In brief
- Definition: A pronoun that refers to the subject of the sentence. The subject and object designate the same person or thing.
- Formation: personal pronoun + -self (singular) or -selves (plural). Myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves, oneself.
- Reflexive use: The action of the subject is directed at itself. She hurt herself.
- Emphatic use: Emphasis on the fact that it is the subject who acts. He built it himself.
- Alone: by myself / by yourself… indicates that one acts without help.
- French speaker’s pitfall: Most French reflexive verbs (se laver, se lever, se sentir) do not take a reflexive pronoun in English.
English reflexive pronouns all end in -self or -selves. They serve to indicate that the action of the subject turns back on itself, or to emphasize the fact that it is the subject who accomplishes the action, without any intermediary. Their formation is regular and predictable, but their use differs significantly from French.
List of the nine reflexive pronouns
| Personal pronoun | Reflexive pronoun | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| I | myself | me, myself |
| you (singular) | yourself | yourself |
| he | himself | himself |
| she | herself | herself |
| it | itself | itself (neutral) |
| one | oneself | oneself (indefinite) |
| we | ourselves | ourselves |
| you (plural) | yourselves | yourselves |
| they | themselves | themselves |
Formation follows two simple rules. For I and we, we start with the object pronoun (me, us) and add -self / -selves: myself, ourselves. For all other persons, we start with the possessive pronoun (your, him, her, its, their) and add -self / -selves: yourself, himself, herself, itself, themselves.
hisself ✗ himself ✓
theirselves ✗ themselves ✓
ourselfs ✗ ourselves ✓
These incorrect forms exist in some English dialects but are not accepted in standard English.
Reflexive use: the subject acts on itself
The reflexive pronoun is used when the subject of the sentence and the direct object designate the same person or thing. It is placed directly after the verb or after the preposition that governs it.
He introduced himself to the group. : He introduced himself to the group.
The cat licked itself clean. : The cat licked itself clean.
We pushed ourselves too hard. : We pushed ourselves too hard.
They blamed themselves for the accident. : They blamed themselves for the accident.
The criterion is simple: if the subject and the object refer to the same entity, the reflexive pronoun is required. If the subject and object are two different people, an ordinary personal pronoun is used.
| Reflexive pronoun (same person) | Personal pronoun (different people) |
|---|---|
| She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked at herself in the mirror. |
She looked at her in the mirror. She looked at her in the mirror. (another woman) |
| He hurt himself. He hurt himself. |
He hurt him. He hurt him. (someone else) |
Emphatic use: emphasizing the subject
The reflexive pronoun can also strengthen the subject without being a direct object. It emphasizes the fact that it is indeed the subject who accomplishes the action, without anyone else’s help or in a surprising way. This function is called emphatic or intensive use.
The emphatic pronoun can be placed just after the subject or at the end of the sentence. Both positions are correct, but they slightly nuance the meaning. After the subject, the emphasis falls on the subject itself. At the end of the sentence, it falls more on the action accomplished without help.
The president signed the letter himself. : The president signed the letter himself. (emphasis on the act)
I repaired the car myself. : I repaired the car myself.
She baked the cake herself. : She baked the cake herself.
Did you write this yourself? : Did you write this yourself?
In emphatic use, the reflexive pronoun is optional. The sentence remains correct without it, but the emphasis disappears. The president signed the letter is correct; himself adds the nuance of surprise or emphasis.
By myself, by yourself… : acting alone
The structure by + reflexive pronoun indicates that an action is accomplished alone, without external help. It is often translated as “alone” or “all alone” in French.
| Structure | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| by myself | I did it by myself. | I did it all by myself. |
| by yourself | Did you go by yourself? | Did you go by yourself? |
| by himself | He lives by himself. | He lives by himself. |
| by herself | She solved it by herself. | She solved it by herself. |
| by ourselves | We managed by ourselves. | We managed by ourselves. |
| by themselves | The children played by themselves. | The children played by themselves. |
By myself and on my own are often interchangeable for saying “alone”. The difference is subtle: by myself emphasizes the absence of help, on my own emphasizes more independence or isolation. In practice, both are used in the same contexts without ambiguity.
