Inklingo

How to Say "themselves" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “themselves” is “se” — use 'se' as the most common reflexive pronoun when the subject ('they') performs an action on themselves, often with verbs like 'levantarse' (to get up) or 'lavarse' (to wash oneself)..

English → Spanish

se

/seh//se/

PronounA1General
Use 'se' as the most common reflexive pronoun when the subject ('they') performs an action on themselves, often with verbs like 'levantarse' (to get up) or 'lavarse' (to wash oneself).
A person looking in a mirror and combing their own hair, illustrating an action done to oneself.

Examples

Ellos se saludaron con un abrazo.

They greeted themselves with a hug.

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' (often with 'mismo/a/os/as') for strong reflexive emphasis, indicating that the subject is acting for their own benefit or is the direct recipient of the action, especially after prepositions.

Examples

Ella se compró el regalo para sí misma.

She bought herself the gift for herself.

mismas

MEE-smas/ˈmismas/

PronounB1General
Use 'mismas' (or 'mismos/mismo/misma') to mean 'the same ones' when referring back to a previously mentioned plural feminine noun, not as a direct reflexive pronoun.
A horizontal row of three perfectly identical red roses with green leaves.

Examples

Las opiniones de ellas son las mismas que las nuestras.

Their opinions are the same as ours.

No quiero estas sillas, quiero las mismas que vimos ayer.

I don't want these chairs, I want the same ones we saw yesterday.

Las niñas hicieron las galletas ellas mismas.

The girls made the cookies themselves (on their own).

Las respuestas llegaron en las mismas.

The answers arrived in the same ones (referring, perhaps, to 'sobres'—envelopes).

Standing Alone

As a pronoun, 'las mismas' replaces a feminine plural noun. Think of it as shorthand to avoid repetition.

Emphatic Use

When used after a pronoun (like 'ellas mismas'), it adds emphasis, meaning 'they themselves' or 'on their own,' similar to saying 'by hand' or 'personally.'

Confusing Pronoun and Adjective

Mistake: “Quiero las mismas nuevas.”

Correction: Quiero las nuevas. (If 'mismas' is used, it usually refers back to a specific item. If you mean 'the new ones,' you usually drop 'mismas' unless you are specifically comparing them to the old ones.)

Reflexive vs. 'The Same'

The most frequent error is confusing the reflexive 'se' or 'sí' with 'mismas/mismos' when the English means 'the same ones'. Remember, 'mismas' refers to identical items or concepts, not an action done by the subject to themselves.

Related Translations

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