Reflexive PronounsA2

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Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, themselves) show that the subject and the object are the same person. Routine verbs such as get up and get dressed take no reflexive: I get up, I get dressed.

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CheatsheetA2

Point	Rule	Example
myself / yourself / himself / herself / itself	singular forms end in -self	She talks to herself.
ourselves / yourselves / themselves	plural forms end in -selves; yourselves = several people	They looked at themselves in the mirror.
Same person	the object is the same person as the subject	I burnt myself in the kitchen.
Emphasis	that person and nobody else	I made the cake myself.
by + reflexive	alone, without help	He lives by himself.
Routine verbs	everyday verbs stand alone: get dressed, relax, sit down	I get dressed quickly.
each other	each person → the other person	They looked at each other.
Trap	him + self / them + selves	He hurt himself. / They enjoyed themselves.

OverviewA2

Singular forms end in -self; plural forms end in -selves.
you has two forms: yourself for one person, yourselves for several.
The stress falls on -self: myself /maɪˈself/, themselves /ðəmˈselvz/.

UseA2

Use	Example
object = subject	I burnt myself in the kitchen.
after a preposition, same person	She talks to herself.
emphasis: that person and nobody else	I made the cake myself.
by + reflexive = alone, without help	He lives by himself.
fixed expressions	Enjoy yourselves! / Make yourself at home.

Everyday routines: the verb aloneA2

These everyday verbs take no reflexive pronoun:

Verb	Example
get up / wake up	I get up at seven.
have a shower	He has a shower every morning.
get dressed	I get dressed quickly.
sit down	Please sit down.
feel	I feel tired.
relax	We relax at the weekend.
remember	I remember her.
meet	We met in 2019.
worry	Don't worry.

Compare: themselves and each otherA2

themselves	each other
each person → the same person	each person → the other person
They looked at themselves in the mirror.	They looked at each other.
We blamed ourselves.	We blamed each other.

Typical errorsA2

✗	✓	Rule
He hurt hisself.	He hurt himself.	him + self
They enjoyed theirselves.	They enjoyed themselves.	them + selves
Help yourself, children!	Help yourselves, children!	several people → yourselves