Forms
| Pronoun | Reflexive |
|---|---|
| I | myself |
| you (singular) | yourself |
| he | himself |
| she | herself |
| it | itself |
| we | ourselves |
| you (plural) | yourselves |
| they | themselves |
Reflexive use — subject = object
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and object are the same person.
| Example | Note |
|---|---|
| She hurt herself when she fell. | she = herself |
| The cat washed itself. | the cat = itself |
| They introduced themselves. | they = themselves |
| He taught himself guitar. | he = himself, no teacher |
NOT used after these verbs:
feel, relax, concentrate, meet, hurry, wash, shave, dress — these don't take reflexive pronouns in English: ✓ "I feel good." ✗ "I feel myself good." · ✓ "Sit down and relax." ✗ "Relax yourself."
Emphatic use — for emphasis
Reflexive pronouns can also be used for emphasis, meaning the person did something without help. It can be removed without changing the basic meaning.
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I cooked this meal myself. | I cooked it, not someone else |
| She painted the house herself. | she did it, no professionals |
| The president himself signed the letter. | surprising — he did it personally |
by + reflexive = alone:
By myself / by yourself etc. means alone (without company) or without help: "She lives by herself." · "Did you do it by yourself?"
Exercises
Choose the correct pronoun.
1. Be careful! You might hurt ___.
2. He built his own website ___. (emphasis, without help)
3. She lives ___ in a small flat in the city. (= alone)
4. The children enjoyed ___ at the party.
5. "I feel ___." — which is correct?