seba
Myself and Yourself: Seba
Seba is one reflexive pronoun for all persons. It points back to whoever is doing the action.
How It Works
The forms.
- genitive: seba – bez seba
- dative: sebe / short si – k sebe
- accusative: seba / short sa – pre seba, na seba
- locative: sebe – o sebe, pri sebe
- instrumental: sebou – so sebou, pred sebou
One word for every person. Kúpil som to pre seba. (for myself) Kúpila si to pre seba? (for yourself) Kúpili to pre seba. (for themselves).
Seba or sa? The short form is the normal one: Vidí sa v zrkadle. (She sees herself in the mirror.) The long form adds weight: Vidí len seba. (She sees only herself.) After prepositions only the long form is possible.
Seba or neho? Seba points back to the subject, so it changes the meaning: Peter hovorí o sebe. (about himself) but Peter hovorí o ňom. (about another man).
Useful phrases. vziať so sebou (take with you), mať pri sebe (have on you), pozvať k sebe (invite to your place), medzi sebou (among themselves).
With a plural subject, seba can also mean each other: Hovoria o sebe. (about themselves, or about each other). See each other.
Examples (6)
- Myslí len na seba.
He only thinks of himself.
Word by Word: He-thinks only on self.
- Hovorí stále o sebe.
She keeps talking about herself.
Word by Word: She-talks constantly about self.
- Vezmi si dáždnik so sebou.
Take an umbrella with you.
Word by Word: Take yourself umbrella with self.
- Kúpil som to pre seba, nie pre teba.
I bought it for myself, not for you.
Word by Word: Bought AUX it for self, not for you.
- Máš pri sebe peniaze?
Do you have any money on you?
Word by Word: You-have at self money?
- Pozval nás k sebe na večeru.
He invited us to his place for dinner.
Word by Word: Invited us to self for dinner.
Common Mistakes
Using the personal pronoun instead of seba after a preposition.
Vezmi si to s tebou.Vezmi si to so sebou.The person taking it is the subject, so use seba: so sebou.
Using neho when you mean himself.
Peter myslí len na neho.Peter myslí len na seba.Na neho means Peter thinks about another man. To point back to Peter, use seba.
Using mňa or teba for the subject itself.
Kúpil som to pre mňa.Kúpil som to pre seba.When the pronoun means the same person as the subject, standard Slovak uses seba in every person.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Myself and Yourself: seba, learn Reflexive Verbs With sa. seba is the full form of the reflexive sa.
Related Patterns
- Verb + siReflexive Verbs with Si
Si is the short dative form of sebe.
Level 2 - svojOne's Own: Svoj
The possessive partner: svoj also refers back to the subject.
Level 3 - sa / si (Each Other)Each Other: Sa and Si
With a plural subject, sa, si and seba can mean each other.
Level 3 - Pronouns After Prepositions
Other people after a preposition take n- forms: o ňom, pre neho.
Level 3 - Long and Short Pronoun Forms
Seba and sebe are long forms, like mňa and mne.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice seba in Bubblegum
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