What are reflexive pronouns and when should I use them?

Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves) are used when the subject and object of a sentence are the same person or thing. They 'reflect' back to the subject.

What is the difference between 'yourself' and 'yourselves'?

'Yourself' is singular and refers to one person. 'Yourselves' is plural and refers to two or more people. Example: 'You should be proud of yourself' (one person) vs 'You all should take care of yourselves' (multiple people).

When should I use 'myself' versus 'me'?

Use 'myself' when you are both doing the action and receiving it. Use 'me' when someone else is doing the action to you. Compare: 'I taught myself to cook' (I did it to me) vs 'She taught me to cook' (she did it to me).

Can I use 'myself' instead of 'me' to sound more formal?

No, this is a common mistake. Only use reflexive pronouns when the subject and object are the same. Incorrect: 'Please contact John or myself.' Correct: 'Please contact John or me.' This error is sometimes called 'hypercorrection.'

What does 'by myself' mean?

'By myself' means 'alone' or 'without help.' It emphasizes doing something independently. Example: 'I built this bookshelf by myself' means I did it without assistance. 'I enjoy spending time by myself' means I like being alone.

How do reflexive pronouns work with plural subjects?

For plural subjects, use 'ourselves' (we), 'yourselves' (you - plural), or 'themselves' (they). Examples: 'We cooked dinner ourselves.' 'You should do it yourselves.' 'They organized the party themselves.'

When should I NOT use reflexive pronouns?

Don't use reflexive pronouns when the subject and object are different. Also avoid them as the subject of a sentence. Incorrect: 'Myself will do it.' Correct: 'I will do it myself.' Only use when action reflects back to the doer.

What is the difference between 'each other' and reflexive pronouns?

Use 'each other' when two people do something to each other. Use reflexive pronouns when people do something to themselves. Compare: 'They looked at themselves in the mirror' (each looked at self) vs 'They looked at each other' (they looked at the other person).

CEFR A2

Reflexive Pronouns

Master the special pronouns that reflect back to the subject. Learn to use myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves correctly when subject and object are the same.

Master Reflexive Pronouns

What You Will Learn

Reflexive pronouns are special pronouns that "reflect" back to the subject. Master these essential pronouns to talk about actions people do to themselves and emphasize who did something.

Use myself, yourself, himself, herself for singular subjects

Use ourselves, yourselves, themselves for plural subjects

Know when the subject and object are the same person

Use by myself/yourself to mean "alone" or "without help"

Avoid common mistakes like using reflexive pronouns as subjects

What Are Reflexive Pronouns?

Subject pronoun	Reflexive pronoun	Example
I	myself	I hurt myself.
you	yourself	Did you enjoy yourself?
he	himself	He taught himself guitar.
she	herself	She introduced herself.
it	itself	The door opened itself.
we	ourselves	We made it ourselves.
they	themselves	They cooked for themselves.

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object are the SAME person. Also used for emphasis: 'I did it myself' (= without help). 'By myself' = alone.

Reflexive pronouns are special pronouns that refer back to the subject of the sentence. We use them when the person doing the action and the person receiving the action are the same.

The Golden Rule

• Use reflexive pronouns when: Subject = Object

• The action reflects back to the doer

• Example: I hurt myself (I hurt me)

• Wrong: She hurt myself (different people)

Complete List

• I → myself

• You (singular) → yourself

• He → himself

• She → herself

• It → itself

• We → ourselves

• You (plural) → yourselves

• They → themselves

Key Rule: Subject = Object!

Reflexive pronouns are ONLY used when the subject and object refer to the SAME person or thing.

✓ Correct: I cut myself. (I cut me) → Subject (I) = Object (me)

✗ Incorrect: I cut himself. (I cut him) → Subject (I) ≠ Object (him)

A Day of Independence

Last Saturday, Emma decided to challenge herself. She wanted to build a bookshelf by herself, without any help.

She taught herself how to use the tools by watching videos. "I can do this myself," she told herself confidently.

Her brother Tom came by and said, "Did you really make this yourself?" He was so impressed that he decided to build one himself.

By evening, they had both finished. "We should be proud of ourselves," Emma said. They looked at each other and smiled.

Reflexive pronouns help us express when we do things to or for ourselves. They show independence, self-action, and emphasis.

Reflexive Pronouns by Person

Learn which reflexive pronoun to use for each subject pronoun. Each subject has its own matching reflexive pronoun.

Subject	Reflexive Pronoun	Examples
I	myself	• I taught myself. • I bought myself a gift.
You (singular)	yourself	• You hurt yourself. • Be proud of yourself.
He	himself	• He cut himself. • He talks to himself.
She	herself	• She dressed herself. • She made it herself.
It	itself	• The cat washed itself. • The door opened itself.
We	ourselves	• We enjoyed ourselves. • We built it ourselves.
You (plural)	yourselves	• Help yourselves. • Did you hurt yourselves?
They	themselves	• They organized themselves. • They did it themselves.

Singular Pronouns

myself (I)

yourself (you - one person)

himself (he)

herself (she)

itself (it)

Plural Pronouns

ourselves (we)

yourselves (you - multiple people)

themselves (they)

Note: "yourself" vs "yourselves"

Try It

Choose the correct reflexive pronoun for each subject:

1. I → __________

2. You (one person) → __________

3. He → __________

4. We → __________

5. They → __________

💡 💡 Check your answers

1. myself

2. yourself

3. himself

4. ourselves

5. themselves

Want to try a Reflexive Pronouns quiz?

Practice with multiple choice questions

When to Use Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns have several important uses. Learn these key situations where you need reflexive pronouns.

