Home › B1 › Grammar › Reflexive pronouns: myself, each other
Reflexive pronouns: myself, each other
B1 B1 grammar · lesson 20 of 23
Reflexive pronouns show that the subject and the object are the same person. You will also learn the difference between ‘themselves’ and ‘each other’.
Form
| Subject | Reflexive pronoun |
|---|---|
| I | myself |
| you (one person) | yourself |
| he / she / it | himself / herself / itself |
| we | ourselves |
| you (more than one) | yourselves |
| they | themselves |
Singular forms end in -self. Plural forms end in -selves. Notice that most forms use the possessive adjective (my, your, our), but himself and themselves use the object pronoun (him, them). There are no words hisself or theirselves.
Uses
1. The subject and object are the same person.
I cut myself while I was cooking.
Omar looked at himself in the mirror.
Did you enjoy yourselves at the party?
Please help yourself to some cake.
2. For emphasis: nobody else did it.
Maria made this dress herself.
We painted the house ourselves.
3. By + reflexive = alone, without help. Ken lives by himself. Can you do it by yourself?
Verbs without a reflexive
Some verbs are reflexive in other languages, but in English we usually don’t use myself with them: feel, relax, wash, shave, dress, meet, concentrate, worry.
I feel tired. (not feel myself)
Sit down and relax.
Themselves or each other?
Each other shows that two or more people do the same action to the other person.
- Tom and Lucy looked at themselves. (Tom looked at Tom; Lucy looked at Lucy, maybe in a mirror.)
- Tom and Lucy looked at each other. (Tom looked at Lucy, and Lucy looked at Tom.)
One another means the same as each other, but it is more formal.
Common mistakes
✗ They enjoyed themself.
✓ They enjoyed themselves.
✗ I need to relax myself.
✓ I need to relax.
✗ Anna and Mia call themselves every day. (meaning A calls M, M calls A)
✓ Anna and Mia call each other every day.
✗ He hurt hisself.
✓ He hurt himself.