Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the complement of the verb are the same. While reflexive verbs are common in many other languages, they are not used as frequently in English. When necessary, the verb is followed by one of the following reflexive pronouns:
| Reflexive Pronouns |
Example |
| myself
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I saw it for myself. |
| yourself |
Don’t burn yourself! |
| himself
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He hurt himself. |
| herself
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She did it herself. |
| itself
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The cat scratched itself. |
| ourselves
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We made it ourselves. |
| yourselves |
Did you paint the house yourselves? |
| themselves
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They were speaking to themselves. |
Note: “You” can be either singular or plural. Note the reflexive form of the singular (“yourself”) and the plural (“yourselves”).
Grammatical Rules
1. We can use reflexive pronouns with most transitive verbs, but among the most common are:
blame, cut, enjoy, help , hurt , introduce, prepare, teach
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We really enjoyed ourselves while on holiday.
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2. We can use reflexive pronouns when we want to emphasize the subject. In these cases, it is more common to place the pronoun at the end of the sentence rather than after the verb.
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We painted the house ourselves.
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What a great party! Did you prepare everything yourself?
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3. We use “by” + reflexive pronoun to indicate “alone”.
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I often prefer to be by myself.
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She learned to read all by herself.
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4. The use of the reflexive pronoun with some verbs can change the meaning.
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Help yourself to some coffee. (meaning: take some coffee)
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We found ourselves in the middle of a very complicated situation. (meaning: to discover unexpectedly)
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5. We do not use reflexive pronouns for actions that people usually do for themselves.
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I have to shave every other day.
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I have to shave myself every other day.
6. We use reflexive pronouns with certain expressions.
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Behave yourselves! (meaning: behave well)
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Help yourself. (meaning: said to someone when offering something, such as food or drink)
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Make yourself at home. (meaning: said to a guest to encourage them to feel comfortable in your home)
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Reciprocal Pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns are formed with the phrase “each other”. This is not a reflexive form, but rather a reciprocal one. In contrast to the reflexive, we have two different subjects that are talking one to one.
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John and Peter speak to each other every day.
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Los pronombres reflexivos se usan cuando el sujeto y el complemento del verbo son lo mismo. El sujeto hace la acción a sí mismo. En inglés no se utilizan los verbos reflexivos tanto como en español. En vez de verbos reflexivos, utilizamos uno de los siguientes pronombres reflexivos.
| Pronombres reflexivos |
Ejemplo |
myself
yo mismo, a mí
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I saw it myself.
Yo mismo lo vi.
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yourself
tú mismo (a tí), usted mismo (a usted) |
Don’t burn yourself!
¡No te quemes! / ¡No se queme! |
himself
él mismo, a sí mismo |
He hurt himself.
Se hizo daño. |
herself
ella misma, a sí misma
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She did it herself.
Lo hizo ella misma.
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itself
él mismo, a sí mismo
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The cat scratched itself.
El gato se rascó.
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ourselves
nosotros mismos
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We made it ourselves.
Lo hemos hecho nosotros mismos.
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yourselves
vosotros mismos, ustedes mismos
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Did you paint the house yourselves?
¿Pintasteis la casa vosotros mismos? / ¿Pintaron la casa ustedes mismos?
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themselves
ellos mismos
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They were speaking to themselves.
Ellos hablaban consigo mismos.
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Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)
1. Podemos utilizar pronombres reflexivos con la mayoría de verbos transitivos, pero los más comunes son los siguientes:
blame (culpar, echar la culpa a), cut (cortar), enjoy (disfrutar),
help (ayudar), hurt (hacerse daño), introduce (presentarse),
prepare (preparar), teach (enseñar)…
Ejemplos:
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How did he hurt himself?(¿Cómo se hizo daño?)
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We really enjoyed ourselves while on holiday.(Realmente disfrutamos mientras estábamos de vacaciones.)
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I blame myself.(Me culpo.)
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2. Cuando queremos enfatizar el sujeto, podemos usar pronombres reflexivos. En estos casos, es más común colocar el pronombre al final de la oración en lugar de después del verbo.
Ejemplos:
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We painted the house ourselves.(Pintamos la casa nosotros mismos.)
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What a great party! Did you prepare everything yourself?(¡Qué gran fiesta! ¿Lo preparaste todo tú mismo?)
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3. Usamos “by” + el pronombre reflexivo para indicar “solo”.
Ejemplos:
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I often prefer to be by myself.(A menudo prefiero estar solo.)
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She learned to read all by herself.(Ella aprendió a leer por sí misma.)
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4. El uso del pronombre reflexivo con algunos verbos puede cambiar el significado.
Ejemplos:
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Help yourself to some coffee.(Sírvete un café tú mismo.)
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We found ourselves in the middle of a very complicated situation.(Nos encontramos en medio de una situación muy complicada.)
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5. No utilizamos pronombres reflexivos para acciones que la gente suele hacer a sí misma.
Ejemplo:
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I have to shave every other day.(Tengo que afeitarme cada dos días.)
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I have to shave myself every other day.
6. Utilizamos pronombres reflexivos en algunas expresiones.
Ejemplos:
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Behave yourselves!(¡Compórtense bien!)
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Help yourself.(Sírvete tú mismo.)
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Make yourself at home.(Siéntete como en tu propia casa.)
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Reciprocal Pronouns (Pronombres recíprocos)
Los pronombres recíprocos se forman con las partículas “each other”. Esta forma no es reflexiva sino es una forma recíproca. A diferencia del reflexivo, tenemos dos sujetos diferentes que hablan el uno al otro.
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John and Peter speak to each other every day.(John y Peter se hablan cada día.)
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