сам

Emphatic Сам

Level 5Sounds Like sam

Сам means myself, himself or by oneself: Я зраблю гэта сам. (I will do it myself.) A woman says сама; for plural, самі.

How It Works

Forms. Сам agrees in gender and number with the person or thing it stresses:

  • сам: masculine: Ён сам.
  • сама: feminine: Яна сама.
  • само: neuter: Акно само адчынілася.
  • самі: plural and polite вы: Мы самі.

It also changes for case, with the stress on the ending: ад самога дырэктара (from the director himself), самому дырэктару (to the director himself), з самім аўтарам (with the author himself), спытай у самой настаўніцы (ask the teacher herself), у саміх дзяцей (the children themselves have).

Three main meanings.

  • without help: Я зраблю гэта сам. (I will do it myself.)
  • in person, the very one: Сам дырэктар прыйшоў. (The director himself came.)
  • by itself, with no one doing it: Дзверы адчыніліся самі. (The door opened by itself.) Дзверы is plural-only, so the form is самі.

Сам and сябе. Сябе is the object of an action done to oneself: Ён хваліць сябе. (He praises himself.) Сам stresses the subject. They often combine: Ён сам сябе хваліць.

Сам and самы. Самы is a different word. It forms superlatives (самы вялікі, the biggest) and appears in той самы (the same).

Useful phrases: сам па сабе (on its own, independently), сам-насам (one on one, alone with), само сабой (of course, by itself).

Examples (6)

  1. Я зраблю гэта сам.

    I will do it myself.

    Word by Word: I will-do this myself.

    Said by a man. A woman says: Я зраблю гэта сама.

  2. Яна сама прыгатавала вячэру.

    She cooked dinner herself.

    Word by Word: She herself cooked dinner.

  3. Сам дырэктар прыйшоў на сустрэчу.

    The director himself came to the meeting.

    Word by Word: Himself director came to meeting.

  4. Дзверы адчыніліся самі.

    The door opened by itself.

    Word by Word: Door opened themselves.

  5. Ён сам сябе хваліць.

    He praises himself.

    Word by Word: He himself self praises.

  6. Я пагаварыў з самім аўтарам.

    I spoke with the author himself.

    Word by Word: I spoke with himself author.

    Самім is the instrumental form after з.

Common Mistakes

  • Using самы (most, very) instead of сам.

    Я зраблю гэта самы.
    Я зраблю гэта сам.

    Самы forms superlatives and той самы (the same). To say myself or by myself, use сам.

  • Not matching сам to a female speaker.

    Яна сказала: «Я зраблю гэта сам».
    Яна сказала: «Я зраблю гэта сама».

    Сам agrees with the person it refers to. A woman says сама about herself.

  • Using сам as the object of the verb.

    Ён хваліць сам.
    Ён хваліць сябе.

    The intended meaning is He praises himself. Сам only stresses the subject; the object of an action done to oneself is сябе. You can combine them: Ён сам сябе хваліць.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

самLevel 5Emphatic Сам

Learn This First

Emphatic сам follows сябе.

Words in This Pattern

самсамсамы