When someone replaces you with somebody else (2025)

Hello everyone

I wonder based on the scenario below, which choice is the correct option if the boss is going to fire me and bring someone else instead of me?

- Yesterday, I argued with the boss. I think he is going to...............

a. replace me with another one.
b. replace another one with me one.

Neither of those sounds correct. You should probably just say "...replace me."
You could also say "...replace me with someone/somebody else," but it sounds redundant (you can assume it's going to be with someone else).

If you wanted to use the word "another," you could say "...with another employee/worker/etc." but "another one" isn't usually used for people.

bigheadlouis said:

Neither of those sounds correct. You should probably just say "...replace me."
You could also say "...replace me with someone/somebody else," but it sounds redundant (you can assume it's going to be with someone else).

If you wanted to use the word "another," you could say "...with another employee/worker/etc." but "another one" isn't usually used for people.

Click to expand...

Well, how should I refer to someone else?
Let's call this alternative "Sam"!
What shall I say here?
a. He's going to replace Sam with me.
b. He's going to replace me with Sam.

A-friend said:

Well, how should I refer to someone else?
Let's call this alternative "Sam"!
What shall I say here?
a. He's going to replace Sam with me.
b. He's going to replace me with Sam.

Click to expand...

Ah, now I see what you mean. Yes, you would say "He's going to replace me with Sam."
As Packard suggested, "replacing someone w/ someone else" doesn't necessarily mean firing. For example, you could say "I'm getting promoted, so he's replacing me with Sam." Here you're being replaced for a good reason, not a bad one!

Packard said:

Is he going to fire you and then replace you? Or are you figuring that you would be put to a different task?

Click to expand...

He is going to fire me from the company and bring someone else instead of me.

bigheadlouis said:

Ah, now I see what you mean. Yes, you would say "He's going to replace me with Sam."
As Packard suggested, "replacing someone w/ someone else" doesn't necessarily mean firing. For example, you could say "I'm getting promoted, so he's replacing me with Sam." Here you're being replaced for a good reason, not a bad one!

Click to expand...

But I used to think that "replacement" is something permanent, while "substitution" is something temporary.

A-friend said:

But I used to think that "replacement" is something permanent, while "substitution" is something temporary.

Click to expand...

Not necessarily. If you're leaving work for maternity/paternity leave, your job might find someone to be your "temporary replacement."

bigheadlouis said:

Not necessarily. If you're leaving work for maternity/paternity leave, your job might find someone to be your "temporary replacement."

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Aha, I see. Thank you bigheadlouis
Just please let me bring up some other examples to make sure if I got your point properly. Please correct me if I 'm wrong:

1. He has resigned and now, he's being replaced with me.

2. In modern life, the traditional letters have replaced with email.

3. Four people have resigned, but not been replaced yet.

4. Internet cannot replace human interaction.

1. He has resigned and now, he's being replaced

by me.

Are you familiar with passive/active voice? A general rule is when speaking in the passive voice, you'll usually use by. Active voice? With.​

2. In modern life,

traditional letters have

been replaced by email.

(Again, passive voice. You could also say "email has replaced traditional letters.")​

3. Four people have resigned, but not been replaced yet.

4. The Internet cannot replace human interaction.
---
Off the top of my head, I can think of three formats, though there might be more:
1. Active: [Someone/something] replaces [someone/something else] with [a third someone/something].
2. Passive: [Someone/something] was replaced by [someone/something else].
3. [Someone/something] replaces [someone/something else] (no 'with'/'by')

bigheadlouis said:

1. He has resigned and now, he's being replaced

with

by me.

Are you familiar with passive/active voice? A general rule is when speaking in the passive voice, you'll usually use by. Active voice? With.​

Click to expand...

Or
...I'm being substituted for him.
Or
...I'm replacing him.

bigheadlouis said:

2. In modern life,

the

traditional letters have

replaced with

been replaced by email.
(Again, passive voice. You could also say "email has replaced traditional letters."

Click to expand...

Or
- Email has substituted for traditional letters.

bigheadlouis said:

3. Four people have resigned, but not been replaced yet.

Click to expand...

Or
...but not been substituted yet.

bigheadlouis said:

4. The Internet cannot replace human interaction.

Click to expand...

Or
The internet cannot substitute for human interactions.

Right?