Inklingo

How to Say "himself" in Spanish

English → Spanish

se

/seh//se/

PronounA1General
Use 'se' when 'himself' is part of a reflexive verb construction, directly referring back to the subject performing the action.
A person looking in a mirror and combing their own hair, illustrating an action done to oneself.

Examples

Él se peina.

He combs his hair.

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).

PronounB1General
Use 'sí' after a preposition (like 'para', 'a', 'de', 'con') when 'himself' refers emphatically back to the subject, often meaning 'for himself' or 'to himself'.

Examples

Lo hizo para sí mismo.

He did it for himself.

Reflexive vs. Prepositional Use

The most common mistake is using 'sí' with reflexive verbs. Remember that 'se' is the standard reflexive pronoun for actions the subject does to themselves, while 'sí' appears *after* prepositions for emphasis.

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