1. When Subject and Object are Same Person

• I cut myself while cooking. (I cut me)

• She taught herself Spanish. (She taught her)

• We enjoyed ourselves at the party. (We enjoyed us)

The action comes back to the doer

2. With "by" to Mean "Alone" or "Without Help"

• I live by myself. (I live alone)

• She built the table by herself. (She built it without help)

• Did you do this by yourself? (Did you do it alone?)

"by + reflexive pronoun" = alone/independently

3. For Emphasis (to Stress Who Did It)

• I myself saw the accident. (I personally saw it)

• The president himself will attend. (The president personally)

• You should talk to her yourself. (You personally, not through someone else)

Adds emphasis, often after the subject or at the end

4. With Certain Verbs (Always Reflexive)

• Behave yourself! (Act properly)

• She prides herself on her work. (She is proud)

• I found myself lost in thought. (I became lost)

• Help yourself to some cake. (Take some)

Some verbs are almost always used with reflexive pronouns

Quick Guide

Use Reflexive Pronouns

✓ When subject = object

✓ With "by" (alone/without help)

✓ For emphasis

✓ With certain verbs (behave, pride, find)

Don't Use Reflexive Pronouns

✗ When subject ≠ object

✗ As the subject of a sentence

✗ After prepositions of place (usually)

✗ Instead of "me" to sound formal

Ready to test your Reflexive Pronouns knowledge?

Challenge yourself with fill-in-the-blank exercises

Sentence Patterns with Reflexive Pronouns

Learn the correct sentence structures for different uses of reflexive pronouns.

Basic Pattern

Subject + verb + reflexive pronoun

• I hurt myself.

• She taught herself.

• They enjoyed themselves.

Direct object position

With Preposition "by"

Subject + verb + by + reflexive pronoun

• I did it by myself.

• She lives by herself.

• We traveled by ourselves.

Means "alone" or "without help"

For Emphasis

Subject + myself/yourself/etc. + verb

• I myself saw it.

• The manager herself called.

• You yourself said it.

Adds personal emphasis

Important Rules

Match the Subject

✓ I → myself: I hurt myself.

✗ I → himself: I hurt himself.

✓ They → themselves: They helped themselves.

✗ They → ourselves: They helped ourselves.

No Reflexive as Subject

✓ I will do it myself.

✗ Myself will do it.

✓ She cooked dinner herself.

✗ Herself cooked dinner.

Common Verb + Reflexive Combinations

• Enjoy yourself (Have a good time)

• Help yourself (Take what you want)

• Behave yourself (Act properly)

• Pride yourself on (Be proud of)

• Find yourself (Discover you are)

• Express yourself (Communicate your thoughts)

• Apply yourself (Work hard at something)

• Prepare yourself (Get ready)

Real-Life Usage Examples

See how reflexive pronouns are used in different everyday situations.

Daily Routines 🏠

I cut myself while shaving this morning. (accident)

She dressed herself without any help. (independence)

We made breakfast ourselves today. (doing it personally)

Social Situations 🎉

Help yourselves to drinks and snacks. (invitation)

Did you enjoy yourselves at the concert? (having fun)

Please behave yourselves during the presentation. (request)

Work & Learning 💼

I taught myself how to use the new software. (self-learning)

The CEO himself will lead the meeting. (emphasis on importance)

You need to prepare yourself for the interview. (getting ready)

Living Independently 🏡

My grandfather lives by himself. (living alone)

She fixed the computer by herself. (without professional help)

Can you manage by yourself? (asking about independence)

Common Mistakes

❌ Please contact myself if you have questions.

✓ Please contact me if you have questions.

Use object pronoun when subject ≠ object

❌ Myself will attend the meeting.

✓ I will attend the meeting myself.

Reflexive pronouns cannot be subjects

❌ She gave it to myself.

✓ She gave it to me.

Different people (she ≠ me), so use object pronoun

❌ They enjoyed ourself at the party.

✓ They enjoyed themselves at the party.

Subject (they) must match reflexive pronoun (themselves)

❌ You need to take care of yourselves. (to one person)

✓ You need to take care of yourself.

Singular 'you' needs singular 'yourself'

❌ The cat washed themselves.

✓ The cat washed itself.

Singular animal (it) needs 'itself'

❌ He bought the car by his own.

✓ He bought the car by himself.

Correct phrase is 'by myself/yourself/etc.'

❌ Between you and myself, I think it's a bad idea.

✓ Between you and me, I think it's a bad idea.

After prepositions like 'between', use object pronouns

Master Reflexive Pronouns sentence building!

Drag and drop words to form correct sentences

Practice Tips

Ask yourself: Is the subject doing the action to itself? If yes, use reflexive pronoun.

Remember the matching: I → myself, you → yourself, he → himself, she → herself, it → itself, we → ourselves, you (plural) → yourselves, they → themselves

Practice with daily activities: "I made myself coffee," "She dressed herself," "We taught ourselves"

Use "by + reflexive pronoun" to talk about doing things alone: "I live by myself," "He fixed it by himself"

Be careful with "yourself" (singular) vs "yourselves" (plural). One person = yourself, multiple people = yourselves.

Never use reflexive pronouns as the subject of a sentence. Wrong: "Myself will do it." Right: "I will do it myself."

Watch for common phrases: "Help yourself," "Behave yourself," "Enjoy yourself," "Express yourself"

Use the speaking practice section to work on your pronunciation and fluency with reflexive pronouns

Speaking Practice

To practice your pronunciation, listen to the native speaker audio first. Then 'Record' yourself repeating what you heard, then use the 'Playback' button to compare your pronunciation with the native speaker. If you want to record yourself again, simply click 'Delete'!

I taught myself to play the guitar.

You should take care of yourself when you're sick.

He cut himself while shaving.

She bought herself a new dress for the party.

The cat washed itself after eating.

We organized the party ourselves.

You all need to do the homework yourselves.

They built the house themselves.

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