Reflexive & indefinite pronouns
A2 30 / 50
In short
Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, …) point back to the subject when the subject and the object are the same person: I cut myself. Indefinite pronouns (someone, anything, nobody, everywhere) talk about people, things, or places without saying exactly which.
The rule
Reflexive pronouns. Use a reflexive pronoun when the person doing the action and the person receiving it are the same: She taught herself Spanish (she was both the teacher and the student). They also add emphasis (I painted the house myself = no one helped me), and after by they mean “alone / without help”: He lives by himself. When a verb or an adjective takes a preposition, the reflexive just follows it and keeps the plain “same person” meaning: She only thinks about herself, Be kind to yourself.
| Subject | Reflexive | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | myself | I hurt myself. |
| you (one) | yourself | Help yourself. |
| he | himself | He blames himself. |
| she | herself | She enjoyed herself. |
| it | itself | The cat washed itself. |
| we | ourselves | We introduced ourselves. |
| you (more than one) | yourselves | Help yourselves, everyone. |
| they | themselves | They built it themselves. |
Verbs that are NOT reflexive in English. Many languages add “-self” to these verbs, but English does not. Just use the verb alone: wash, shave, dress, feel, relax, concentrate, meet. Say I feel tired (not I feel myself tired), She got dressed (not dressed herself), We meet on Mondays (not meet ourselves).
each other / one another (reciprocal). These are NOT the same as the “-selves” words. They love each other means A loves B and B loves A (mutually). They love themselves means each person loves only their own self. Use each other for two; one another is a slightly more formal way to say the same thing.
Indefinite pronouns. Build them from some- / any- / no- / every- plus -one / -body / -thing / -where. The some / any choice follows the same rule as lesson 22: some- in positive sentences, offers, and requests; any- in negatives and questions. These words take a singular verb (Everybody is here), but we refer back to them with they / their / them when the person is unknown (Someone left their bag), and with themselves when a reflexive is needed (No one should have to do it by themselves).
Forms & patterns
| people | people | things | places | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| some- | someone | somebody | something | somewhere |
| any- | anyone | anybody | anything | anywhere |
| no- | no one | nobody | nothing | nowhere |
| every- | everyone | everybody | everything | everywhere |
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| subject = object -> reflexive | I taught myself to code. |
| emphasis -> reflexive | The manager herself apologised. |
| preposition + reflexive | She travelled by herself (= alone). / She is proud of herself. |
| reciprocal -> each other / one another | We help each other. |
| indefinite + singular verb | Nothing is ready yet. |
| indefinite person -> they / their / themselves | Everyone brought their own lunch. / Nobody wants to sit by themselves. |
Examples
| English | Note |
|---|---|
| I accidentally cut myself while cooking. | subject and object are the same person |
| She taught herself to play the guitar. | reflexive: she was the teacher and the learner |
| Did you fix the bike yourself? | emphasis: with no help |
| My grandfather still lives by himself. | by + reflexive = alone |
| The twins always blame each other. | reciprocal: A blames B and B blames A |
| I need to concentrate before the exam. | not “concentrate myself” - not reflexive in English |
| Is there anything in the fridge? | any- in a question |
| Everybody is invited to the party. | indefinite pronoun + singular verb |
| Nobody knows the answer. | no- already negative, verb stays positive |
| Someone has left their umbrella here. | unknown person -> they / their |
Common mistakes
- I feel myself tired. -> I feel tired. - feel, wash, shave, relax, meet, concentrate are not reflexive in English.
- They love themselves. (meaning mutually) -> They love each other. - use each other for “to one another”.
- Everybody are happy. -> Everybody is happy. - indefinite pronouns take a singular verb.
- I didn’t see nobody. -> I didn’t see anybody. / I saw nobody. - don’t mix not with no-; use any- after a negative.
- Is there something to eat? -> Is there anything to eat? - use any- in questions (but some- in offers: Would you like something?).
Tips
- Reflexive = a mirror. The action bounces back to the doer. If the object is a different person, use a normal object pronoun: I saw him (not himself).
- by + -self = alone. I did it by myself = without help; I did it myself (emphasis) = it was me, not someone else.
- each other (2 people) vs -selves (back to yourself). “They emailed each other” = both ways; “They emailed themselves” = each sent a mail to their own inbox.
- After someone / everybody / no one, use a singular verb but they/their to refer back - it avoids saying he or she: Has anyone lost their keys?