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How to Say "yourself" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “yourself” is “te” — use 'te' as a reflexive pronoun when the subject of the verb is 'tú' (informal you) and the action is performed by the subject on themselves..

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te

/teh//te/

PronounA1Informal
Use 'te' as a reflexive pronoun when the subject of the verb is 'tú' (informal you) and the action is performed by the subject on themselves.
A person pointing directly at the viewer with a friendly smile, representing the pronoun 'you'.

Examples

¿Cómo te llamas?

What is your name?

Te quiero mucho.

I love you a lot.

Te doy el libro.

I'm giving the book to you.

Who is 'te' for?

'Te' is the informal 'you' for one person (the 'tú' form). Use it with friends, family, or people your age. For formal situations, you'd use 'le' (for usted).

Where does 'te' go?

'Te' usually goes right before the verb. For example, 'Yo te veo' (I see you). It's connected to the verb, unlike in English.

Mixing up 'te' and 'tú'

Mistake: “Yo veo tú.”

Correction: Yo te veo. Use 'tú' as the person doing the action ('Tú eres mi amigo'), but use 'te' for the person receiving the action ('Yo te veo').

se

/seh//se/

PronounA1Formal/Neutral
Use 'se' as a reflexive pronoun when the subject is 'usted' (formal you) or a third-person subject (he, she, it, they) and the action is performed on themselves.
A person looking in a mirror and combing their own hair, illustrating an action done to oneself.

Examples

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

PronounB1Formal
Use 'sí' (often with 'mismo/a') as a reflexive pronoun for emphasis when referring to 'usted' (formal you) or a third-person subject, indicating the action is done for themselves.

Examples

Lo compró para sí misma.

She bought it for herself.

misma

/MEES-mah//ˈmisma/

AdjectiveA2Informal/Neutral
Use 'misma' (agreeing in gender with the noun) as an intensifier after a noun or pronoun, meaning 'yourself' or 'myself' for emphasis, when speaking to a female.
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 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).

Reflexive Pronoun vs. Intensifier

The most common confusion is between the reflexive pronouns ('te', 'se', 'sí') and the intensifier ('mismo/a'). Remember that 'te' and 'se' often directly translate to 'yourself' or 'himself/herself/themselves' as part of a reflexive verb, while 'mismo/a' adds emphasis, like 'myself' or 'yourself' in 'I myself did it'.

Related Translations

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