Hey there! This is TOP episode 233. Reflexive Pronouns
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Hey there! Welcome to another episode,a nd if you’re here for the first time, I’m so happy you’re here! I’m so happy for you! You’re going to improve your English and gain more confidence! I’m so grateful for you, I really appreciate you’ve decided to spend some time with English.
What are reflexive pronouns? Let me answer with two example sentences:
She has hurt herself.
They made their costumes themselves.
I’m sure you know what are subject pronouns, let me list them: I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they. Now I’ll list corresponding reflexive pronouns:
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
I’ll talk about four situations in which you might wanna use them:
One. With reflexive verbs. Ok, so there’s a group of verbs that need reflexive pronouns. For instance: behave, burn, cut, look at.
Now. Reflexive verbs are a special type of verbs. Unlike other verbs, they don’t have their own special form or way of changing. Instead, you have to look at the other words in a sentence to know if a verb is reflexive. So, what exactly is a reflexive verb? Let’s see some examples and a definition to understand it better.
What is a reflexive verb?
To understand reflexive verbs, there are two main things to look at: A) what makes a verb reflexive, and B) how to know if a sentence has one.
First, let’s talk about transitive verbs. These are verbs that pass their action to an object in a sentence. They usually need an object to make sense. For example:
Ana taught her brother Spanish.
In this sentence, “Ana” is the subject. “Taught” is the transitive verb, the action word that needs an object. In this case, “her brother” is the indirect object receiving the action, and “Spanish” is the direct object getting the action.
Now, if a verb doesn’t need an object, it’s not transitive. And if there’s no transitive verb, there’s no reflexive verb in the sentence. This is the first thing to check when looking for a reflexive verb.
Next, let’s talk about reflexive pronouns. These are special pronouns that end in “-self” or “-selves” and show that the person doing the action is also the one receiving it.
For example:
Ana taught herself Spanish.
Here, “herself” is the reflexive pronoun. It shows that Ana is both the doer and receiver of the action. This is the second thing to check when identifying a reflexive verb.
There are lots of action words you can use with special pronouns that show the action is done to yourself. Some verbs even mean something slightly different when you’re both doing and receiving the action. Let’s see some common action words in these sentences:
I accidentally cut myself on a piece of paper.
You can use many action words like “cut,” “injure,” and “hurt” in a way that means you hurt yourself. Usually, hurting yourself isn’t on purpose.
Adam and Ana taught themselves how to use microwave.
Usually, when you learn something new, someone else teaches you. But sometimes, you can teach yourself, like Adam and Ana did.
She prepared herself with her favorite belongings for the field trip to the museum.
Usually, “prepare” means getting ready. But preparing yourself can also mean getting all the things you need. You can also “ready yourself,” “train yourself,” or “make yourself up” for something.
He stopped himself from eating another scoop of ice-cream.
This means the man wants more ice-cream but decides not to have it. There are many phrases with similar meanings to “stopping oneself.”
Here’s an example where the meaning changes when the subject and object are the same:
I blocked myself from Instagram.
I try to control myself when it comes to junk food.
That’s number one situation you have to use reflexive pronouns. With reflexive verbs.
Number two. With ‘by’ when the meaning is on your own, for example:
Ana painted the kitchen by herself.
Nobody helped her.
I like being by myself sometimes.
On my own, without anybody near me.
Three. With expressions such as: enjoy yourself, behave yourself and help yourself.
Four. When you want to highlight a noun or a pronoun in a sentence. Then you put a reflexive pronoun right after the noun or pronoun or at the end of the sentence. To illustrate it:
I myself made this cake.
I made this cake myself.
Adam met the Queen herself.
Be careful. Usually we don’t use reflexive pronouns with verbs such as:
dress, wash, shave. I’m telling you about this because in Polish we do use those with reflexive pronouns. But not in English. You could use a reflexive pronoun with the verbs I listed but only if you want to highlight that someone did it with effort. For instance:
Although Adam was ill, he managed to dress himself.
but:
Adam got up and dressed in a hurry.
One more example:
Claire is only 2 years old, but she can wash herself.
but
Claire washed and changed before going out.
Now, time for you to practice. Listen to these sentences and say them out loud:
She has hurt herself.
I accidentally cut myself on a piece of paper.
He stopped himself from eating another scoop of ice-cream.
I try to control myself when it comes to junk food.
Ana painted the kitchen by herself.
I like being by myself sometimes.
Help yourself!
Behave yourself!
I myself made this cake.
Claire is only 2 years old, but she can wash herself.
Thank you for staying here until now. Go ahead and tell me you managed to finish the whole episode. We can get in touch on Instagram. My Instagram handle is teacherola.podcast. Now, don’t forget to complete the Worksheet for this episode. It’s available at teacherola.com/233.
I’m sure you’ve refreshed reflexive pronouns today and now they seem easier and you’ll use them with confidence. If you like my work please leave a comment on iTunes, rate this podcast on Spotify and like it on YouTube! I’ll be back soon, and you stay fearless, say it out loud and take care! I’m your teacher, Teacher Ola, and you were listening to Teacher Ola Podcast. Bye for now!