eu mesmo / o mesmo

Mesmo: Self and Same

Level 3

Mesmo has three everyday uses: eu mesmo (I myself), o mesmo coche (the same car) and mesmo os nenos (even the children).

How It Works

-self after a pronoun or noun. Mesmo stresses that this person, and nobody else, did it: Fíxeno eu mesmo (I did it myself), A directora mesma veu (the director came herself), Vós mesmos podedes comprobalo (you can check it yourselves). It agrees with the person: mesmo, mesma, mesmos, mesmas. With a preposition, por min mesmo means "by myself, without help".

Same after the article. O mesmo and a mesma mean "the same": Temos o mesmo coche (we have the same car), Somos da mesma opinión (we are of the same opinion). On its own, neuter o mesmo means "the same thing": Pasoume o mesmo (the same thing happened to me).

Even before a phrase. As an adverb, mesmo adds something surprising and does not change form: Mesmo os nenos sabían a resposta (even the children knew the answer). After a word of place or time it means "right, exactly": aquí mesmo (right here), hoxe mesmo (this very day).

Related uses. Mesmo que + subjunctive means "even if", and así mesmo means "likewise".

Examples (6)

  1. Fíxeno eu mesmo.

    I did it myself.

    Word by Word: Did-it I same.

  2. A directora mesma veu falar connosco.

    The director herself came to talk to us.

    Word by Word: The director same came to-speak with-us.

  3. Levamos a mesma camisola!

    We're wearing the same jumper!

    Word by Word: Wear-we the same jumper!

  4. Pasoume o mesmo.

    The same thing happened to me.

    Word by Word: Happened-to-me the same.

  5. Mesmo os nenos sabían a resposta.

    Even the children knew the answer.

    Word by Word: Even the children knew the answer.

    Here mesmo is an adverb, so it does not agree with nenos.

  6. Agárdote aquí mesmo.

    I'll wait for you right here.

    Word by Word: Wait-for-you here same.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Spanish form mismo.

    Temos o mismo coche.
    Temos o mesmo coche.

    Mismo is Spanish. The Galician word is mesmo, mesma, mesmos, mesmas.

  • Not making mesmo agree when it means -self.

    A directora mesmo veu falar connosco.
    A directora mesma veu falar connosco.

    If you mean "the director herself", mesmo must agree: mesma. With unchanging mesmo, the sentence means "the director even came to talk to us", which is a different idea.

How It Connects

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

eu mesmo / o mesmoLevel 3Mesmo: Self and Same

Learn This First

Mesmo can agree as an adjective or remain unchanged as an adverb.

Words in This Pattern