Reflexive Pronouns Table
| Subject | Reflexive pronoun |
|---|---|
| I | myself |
| you (singular) | yourself |
| he | himself |
| she | herself |
| it | itself |
| we | ourselves |
| you (plural) | yourselves |
| they | themselves |
When to Use Reflexive Pronouns
1. When subject and object are the same person
She hurt herself when she fell.
I taught myself to play guitar.
2. For emphasis ("on my own / without help")
The president himself opened the ceremony.
I made this cake myself. (nobody helped me)
Note
When used for emphasis, the reflexive pronoun can move: I did it myself. or I myself did it.
3. Set phrases with reflexive pronouns
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| enjoy yourself/yourselves | have a good time |
| help yourself | take freely, serve yourself |
| behave yourself | act well |
| by myself / herself / himself… | alone, without help |
| talk to yourself | speak aloud when alone |
Common Mistakes
| Incorrect | Correct | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Me and my friend did it ourself. | We did it ourselves. | plural "we" → "ourselves" |
| She looked at hisself. | She looked at herself. | no "hisself" — use "himself" or "herself" |
| I need to see it by meself. | I need to see it by myself. | no "meself" in standard English |
Real world: product manual
The device will restart itself automatically after an update. Do not attempt to repair it yourself — this may void the warranty.
Real world: cooking / recipe card
Help yourself to more salad — there is plenty. I baked this bread myself using a recipe my grandmother taught me.
Real world: formal speech
The mayor herself opened the new community centre. We are proud to say that this school built itself a reputation for excellence over thirty years.
Tip Reflexive pronouns appear in product manuals ("the system will update itself"), formal speeches ("the CEO himself announced"), menus and notices ("help yourself to refreshments"), and everyday speech ("I hurt myself at football practice"). They are also common in formal emphasis: "The president himself signed the document."