Practice
Reflexive pronouns: rules and examples
Compare these sentences: "Mia taught herself to use the new software." and "Mia taught the new employee to use the software." In the first sentence, the learner and the teacher are the same person.
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and object are the same person or thing, and recognize its emphatic use.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
They taught themselves to repair the bicycle. /ðeɪ tɔt ðəmˈsɛlvz tə rɪˈpɛr ðə ˈbaɪsɪkəl/
The short answer
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and object refer to the same person or thing. Match the pronoun to the subject: I prepared myself, she prepared herself, and they prepared themselves.
We reminded ourselves to bring our passports.
Why it works: We is the subject, and ourselves refers back to the same group.
5 more examples
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I made myself a cup of tea after work.
Myself refers back to I. The speaker made the tea for the speaker.
Not this:I made
my colleaguea cup of tea after work. What changes: The object is another person, so use an ordinary object phrase instead of myself. -
The children dressed themselves before breakfast.
The children are both the people who dressed and the people who received the action.
Not this:The children dressed
their younger brotherbefore breakfast. What changes: The action affects a different person, so the sentence uses a noun phrase. -
Please help yourself to some fruit.
This common invitation means that the listener may take some fruit.
Not this:Please help
your neighborwith the boxes. What changes: Here help takes another person as its object. -
The printer turned itself off after ten minutes.
Itself refers to the printer, which is both the subject and the object of turned off.
Not this:The technician turned
the printeroff after ten minutes. What changes: The technician performs the action on a different thing. -
The author herself introduced the first speaker.
Herself adds emphasis. It tells us that the author personally did the introducing.
Not this:
The authorintroduced the first speaker. What changes: This sentence has the same basic fact without the extra emphasis.
Read the full guide
First, find the subject and the object. If they refer to the same person or thing, choose a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject.
Match the pronoun to the subject
Each reflexive pronoun matches the person or thing named by the subject. Look at the subject before you choose the ending.
He taught himself to cook simple meals.
He and himself both refer to the same man.
Choose the word: My sister bought ___ a new notebook.
Use herself: My sister bought herself a new notebook.
Use reflexive pronouns when the action returns
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject does an action to the same person or thing. The pronoun is often the object of the verb.
I reminded myself to call the dentist.
I is the person who remembered, and myself is the same person who needed the reminder.
Complete the sentence: The dog hurt ___ on the fence.
Use itself: The dog hurt itself on the fence.
Choose singular or plural forms
Use -self for one person or thing and -selves for more than one. Yourself can refer to one person or more than one, so the rest of the sentence tells you the number.
The team members introduced themselves at the meeting.
The subject team members is plural, so the sentence uses themselves.
Choose the word: We gave ___ enough time to prepare.
Use ourselves: We gave ourselves enough time to prepare.
Do not use myself as an ordinary subject
In standard English, reflexive pronouns are not the usual subject of a sentence. Use I, he, she, we, or they when the pronoun does the action.
Amir and I will attend the workshop.
I is part of the subject. Do not replace it with myself after another name.
Which sentence is standard: Lina and myself are ready, or Lina and I are ready?
Use Lina and I are ready because I is the subject form.
Add emphasis with a reflexive pronoun
A reflexive pronoun can also emphasize who did something. Put it after the subject or near the end of the clause. The basic sentence still works without the pronoun.
The chef herself checked every plate.
Herself tells us that the chef, rather than another employee, did the checking.
Add emphasis: The students organized the event ___.
Use themselves: The students organized the event themselves.
Before you go
Remember this
Match the reflexive pronoun to the subject, then check whether the action returns to that same person or thing. Use the same forms after a noun or pronoun when you want emphasis, as in The director herself signed the letter.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Reflexive pronouns: rules and examples"
What is a reflexive pronoun?
A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of the sentence. Use one when the subject does an action to the same person or thing. In I made myself a cup of tea after work, myself refers back to I.
I made myself a cup of tea after work.
What are the reflexive pronouns in English?
The English reflexive pronouns are myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. Choose the form that matches the subject. For example, the children dressed themselves before breakfast because the subject is plural.
I made my colleague a cup of tea after work.
When do I use himself or herself?
Use himself for a male singular subject and herself for a female singular subject when the action returns to that person. In the author herself introduced the first speaker, herself adds emphasis because it shows that the author personally did the action.
The children dressed themselves before breakfast.
Can I use myself instead of I?
Usually, no. Use I when the pronoun is part of the subject, as in Amir and I will attend the workshop. Use myself when it refers back to I as an object or adds emphasis, as in I reminded myself to call the dentist.
The children dressed their younger brother before breakfast.
Do all verbs need a reflexive pronoun for personal actions?
No. English often leaves out the reflexive form when the meaning is clear. You can say I washed before dinner or I got dressed quickly. Add myself only when you need to make the meaning more specific or emphatic.
Please help yourself to some fruit.