Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns end in -self (singular) or -selves (plural). you has two forms: yourself for one person and yourselves for more than one.

💡hisself, theirselves and ourself are not standard English. Notice: myself, yourself, herself, ourselves are built on my / your / her / our, but himself and themselves are built on him / them.

1. The subject and the object are the same person

• I cut myself while I was cooking.

• Lan looked at herself in the mirror.

• Minh blamed himself for the accident.

  Minh blamed Minh

• Minh blamed him for the accident.

  him = another person

2. Some common phrases: enjoy yourself (have a good time), help yourself (take what you want), make yourself at home (relax, as if this is your home), introduce yourself, behave yourself

• We really enjoyed ourselves in Da Lat.

• Please help yourselves to some fruit.

• Let me introduce myself. I'm Hoa.

3. To stress “that person and nobody else” — usually at the end of the sentence or right after the person

• Did you make this cake yourself?

• The manager herself came to say sorry.

by myself / by yourself… and on my own / on your own… mean alone or without any help. The two mean the same.

• My grandpa lives by himself in the countryside.

• Can you finish your homework by yourself?

• I like travelling on my own.

💡To say you did something without help, English often uses -self: learn alone = teach yourself, repair it without help = fix it yourself. After by, use the -self form: by myself (not by me).

themselves / ourselves = each person does it to himself or herself. each other = each person does it to the other person.

• Lan and Mai looked at themselves in the mirror.

  each looked at herself

• Lan and Mai looked at each other.

  Lan looked at Mai, Mai looked at Lan

• My parents love each other very much.

• After feel, relax, concentrate, meet we usually don't use -self: I feel great (not I feel myself great).
• With daily routines like wash, shave, dress, -self is usually left out: I got dressed and left. Add it only to stress the effort (My little son can dress himself now).
• After a preposition of place, use the normal object form: She put her bag next to her (not next to herself).

• Sit down and relax.

  not: relax yourself

• Let's meet outside the cinema at seven.

  not: meet ourselves

• ✗He fixed the bike by hisself.

  ✓He fixed the bike by himself.

  hisself isn't standard English.

• ✗They enjoyed theirselves.

  ✓They enjoyed themselves.

  The correct form is themselves.

• ✗Did you enjoy at the party?

  ✓Did you enjoy yourself at the party?

  enjoy needs an object: enjoy yourself / enjoy the party.

• ✗I feel myself tired.

  ✓I feel tired.

  Don't use myself after feel.

• ✗Nam and Lan love themselves.

  ✓Nam and Lan love each other.

  Loving the other person → each other.

• ✗Help yourselfs to some cake.

  ✓Help yourselves to some cake.

  Plural: -self → -selves.