more experience than I do.
彼女のほうが私より経験がある。
動詞つきの改まり形。ビジネス文書でも自然。The full-verb formal option — natural in business prose.
He arrived earlier than us.
彼は私たちより早く着いた。
us・him・her も同じ理屈で目的格が標準。Us, him, her follow the same rule — object forms rule.
than me(日常)
話し言葉・カジュアルな文の標準。迷ったらこれ。The spoken and casual default — your safe pick.
You're way better at this than me.
これ、あなたのほうが私よりずっとうまいよ。
than I am / than I do(改まり)
動詞まで言う形。フォーマルでも不自然にならない。Say the verb and formality comes free of stiffness.
Few people work harder than she does.
彼女ほど懸命に働く人は少ない。
よくある間違い / Common Mistake
×My brother is taller than I.
兄は私より背が高い。(ふつうの会話のつもりで)
○My brother is taller than me.
兄は私より背が高い。
文法的に「誤り」ではありません(古い規範ではむしろ推奨形)。ただ現代の会話では堅苦しく、教科書を音読しているような響きになります。丁寧さが必要なら than I am と動詞まで。裸の than I だけが、宙ぶらりんで不自然——という現代の力学です。
Not an error — the old rulebooks recommended it. But in modern conversation it sounds like reading aloud from a textbook. Need formality? Finish the thought: than I am. It's only the bare than I, hanging mid-air, that modern usage has turned against.
older than me私より年上日常比較の最頻形。目的格が現代標準。The everyday comparison at its most frequent — object form, modern standard.
than I do / than I am(改まって)私よりも動詞を言い切れば、フォーマルさと自然さが両立する。Finish the verb and formality stops costing naturalness.
between you and meここだけの話前置詞の後は me。and I への過剰修正が最多発する現場。Me after the preposition — hypercorrection's favorite crime scene.
rather you than me私じゃなくてよかった(ご愁傷さま)「あなたで済んでよかった」という軽口の慣用(主に英。米では Better you than me. が普通)。目的格 me が定位置。"Better you than me" — the sympathetic wince, with me locked in.
まとめ / Summary
会話の標準は than me(us・him も同様)。Spoken standard: than me — likewise us, him.
改まった場では than I am / than I do(動詞まで)。Formal: than I am, than I do — say the verb.
裸の than I は過剰修正で不自然に響く。Bare than I reads as hypercorrection.
between you and me も同じ理屈(× and I)。Between you and me runs on the same rule.