You reflectivepronouns present specific cases of use, if we make the comparison with the use in Portuguese, our mother tongue, which is a very common practice when studying a foreign language. Although this is an efficient strategy, we are not always successful with it, because each language has peculiarities in its grammatical treatment.
In the following topics, we will explore what reflexive pronouns are and their use in each situation.
Are you ready?
What are the reflexive pronouns?
Reflexive pronouns agree in number and gender with the person. They are formed by my, your, him, her, it, our, your, them + self/selves.
Look at the table:
reflexive pronouns |
translation |
myself |
myself |
Yourself |
yourself |
Himself |
himself |
herself |
herself |
itself |
he/she himself |
Ourselves |
ourselves |
Yourselves |
yourselves |
Themselves |
they/themselves |
- I cut myself.
(Me me I cut.)
- Clara did the homework by herself.
(Clara did her homework by herself.)
- introduce yourself, please!
(Introduceif, please!)
See that the translation must fit the context of the Portuguese language!
Know more: Impersonal pronoun “it”: better understand its possible uses
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How to use the reflexive pronouns?
We saw in previous topics that reflexive pronouns do not substitute for a noun or nominal phrases. In fact, they often refer us to the subject, indicating how an action can affect whoever performed it|1|.
They take up the subject, in the object position, when both are the same. The reflexive pronouns too are used for emphasis|2|. When accompanied by prepositionby(from, by), they indicate that someone has done something alone. Look at the following examples to understand each usage:
Example 1
Narcissus admired himself in the lake.
(Narcissus admiredup on the lake.)
Himselftake the subject back Narcissus, which also appears as the object of the verb admired.
Example 2
they themselves found a treasure.
(They same found a treasure.)
Themselves was used to give emphasis to the pronounthey. In this case, it could come right after the subject pronoun or at the end of the sentence, after treasure.
Example 3
The park isnt that clean itself.
(The park, in itself, it's not that clean.)
itself was also used to give emphasis. However, in Portuguese, it is not necessary to give it.
Example 4
Add painters like to paint themselves.
(Some painters like to paint themselves.)
Themselvesrefers to the subjectdisappearpainters.
Example 5
She wrote that play by herself.
(she wrote that play alone/on their own)
Byherself means the guy did something alone (write a play).
Example 6
Brian finished the research by himself.
(Brian finished the survey by myself.)
by himselfmeans the guy did something alone (finish search).
Added to these usages is the fact that some English verbs are normally followed by a reflexive pronoun.
See some examples below:
However, some pronominal verbs in Portuguese are not in English: get up (get up after waking up), sit down (sit down), get dressed (dress up), wash (washing themselves), among others.
You finished the project by ______________.
Letter B, because it is the second person plural.
Choose the alternative that indicates the subject and object of the sentence as the same person.
a) She finished the edition by herself.
b) I build this car myself.
c) He cut himself while he was cooking.
Letter C, as the subject performs and suffers the action of "cutting himself" (cut himself).
|2| DECAPUA, A. grammar for Teachers: A Guide to American English for Native and Non-Native Speakers. Springer: New York, 2008.
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
MOREIRA, Patricia Veronica. "Reflexive pronouns"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/ingles/reflexive-pronouns.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
