we or us?

[Mitchell Nakano]

Hi teachers,

Let's say that I am talking about how good Brazilians are at soccer.

Which one sounds better to you as a native speaker?

(1)They are better at soccer than we Japanese people.
(2)They are better at soccer than us Japanese people.

Thanks a lot, teachers.

 

[Einstein]

I prefer (2) because I consider "than" as a preposition. If we include a verb in the second part, "than" becomes a conjunction and "we" is right:

They are better at soccer than we Japanese are.

By the way, you don't need to say "Japanese people".

 

[RickyFreeman]

I agree with Einstein, from an AE perspective at least.

 

[RM1(SS)]

I would use (1), because I consider it to be a short form of "...than we Japanese are."

There are no doubt a couple dozen other threads in which you will find both opinions argued.

 

[Einstein]

I would use (1), because I consider it to be a short form of "...than we Japanese are."

There are no doubt a couple dozen other threads in which you will find both opinions argued.

Yes, I know there isn't unanimity on this point, but I find "than we" without a verb correct but rather stilted.

 

[RickyFreeman]

Yes, I know there isn't unanimity on this point, but I find "than we" without a verb correct but rather stilted.

exactly. I have never said "better than I" in everyday conversation because it is formal; most native speakers would say "better than me" and it sounds more natural. OP is a similar case. Please check the following link:
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/qa/better-than-I-or-better-than-me

 

[Mitchell Nakano]

Thank you teachers.