Reflexive Verbs & Pronouns
Grammar Overview & Exercises 1–39
Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object of a sentence refer to the exact same person or thing. In English, these pronouns end in -myself, -yourself, -himself, -herself, -itself (singular) or -ourselves, -yourselves, -themselves (plural).
Unlike German, where many common daily actions naturally use a reflexive pronoun (e.g., sich anziehen, sich waschen), English uses reflexive pronouns less frequently. However, they are vital for emphasizing that an action is performed directly on or by the subject.
| Subject Pronoun | Reflexive Pronoun | German Counterpart | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | myself | mich / mir (selbst) | I cut myself while cooking. |
| You (singular) | yourself | dich / dir (selbst) | Please behave yourself. |
| He | himself | sich (selbst) | He burned himself on the stove. |
| She | herself | sich (selbst) | She looked at herself in the mirror. |
| It | itself | sich (selbst) | The rabbit hid itself behind the tree. |
| We | ourselves | uns (selbst) | We organized the event ourselves. |
| You (plural) | yourselves | euch (selbst) | Make yourselves at home. |
| They | themselves | sich (selbst) | They committed themselves to the project. |
⚠️ Be careful with the spelling of plural forms: ourselves, yourselves, themselves (not "-selfs").
⚠️ Some verbs in English can drop the pronoun when the meaning is implied (e.g., "He shaved before work" is very common, but "He shaved himself" adds explicit emphasis).
1. You must adapt ______ to the new job.
yourself
a) yourself
b) yourselves
[Du musst dich an die neue Arbeit anpassen.]
2. She applied ______ to her homework.
herself
a) himself
b) herself
[Sie widmete sich ihren Hausaufgaben.]
3. Please behave ______.
yourself
a) yourself
b) itself
[Bitte benimm dich.]
4. Don't blame ______.
yourself
a) herself
b) yourself
[Gib dir nicht selbst die Schuld.]
5. He burned ______ on the stove.
himself
a) himself
b) itself
[Er verbrannte sich am Herd.]
6. He calls ______ a teacher.
himself
a) myself
b) himself
[Er nennt sich Lehrer.]
7. Take a deep breath and calm ______.
yourself
a) yourself
b) himself
[Atme tief durch und beruhige dich.]
8. She collected ______ before speaking.
herself
a) yourself
b) herself
[Sie fasste sich vor dem Sprechen wieder.]
9. They committed ______ to the project.
themselves
a) themselves
b) themselfs
[Sie verpflichteten sich für das Projekt.]
10. He congratulated ______ on his success.
himself
a) herself
b) himself
[Er gratulierte sich selbst zu seinem Erfolg.]
11. I cut ______ while cooking.
myself
a) myself
b) himself
[Ich schnitt mich beim Kochen.]
12. She defended ______ very well.
herself
a) yourself
b) herself
[Sie verteidigte sich sehr gut.]
13. The little boy dressed ______.
himself
a) himself
b) itself
[Der kleine Junge zog sich selbst an.]
14. Did you enjoy ______?
yourself
a) ourselves
b) yourself
[Hast du dich amüsiert?]
15. She expressed ______ clearly.
herself
a) herself
b) himself
[Sie drückte sich klar aus.]
16. He found ______ alone.
himself
a) myself
b) himself
[Er fand sich allein wieder.]
17. Please help ______ to some coffee.
yourself
a) yourself
b) itself
[Bitte bedien dich mit etwas Kaffee.]
18. The rabbit hid ______ behind the tree.
itself
a) himself
b) itself
[Das Kaninchen versteckte sich hinter dem Baum.]
19. Be careful not to hurt ______.
yourself
a) yourself
b) herself
[Pass auf, dass du dich nicht verletzt.]
20. Please introduce ______.
yourself
a) himself
b) yourself
[Bitte stell dich vor.]
21. He killed ______ in the accident.
himself
a) himself
b) myself
[Er kam bei dem Unfall ums Leben. (wörtlich: Er tötete sich selbst.)]
22. She looked at ______ in the mirror.
herself
a) yourself
b) herself
[Sie schaute sich im Spiegel an.]
23. He occupied ______ with reading.
himself
a) himself
b) ourselves
[Er beschäftigte sich mit Lesen.]
24. Prepare ______ for the test.
yourself
a) herself
b) yourself
[Bereite dich auf den Test vor.]
25. He presented ______ confidently.
himself
a) himself
b) itself
[Er präsentierte sich selbstbewusst.]
26. You should protect ______ from the sun.
yourself
a) themselves
b) yourself
[Du solltest dich vor der Sonne schützen.]
27. She proved ______ to be a good leader.
herself
a) herself
b) himself
[Sie erwies sich als gute Führungskraft.]
28. I reminded ______ to lock the door.
myself
a) yourself
b) myself
[Ich erinnerte mich daran, die Tür abzuschließen.]
29. You're repeating ______.
yourself
a) yourself
b) yourselves
[Du wiederholst dich.]
30. He restricted ______ to one cup of coffee.
himself
a) myself
b) himself
[Er beschränkte sich auf eine Tasse Kaffee.]
31. I can't see ______ living abroad.
myself
a) myself
b) himself
[Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, im Ausland zu leben.]
32. She set ______ a new goal.
herself
a) yourself
b) herself
[Sie setzte sich ein neues Ziel.]
33. He shaved ______ before work.
himself
a) himself
b) itself
[Er rasierte sich vor der Arbeit.]
34. She taught ______ Spanish.
herself
a) himself
b) herself
[Sie brachte sich selbst Spanisch bei.]
35. He thought to ______, "I can do this."
himself
a) himself
b) myself
[Er dachte bei sich: „Ich schaffe das.“]
36. The patient washed ______.
himself
a) herself
b) himself
[Der Patient wusch sich.]
37. We can look after ______.
ourselves
a) ourselves
b) yourself
[Wir können auf uns selbst aufpassen.]
38. You both should prepare ______ for the match.
yourselves
a) yourself
b) yourselves
[Ihr solltet euch beide auf das Spiel vorbereiten.]
39. They helped ______ to the food.
themselves
a) themselves
b) yourself
[Sie bedienten sich am Essen.]