What Is a Reflexive Pronoun?
Use myself, yourself, herself… when you do something to yourself: I cut myself. She looked at herself.
THE SAME PERSON
Mai and herself are one person.
Mai looked at herself in the mirror.
TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE
Her is somebody else, not Mai.
Mai saw her at the bus stop.
Same person → -self.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"Be careful! Don't burn blank on the stove."
The eight forms
AFTER A VERB
SV-self / -selves
The little boy dressed himself.
Right after the verb.
AFTER A PREPOSITION
Vat / with / to-self / -selves
She was angry with herself.
Still the same person.
BY + -SELF
by-self / -selves
My grandmother lives by herself.
Alone.
WITH NO HELP
SVsomething-self / -selves
We painted the kitchen ourselves.
At the end: nobody did it for us.
THE EIGHT REFLEXIVES
- Imyself
- you (one person)yourself
- hehimself
- sheherself
- ititself
- weourselves
- you (a group)yourselves
- theythemselves
one → -self · two or more → -selves · himself, themselves
TRY IT
- Question 1
"The students made the posters blank."
- Question 2
"Did you and your sister cook dinner blank?"
When to use them
Doing something to yourself
Don't blame yourself. It was an accident.
Common with hurt, cut, blame.
Common verbs: hurt · cut · burn · blame · look at · talk to
With no help
I didn't buy this bag. I made it myself.
With my own hands.
Alone
He travelled around Vietnam by himself.
With nobody else.
Welcoming a guest
Make yourself at home.
Relax and feel at home.
Common phrases: Help yourself · Enjoy yourselves
Themselves or Each Other?
| -SELVES | EACH OTHER | |
|---|---|---|
| Taking photos | Lan and Vy took photos of themselves. (each took her own) | Lan and Vy took photos of each other. (Lan took Vy's, Vy took Lan's) |
| Form | ourselves, yourselves, themselves | never changes |
He helps her and she helps him: they help each other.
TRY IT
- Question 1
"Two-year-old children can't go to the park by blank."
Common mistakes
Incorrect:He did it hisself.
Correct:He did it himself.
Him + self: himself.
Incorrect:They built the house theirselves.
Correct:They built the house themselves.
Them + selves. Theirselves is not English.
Incorrect:I feel myself nervous before exams.
Correct:I feel nervous before exams.
Feel needs no -self: feel nervous.
Incorrect:After work, I relax myself with music.
Correct:After work, I relax with music.
Relax needs no -self.
Incorrect:My parents love themselves very much.
Correct:My parents love each other very much.
Each one loves the other: each other.
Incorrect:Last summer I went to Đà Lạt by my self.
Correct:Last summer I went to Đà Lạt by myself.
Myself is one word.
Incorrect:The kids enjoyed a lot at the water park.
Correct:The kids enjoyed themselves a lot at the water park.
To say you had a good time: enjoy yourself.
Quick check · 5 questions
Choose the right word:
Look! The cat is cleaning itself.
- A. itself — Correct
- B. it
- C. its
Answer: A. itself
It would mean a different thing, not the cat.
Choose the right word:
Tom fell off his bike and hurt himself.
- A. himself — Correct
- B. hisself
- C. him
Answer: A. himself
Hisself is not English. Him would be another person, not Tom.
Choose the right word:
My brother and his wife send each other funny messages all day.
- A. each other — Correct
- B. themselves
- C. theirselves
Answer: A. each other
That is each other. Themselves would mean each one sends messages to their own phone.
Choose the correct words:
I don't feel very well today.
- A. feel — Correct
- B. feel myself
- C. feel me
Answer: A. feel
Say feel well, feel tired, feel happy.
Choose the correct words:
After work, I relax with some music.
- A. relax — Correct
- B. relax myself
- C. relax me
Answer: A. relax
Relax, feel and enjoy a lot work alone. Enjoy myself is fine, but relax myself is not.
See whether it really stuck.
Start the quiz · 12 questions