Verbs that often use a reflexive pronoun
Certain English verbs frequently appear with a reflexive pronoun, either because they describe an action naturally directed toward oneself, or because they form a set expression.
| Verb + reflexive pronoun | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| enjoy oneself | have fun, have a good time | Did you enjoy yourself at the party? |
| help oneself | help yourself | Help yourself to more coffee. |
| behave oneself | behave oneself | The children behaved themselves. |
| introduce oneself | introduce oneself | She introduced herself to the team. |
| express oneself | express oneself | He finds it hard to express himself. |
| pride oneself on | be proud of | She prides herself on her punctuality. |
| find oneself | find oneself (in a situation) | I found myself agreeing with him. |
| make oneself at home | make oneself at home | Please make yourself at home. |
| hurt oneself | hurt oneself | Be careful, you might hurt yourself. |
| convince oneself | convince oneself | He convinced himself it was the right choice. |
The French speaker’s pitfall: reflexive verbs that are not reflexive in English
This is the most delicate point for French speakers. The majority of French reflexive verbs are translated by a simple verb in English, without a reflexive pronoun. Adding a reflexive pronoun where English does not want one is a very common mistake.
| French (reflexive) | English (simple) | Incorrect English |
|---|---|---|
| se lever | to get up / to wake up | to get up oneself ✗ |
| se sentir | to feel | to feel oneself ✗ |
| se souvenir | to remember | to remember oneself ✗ |
| se détendre | to relax | to relax oneself ✗ |
| se concentrer | to concentrate / to focus | to concentrate oneself ✗ |
| se dépêcher | to hurry | to hurry oneself ✗ |
| se rencontrer | to meet | to meet oneself ✗ |
| s’habiller | to get dressed | to dress oneself ✗ (except to emphasize autonomy) |
I feel myself tired. ✗ I feel tired. ✓
She remembered herself the appointment. ✗ She remembered the appointment. ✓
He hurried himself to catch the bus. ✗ He hurried to catch the bus. ✓
They relaxed themselves on the beach. ✗ They relaxed on the beach. ✓
Yourself or yourselves?
English distinguishes singular you from plural you only in reflexive pronouns. Yourself addresses one person, yourselves addresses several. It is one of the rare situations where English forces you to specify the number of you.
Did you all hurt yourselves? : Did you all hurt yourselves? (several people)
Help yourself. : Help yourself. (one person)
Help yourselves. : Help yourselves. (several people)
Make yourself comfortable. : Make yourself comfortable. (one person)
Make yourselves comfortable. : Make yourselves comfortable. (several people)
Oneself: the indefinite reflexive pronoun
Oneself corresponds to the indefinite pronoun one and is used to speak in a general way, without designating a specific person. This register is formal and is used mainly in writing. In everyday spoken language, it is often replaced by yourself.
It is important to believe in oneself. : It is important to believe in oneself. (formal)
You should believe in yourself. : You should believe in yourself. (everyday)
Summary table of uses
| Use | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reflexive | The subject acts on itself (required) | She cut herself. |
| Emphatic (after subject) | Emphasis on the identity of the subject (optional) | The CEO himself attended. |
| Emphatic (end of sentence) | Emphasis on the action without help (optional) | I fixed it myself. |
| By + reflexive | Act alone, without help | She lives by herself. |
| Set verb | Fixed expression with reflexive pronoun | Enjoy yourself! |
Practice exercise
Test your knowledge of reflexive pronouns:
Question 1. What is the correct reflexive pronoun for the subject they?
Question 2. Which of these sentences correctly uses the reflexive pronoun?
Question 3. Which sentence expresses “He repaired the car all by himself”?
Question 4. In which sentence is the reflexive pronoun used in an emphatic way (not reflexively)?
Question 5. What is the difference between Help yourself and Help yourselves?
Question 6. How to translate “I remember him” into English?
Question 7. Which sentence correctly uses itself?
Your score
