si / sin: Reflexive

Si: Himself, Herself, Themselves

Level 3

Use si for the subject itself, not for anyone else.

How It Works

SentenceMeaning
Ŝi lavas sin.She washes herself.
Ŝi lavas ŝin.She washes another woman.
Li lavas sin.He washes himself.
Li lavas lin.He washes another man.
Mi lavas min.I wash myself.

Si is only for the third person. With mi, ni and vi nothing special is needed: Mi lavas min, Ni lavas nin, Vi lavas vin.

With li, ŝi, ĝi and ili the choice matters. If the object is the same person as the subject, use sin. If it is someone else, use lin, ŝin, ĝin or ilin.

Si is never the subject of a clause. As an object it takes -n: sin.

Examples (5)

  1. Kenji lavas sin antaŭ la manĝo.

    Kenji washes himself before the meal.

    Sin points back to Kenji, the subject.

  2. Ewa vidas sin en la spegulo.

    Ewa sees herself in the mirror.

    Sin is the object, and it is the same person as the subject.

  3. Ili prezentas sin al la gastoj.

    They introduce themselves to the guests.

    Sin points back to ili.

  4. Mi lavas min, kaj vi lavas vin.

    I wash myself, and you wash yourself.

    With mi and vi the same pronoun comes back, and si is not used.

  5. Ana vidas ŝin en la foto.

    Ana sees another woman in the photo.

    Ŝin is not si, so it means someone other than Ana.

Common Mistakes

  • Using si with mi.

    Mi lavas sin.
    Mi lavas min.

    Si belongs to the third person. With mi, the same pronoun comes back as min.

  • Using ŝin when the subject herself is meant.

    Ŝi lavas ŝin.
    Ŝi lavas sin.

    Ŝi lavas ŝin is a correct sentence, but it says that she washes another woman. For herself, use sin.

How It Connects

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

si / sin: ReflexiveLevel 3Si: Himself, Herself, Themselves

Learn This First

Sin is the object form of si and points back to the subject.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.