Himself, Herself: se
Himself, herself, itself or themselves.
How It Works
| Case | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| accusative | se | Marcus se laudat. |
| dative | sibi | Puella sibi donum dat. |
| genitive | sui | the form for of himself |
| ablative | se | the same as the accusative |
For I and you, Latin uses the ordinary pronouns: Ego me laudo (I praise myself) and Tu te laudas (you praise yourself).
Compare Marcus se laudat (he praises himself) with Marcus eum laudat (he praises another man).
Se joins with cum into one word: secum means with himself, with herself or with themselves. You will mostly meet se and sibi at this level, and sui in phrases later on.
Examples (5)
- Marcus se laudat.
Marcus praises himself.
Se refers back to Marcus, the subject.
- Iulia se in speculo videt.
Iulia sees herself in the mirror.
Se is the same word for a woman. In speculo is in plus the ablative.
- Puella sibi donum dat.
The girl gives herself a gift.
Sibi is the dative: for herself.
- Ego me laudo.
I praise myself.
For I the reflexive is me.
- Monachi se Deo dant.
The monks give themselves to God.
Se is plural here and refers back to monachi. Deo is the to form of Deus.
Common Mistakes
Using eum when he means himself.
Marcus eum laudat.Marcus se laudat.Marcus eum laudat is correct Latin, but it means Marcus praises him, another man. To say he praises himself, use se.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Se refers back to the subject, while is points to someone else, so is and the personal pronouns come first.
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice Himself, Herself: se in Bubblegum
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