Reflexive pronouns

 There are many ways of saying goodbye in English. The most common is probably see you but we can also say cheers, take care, see you later or catch you later. Another expression we might use is take care of yourself, especially if someone has been sick or going through a rough patch.

In the expression take care of yourself, we are using the reflexive pronoun

yourself. In this blog we will look at when to use the reflexive pronouns in English.

We use the reflexive pronouns in English as a direct object, when the object is the same as the subject of a verb.

For example, if you cut your finger while you were chopping an onion you might say

I cut myself while I was chopping an onion.

In this sentence,  I is the subject of the verb. This means I is the person who does the action. The word myself refers to the same person. Myself is the object of the verb cut. This means it is the person or thing that receives the action.

In this case we must use the reflexive pronoun myself, not the object pronoun me. So, we cannot say:

I cut me while I was chopping an onion.

We must say:

I cut myself while I was chopping an onion.

Here are some more examples of reflexive pronouns used as the direct object:

Jane blamed herself for the accident.

Ask yourself this question: Am I happy with my job?

Terry hates himself.

I saw a bird washing itself.

We treated ourselves to an ice cream.

Some verbs can be followed by two objects. The indirect object is often a person who receives something. Look at this sentence:

I gave the book to Mary.

In this example I is the subject of the verb gave and the book is the object.

We could also say:

I gave Mary the book.

In this sentence Mary is now the indirect object.

If the indirect object is the same person or thing as the subject, we must use a reflexive pronoun. Here are some examples:

John cooked himself dinner.

I bought myself a pizza.

She poured herself a glass of wine.

They taught themselves French.

Instead of using an indirect object after the verb, we often use a preposition after the direct object, followed by a reflexive pronoun. For example:

John cooked dinner for himself.

I bought a pizza for myself.

She poured a glass of wine for herself.

They taught French to themselves.