Reflexive and Reciprocal Pronouns
Express actions done to oneself and mutual actions done to each other.
- check_circleI can use reflexive pronouns accurately.
- check_circleI can use reciprocal pronouns to talk about mutual actions.
- check_circleI can avoid using reflexive pronouns where they aren't needed in English.
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
Emma: Have you noticed how much Jack and Lily talk to each other lately?
Tom: Yes, I think they really like one another. But Jack is trying to convince himself that it’s just a friendship.
Emma: Really? But they are always helping each other with their projects. Yesterday, Lily was studying by herself in the library, and Jack brought her coffee.
Tom: That’s nice. They definitely support each other. But Jack is worried because he wants to focus on his career. He doesn’t want to distract himself right now.
Emma: He needs to remind himself that you can have a career and a relationship! They complement each other so well.
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
When the subject and the object of a verb are the same person or thing, we use reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves). When two or more people do the same thing to one another, we use reciprocal pronouns (each other, one another).
Reflexive Pronouns
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject of the verb is the same as the object.
- She accidentally cut herself while cooking.
- I bought myself a new book.
We also use reflexive pronouns to emphasize that someone did something alone, often with the preposition by.
- They painted the whole house by themselves.
In modern English, themself is increasingly used when referring to a singular person whose gender is unknown or non-binary: Someone hurt themself.
Common mistakes In Spanish, reflexive verbs are very common (ducharse, sentirse, relajarse). In English, many of these verbs do not take a reflexive pronoun!
- ❌ I feel myself tired today.
- ✅ I feel tired today.
- ❌ We relax ourselves on weekends.
- ✅ We relax on weekends.
Reciprocal Pronouns
Use each other or one another when the action is mutual (A does the action to B, and B does the action to A).
- Mark and Sarah have known each other for ten years.
- The team members always help one another.
Traditionally, each other was for two people, and one another was for more than two. Today, native speakers use them interchangeably!
Do not confuse themselves (reflexive) with each other (reciprocal).
- They are looking at themselves in the mirror. (A looks at A; B looks at B)
- They are looking at each other. (A looks at B; B looks at A)
Prepositions with Pronouns
We can use both reflexive and reciprocal pronouns after prepositions.
- Please take care of yourself.
- They have been talking to one another all afternoon.
- Reflexive: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves. (Subject = Object)
- Reciprocal: each other, one another. (Mutual action)
- By + reflexive: Doing something alone / without help.
- No reflexive: Do not use with verbs like feel, relax, concentrate, wash, dress.
- Themselves vs. Each other: Themselves = self-action. Each other = mutual action.
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
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Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?