myself/yourself/themselves etc. (Reflexive Pronouns)
Using reflexive pronouns when subject and object are the same person, and for emphasis
The Forms
A reflexive pronoun ends in -self (singular) or -selves (plural). You use one when the subject and the object of the sentence refer to the same person or thing.
| Subject | Reflexive pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | myself | I taught myself how to use the new software. |
| you (one person) | yourself | Did you hurt yourself at the gym? |
| he | himself | He introduced himself to the hiring manager. |
| she | herself | She prepared herself for the interview. |
| it | itself | The system updated itself overnight. |
| we | ourselves | We gave ourselves an extra day to finish the project. |
| you (more than one) | yourselves | Help yourselves to coffee in the break room. |
| they | themselves | They blamed themselves for the missed deadline. |
When the Subject and Object Are the Same
Use a reflexive pronoun as the object when it refers back to the subject.
- I don’t want you to pay for me. I’ll pay for myself. (not
I’ll pay for me) - Ben fell off his chair, but he didn’t hurt himself.
- Do you sometimes talk to yourself when you’re working from home?
Compare these two sentences:
- The manager introduced me to the new client. (me = someone else, not the manager)
- I introduced myself to the new client. (myself = same person as “I”)
Verbs That Do NOT Take Reflexive Pronouns
Some verbs do not use reflexive pronouns in English, even though other languages might require them.
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| feel | I feel nervous before presentations. (not |
| relax | Sit down and relax. (not |
| concentrate | I need to concentrate on this report. (not |
| meet | What time shall we meet tomorrow? (not |
The verbs wash, shave, and dress normally don’t need a reflexive pronoun either:
- He got up, washed, shaved, and dressed. (not
washed himself, shaved himself) - She got dressed and left for the office.
Reflexive Pronouns vs. each other
Themselves/ourselves means each person did something to their own self. Each other (or one another) means person A did something to person B, and person B did the same to person A.
| Meaning | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| themselves | A looks at A, B looks at B | They looked at themselves in the mirror before the client visit. |
| each other | A looks at B, B looks at A | They looked at each other and smiled during the meeting. |
More examples with each other / one another:
- How long have you and your business partner known each other?
- The two departments don’t communicate with one another enough.
Reflexive Pronouns for Emphasis
You can also use reflexive pronouns to stress that a particular person did something, not someone else. In this use, the pronoun means “personally, without help.”
- “Who fixed the printer?” “I fixed it myself.” (= I did it, nobody else)
- Don’t wait for IT support. You can reset your password yourself.
- Let’s redesign the slide deck ourselves. It’ll be faster than hiring a freelancer.
- The CEO herself replied to the complaint. (= even the CEO, not just a junior employee)
- The report itself was fine, but the data behind it was outdated.
Quick Self-Check
Steve introduced _____ to the new team members on his first day.
Select your answer:
I tried to study, but I couldn't _____.
Select your answer:
Lisa and Tom don't talk to _____ any more since the disagreement.
Select your answer:
'Who built this dashboard?' 'Nobody helped us. We built it _____.'
Select your answer:
He got up early, _____, and left for the airport.
Select your answer: