Himself, for Emphasis: ipse

Myself, Himself: Ipse

Level 4

Put ipse next to a noun or pronoun and match its gender, number and case.

How It Works

Casemasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeipseipsaipsum
genitiveipsiusipsiusipsius
dativeipsiipsiipsi
accusativeipsumipsamipsum
ablativeipsoipsaipso

The plural is ipsi, ipsae, ipsa, with ipsorum, ipsarum, ipsorum in the genitive and ipsis in the dative and ablative.

Ipse only adds stress. Marcus ipse venit means Marcus himself came. It is not the same as se, which points back to the subject.

Ipse stands near the word it stresses and agrees with it: ego ipse (I myself), tu ipse (you yourself), Marcus ipse. Alone, it can mean he himself: ipse dixit (he said it himself).

Examples (5)

  1. Ipse Marcus aderat.

    Marcus himself was there.

    Ipse is masculine singular, like Marcus.

  2. Ego ipse te vidi.

    I myself saw you.

    Ipse stresses ego.

  3. Iulia ipsa librum scripsit.

    Iulia wrote the book herself.

    Ipsa is feminine, like Iulia.

  4. Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso.

    Through him, and with him, and in him.

    From the Canon of the Mass. Ipsum is accusative after per, and ipso is ablative after cum and in.

  5. Ipse enim salvum faciet populum suum a peccatis eorum.

    For he himself will save his people from their sins.

    From Matthew 1:21. Ipse is the subject, and it stresses the one who saves.

Common Mistakes

  • Using ipse as the word for himself.

    Marcus ipsum videt.
    Marcus se videt.

    Marcus ipsum videt is good Latin, but it means Marcus sees that very man, someone else. To say that Marcus sees himself, use se.

How It Connects

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

Himself, for Emphasis: ipseLevel 4Myself, Himself: Ipse

Learn This First

Ipse changes the way ille does.

Words in This Pattern

ipse