ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediatepronounpronoun
ReflexivovsPronombre de objeto
Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself...) are used when the subject and object are the same person, or for emphasis.
Side-by-side comparison
Reflexivo
pronounReflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself...) are used when the subject and object of the action are the same person: "She hurt herself".
She cut herself while she was chopping vegetables, but fortunately it was not serious.
He taught himself to play the guitar by watching videos online every single evening.
The children behaved themselves really well during the long journey on the train.
Pronombre de objeto
pronounThey are also used for emphasis: "I did it myself". In this case the pronoun is emphatic, not reflexive. It can be removed without changing the core meaning.
My sister called me last night to wish me luck before the big exam this morning.
He asked her to help him with the project, and she agreed without any hesitation at all.
They told us the good news at dinner, we were all absolutely thrilled for them.
Common mistake
The most common errors:
- 1."I introduced me to the team" is wrong, subject (I) and object are the same person, so use the reflexive: "I introduced MYSELF."
- 2."Please contact myself if you have questions" is wrong, in an imperative the implied subject is "you," not "I," so use "contact ME."
Trick to remember it
- •Identity test: are the subject and object the SAME person? Yes = reflexive (myself/yourself/himself...).
- •No = object pronoun (me/you/him...).
- •Corporate "contact myself" sounds more formal but is wrong, if the clause subject is not you yourself, use "me."
Quick rule
Myself/yourself/himself...:
- 1.subject = object (action reflected back),
- 2.emphasis ("I myself"). All other cases = regular object pronoun (me/you/him/her/us/them).
Did you know?
The misuse of "myself" as a polished substitute for "me" in corporate emails is so widespread that linguists call it "polite myself" or "reflexive misuse." The theory is that speakers associate "myself" with a more formal or polite register than plain "me," and overgeneralize it. "Please forward to John and myself" or "Contact Sarah or myself", both are grammatically wrong. Correct: "forward to John and ME," "contact Sarah or ME." Google's and Microsoft's style guides explicitly list this as an error to correct in professional communications. The irony: by using "myself" to sound more formal, the speaker commits a grammatical error that to an editor or linguist signals exactly the opposite.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She cut _____ while cooking. She needs a plaster.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
He did it all by _____ . Nobody helped him.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
Active voicevsPassive voice
In the active voice the subject acts; in the passive voice the subject receives the action.
Direct speechvsReported speech
Direct speech reproduces exact words in quotes; reported speech conveys what was said with changes in tense and pronouns.
WhichvsWho
'Which' is used for things, animals, and concepts; 'who' is used for people.
AvsAn
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy