Reflexive Pronouns

What Are Reflexive Pronouns?

A reflexive pronoun is a word like myself or yourself. We use it when the subject and the object of the sentence are the same person.

I cut myself with the knife. (I = the subject, myself = the object)

She looked at herself in the mirror.

The cat is cleaning itself.

The action goes back to the person doing it.

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The Eight Reflexive Pronouns

Subject	Reflexive Pronoun	Example
I	myself	I taught myself to cook.
you (one person)	yourself	You should be proud of yourself.
he	himself	He hurt himself playing soccer.
she	herself	She made the cake herself.
it	itself	The dog is washing itself.
we	ourselves	We enjoyed ourselves at the party.
you (more than one)	yourselves	Help yourselves to some pizza, kids!
they	themselves	They built the house themselves.

Spelling tip: singular forms end in -self. Plural forms end in -selves.

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When to Use Reflexive Pronouns

1. Subject and object are the same

I burned myself on the stove. (I burned me is wrong.)

He saw himself in the photo.

We hurt ourselves climbing the rocks.

2. Some common verbs use reflexive pronouns

Verb	Example
enjoy	Enjoy yourself at the party!
hurt	Be careful — don't hurt yourself.
teach	She taught herself Spanish.
introduce	Let me introduce myself.
look at	He looked at himself in the mirror.
cut	I cut myself shaving.
help (yourself to)	Please help yourself to some cake.

3. To emphasize who did something

We use reflexive pronouns at the end of a sentence to emphasize that one person did something with no help.

I made this cake myself. (Nobody helped me.)

She painted the room herself.

We did all the work ourselves.

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”By myself” = Alone

By + reflexive pronoun means alone or without help.

I live by myself. (I live alone.)

She traveled by herself. (She traveled alone.)

Did you do this by yourself? (Did you do this with no help?)

The kids are playing by themselves in the garden. (The kids are playing alone.)

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Verbs That Don’t Use Reflexive Pronouns

Some verbs in other languages use reflexive pronouns, but English does not. Be careful with these:

English (no reflexive)	NOT
I wash every morning.	I wash myself every morning. (sounds strange)
She woke up at 7.	She woke up herself at 7.
He shaves every day.	He shaves himself every day.
They got dressed quickly.	They got themselves dressed quickly.
I feel happy.	I feel myself happy.
Sit down, please.	Sit yourself down, please.

Tip: if the action is a daily routine (wash, shave, dress), don’t use a reflexive pronoun. Native speakers usually leave it out.

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Common Mistakes

Mistake	Better	Why
I cut me with the knife.	I cut myself with the knife.	Subject and object are the same → use a reflexive pronoun.
She looked at her in the mirror.	She looked at herself in the mirror.	Her is for another person; herself is for the same person.
We enjoyed us.	We enjoyed ourselves.	Use ourselves, not us, when subject = object.
Help yourselfs.	Help yourselves.	Plural is -selves, not -selfs.
I wash myself every day. (routine)	I wash every day.	Daily routine verbs don’t usually need a reflexive pronoun in English.
He did it by himself alone.	He did it by himself. / He did it alone.	Choose one — by himself already means alone.
I taught me to swim.	I taught myself to swim.	Same person → reflexive pronoun.

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Practice: Exercises

1 / 14

I cut ___ while cooking dinner.

AmeBmyselfCmineDI

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Summary

Use reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves) when the subject and object are the same person.

I cut myself. She looked at herself. They enjoyed themselves.

Use them at the end of a sentence to emphasize that someone did something alone:

I made this cake myself.

Use by + reflexive pronoun to mean alone:

I live by myself.

Don’t use a reflexive pronoun for daily routine verbs like wash, shave, or dress — English usually leaves it out.