själv/självt/själva

själv, självt, and själva are emphatic pronouns used to add emphasis to a noun or pronoun, similar to adding '-self' or '-selves' in English. The forms below show regular agreement with the word it refers to; informal usage also has uninflected själv.

Agreement Rules:
The form changes based on the gender and number of the noun or the pronoun.

• själv: Used with en-words and the pronouns jag, du, han, hon, den, man.
  Ex: Jag gjorde det själv. (I did it myself.)
  Ex: Katten (en) hittade hem själv. (The cat found its way home by itself.)
• självt: Used with ett-words and the pronoun det.
  Ex: Barnet (ett) kan äta självt. (The child can eat by itself.)
  Ex: Huset (ett) är fint i sig självt. (The house is nice in itself.)
• själva: Used with all plural nouns and the pronouns vi, ni, de.
  Ex: Vi målade väggarna själva. (We painted the walls ourselves.)
  Ex: Barnen gick till skolan själva. (The children went to school by themselves.)

This word is usually placed directly after the noun or pronoun it emphasizes, or at the end of the clause.

More Than “Without Help”
Jag såg henne själv can emphasize the speaker or, with the appropriate grouping and context, the woman herself. Själv also occurs with object pronouns: tänka på dig själv. Before a definite noun phrase, the form is själva even in the singular: själva huset (the house itself). These uses show why the word is not simply a marker that the subject acted without help.

In speech and informal writing, uninflected själv occurs with neuter and plural reference, including barnet själv. The table above gives the regular agreement forms used in careful writing.

Meaning and Usage Contrast
Företaget klarade det själv. / Företaget klarade det självt.
Regular agreement with neuter företaget gives självt. Uninflected själv also occurs in speech and informal writing, so this is a register and agreement distinction rather than an absolute ban.

Meaning and Usage Contrast
Vi skrev rapporten själv. / Vi skrev rapporten själva.
Regular agreement with plural vi gives själva. Uninflected själv with plural reference occurs in speech and informal writing; själva is the clear choice when practising full agreement.