Inklingo

How to Say "herself" in Spanish

English → Spanish

se

/seh//se/

PronounA1General
Use 'se' when 'herself' is used reflexively, meaning the subject is performing an action on themselves, often with verbs like 'levantarse' (to get up).
A person looking in a mirror and combing their own hair, illustrating an action done to oneself.

Examples

Ella se lava las manos.

She washes her hands.

Ella se levanta temprano.

She gets up early.

Él se viste para la fiesta.

He gets dressed for the party.

Los niños se lavan las manos antes de comer.

The children wash their hands before eating.

Action Done to Yourself

Use 'se' with a verb when the person doing the action is also the person receiving it. Think of it like adding '-self' in English: himself, herself, etc.

Body Parts & Clothing

Mistake: “Él lava su cara.”

Correction: Él se lava la cara. (He washes his face.) In Spanish, you use 'se' to show it's their own body part, not possessive words like 'su' (his/her).

sí

PronounB1General
Use 'sí' when 'herself' functions as the object of a preposition, referring back to the subject for emphasis or as the recipient of an action directed towards 'herself'.

Examples

Ella compró el regalo para sí misma.

She bought the gift for herself.

misma

/MEES-mah//ˈmisma/

AdjectiveA2General
Use 'misma' as an adjective to intensify the subject, meaning 'herself' in the sense of 'herself' and no one else.
A female artist standing next to a freshly painted canvas on an easel, holding a paintbrush, conveying that she personally completed the work.

Examples

Yo misma lo haré.

I myself will do it.

Yo misma voy a arreglarlo.

I myself am going to fix it.

La directora misma nos dio la bienvenida.

The director herself welcomed us.

¿Estás segura de que tú misma lo cerraste?

Are you sure that you yourself closed it?

Adding Emphasis to 'Who'

Use misma right after a feminine noun or pronoun (like 'ella', 'la doctora', or 'Ana') to stress that she did it, not someone else. It works just like adding '-self' in English.

Confusing Emphasis with Reflexive Actions

Mistake: “Ella se cocinó la cena. (This can sound like she cooked herself!)”

Correction: Ella misma cocinó la cena. Use `misma` for emphasis ('she herself cooked'). Use words like `se` for actions someone does *to their own body*, like `ella se peina` (she combs her hair).

Confusing 'se' vs. 'sí misma'

The most common mistake is using 'se' when 'sí misma' is needed, or vice-versa. Remember 'se' is typically used with reflexive verbs directly acting on the subject, while 'sí misma' often follows a preposition and emphasizes the subject as the recipient.

Related Translations

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