Practice
Ourselves, themselves, and yourselves: use reflexive pronouns
Sign in to saveWe prepared ourselves for the interview. The subject and the object are the same people, so ourselves shows that the preparation came back to us.
Choose a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject and use it when the action returns to the same person or thing.
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
We prepared ourselves for the interview. /wi prɪˈpeəd aʊəˈselvz fə ði ˈɪntəvjuː/
The short answer
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and object are the same. Match the subject: I becomes myself, you becomes yourself or yourselves, and they becomes themselves.
Mina taught herself to use the new calendar.
Why it works: Mina does the learning, and Mina receives the learning, so herself refers back to Mina.
4 more examples
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I cut myself while opening the package.
I did the action, and I was affected by it, so myself is the object.
Not this:I cut
the paperwhile opening the package. What changes: The paper is a different object, so a reflexive pronoun is not used. -
The children dressed themselves before breakfast.
The plural subject children matches the plural reflexive pronoun themselves.
Not this:The child dressed
himselfbefore breakfast. What changes: A singular male subject takes himself. -
Please help yourselves to some water.
The speaker is talking to more than one person, so the plural form is yourselves.
Not this:Please help
yourselfto some water. What changes: Use yourself when the speaker is addressing one person. -
We checked the measurements ourselves.
Ourselves adds emphasis. It tells the listener that we, rather than someone else, did the checking.
Not this:We checked the measurements
with an engineer. What changes: This sentence names another person who took part, so it does not use a reflexive pronoun for emphasis.
Read the full guide
First, find who does the action. Then ask whether the action comes back to that same person or thing. If it does, choose the matching reflexive pronoun. The forms have two endings: singular forms usually end in -self, and plural forms end in -selves.
Match the pronoun to the subject
A reflexive pronoun must match the subject. I takes myself, she takes herself, and we takes ourselves. Start with the subject, then choose the form that refers back to it.
Leo reminded himself about the appointment.
Leo is one person, so himself matches the subject. Herself and themselves would not match Leo in this context.
Which reflexive pronoun matches we in We need to trust ___?
Use ourselves: We need to trust ourselves.
Use a reflexive pronoun when the action returns
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject does something to the same person or thing. In Ava blamed herself, Ava is the person who blamed and the person who received the blame.
The cat cleaned itself after lunch.
The cat does the cleaning and receives it, so itself refers back to the cat.
Ava blamed herself for the delay.
Herself is needed because Ava and the person blamed are the same.
Choose -self or -selves
Most singular reflexive pronouns end in -self: myself, yourself, himself, herself, and itself. Plural forms end in -selves: ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. Number matters as much as the person.
You can introduce yourself at the start of the meeting.
Here, you means one person, so the singular form yourself is correct.
How do you complete You should make ___ comfortable when speaking to a group?
Use yourselves when you means more than one person: You should make yourselves comfortable.
Use reflexive pronouns as objects
Reflexive pronouns usually act as objects. They can follow a verb, as in She enjoyed herself, or a preposition, as in He kept the news to himself. They do not replace an ordinary subject such as I, she, or they.
The guests enjoyed themselves at the event.
The guests are the subject. Themselves is the object of enjoyed.
Jordan and I sent the report.
I is part of the subject. Do not replace I with myself in this sentence.
Add emphasis with myself, yourself, or ourselves
A reflexive pronoun can also emphasize who did something. In The director herself answered the call, herself does not receive the action. It stresses that the director personally answered. The pronoun can come after the subject or later in the sentence.
I built the shelf myself.
Myself emphasizes that I built the shelf personally. The sentence still works without myself.
The director herself answered the call.
Herself adds emphasis to the director. It does not replace the subject.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose a reflexive pronoun when the subject and object are the same. Match its person and number to the subject. Use -self for most singular forms and -selves for plural forms, then check whether the pronoun shows a returned action or adds emphasis.
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 "Ourselves, themselves, and yourselves: use reflexive pronouns"
What is a reflexive pronoun?
A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of the sentence. Use one when the person or thing doing the action is also affected by it, as in I cut myself or Mina taught herself.
I cut myself while opening the package.
How do I choose the right reflexive pronoun?
Match the pronoun to the subject's person and number. Use myself for I, ourselves for we, yourself for one person addressed as you, yourselves for more than one, and themselves for they.
I cut the paper while opening the package.
When do I use yourself and yourselves?
Use yourself when you refers to one person and yourselves when it refers to more than one person. The meaning of you in the sentence tells you which form is needed.
Mina taught herself to use the new calendar.
Can a reflexive pronoun be the subject of a sentence?
Usually, no. Use ordinary subject pronouns such as I, she, or they at the start of a sentence. Reflexive pronouns usually work as objects, as in The guests enjoyed themselves.
Mina taught her brother to use the new calendar.
What does myself mean after a noun or at the end of a sentence?
A reflexive pronoun can add emphasis. In I built the shelf myself, myself says that the speaker personally did the work. It can also follow a noun, as in The director herself answered.
The children dressed themselves before breakfast.