si With an Infinitive

Level 5

Si names whoever does the infinitive, even when that person is the object of the main verb.

How It Works

SentenceWho is washed or dressed
Mi vidis lin lavi sin.him: he washed himself
Mi vidis lin lavi ŝin.a woman: he washed her
La sinjoro ordonis al la servisto vesti sin.the servant dresses himself
La sinjoro ordonis al la servisto vesti lin.the servant dresses the gentleman

After vidi, aŭdi, lasi and verbs of ordering or allowing, the person named after the verb is also the doer of the infinitive. Si and sin point back to that doer. A word such as lin or ŝin points to somebody else.

When the doer of the infinitive is not named in the sentence, si and sia usually point to the subject of the main verb: La reĝo sendis voki sian kuraciston (the king sent for his own doctor). PMEG says that writers vary in complex sentences like these, so when a sentence could be misread, a ke clause is clearer.

Examples (5)

  1. Ana vidis Kofin lavi sin ĉe la rivero.

    Ana saw Kofi wash himself by the river.

    Sin means Kofi, the doer of lavi.

  2. Ewa aŭdis Kenjin paroli pri ŝi kaj ridetis.

    Ewa heard Kenji talk about her and smiled.

    Ŝi is not si, so it points to somebody other than Kenji, most likely Ewa herself.

  3. La instruisto lasis la infanojn prezenti sin al la gastoj.

    The teacher let the children introduce themselves to the guests.

    Sin means the children, who do the introducing.

  4. Ni vidis la knabinon rigardi sin en la spegulo.

    We saw the girl look at herself in the mirror.

    The girl looks, so sin is the girl.

  5. Hiro aŭdis Anan paroli pri si.

    Hiro heard Ana talk about herself.

    Si means Ana, who is talking, and not Hiro.

Common Mistakes

  • Using lin when the man washes himself.

    Mi vidis lin lavi lin.
    Mi vidis lin lavi sin.

    The first sentence is correct Esperanto, but its second lin means a different man. To say that he washed himself, use sin.

How It Connects

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

si With an InfinitiveLevel 5

Learn This First

Si after an object and an infinitive refers to the doer of the infinitive.