yourself
yuh-SEHLF
Yourself (pronoun) means Refers back to the person being spoken to, when they are both the doer and the receiver of an action. Example: “Did you hurt yourself?”
pronoun
1
Refers back to the person being spoken to, when they are both the doer and the receiver of an action.
"Did you hurt yourself?"
"Be kind to yourself."
"Make sure you keep yourself warm on the long walk home."
2
Used for emphasis, to stress that the person did something alone or personally.
"You should see the doctor yourself instead of asking someone else to call."
"If you want it done properly, you can fix the tap yourself."
"Did you really paint the whole room yourself, without any help?"
How to use yourself
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishYou, referring back to yourself — used when you do something to or for yourself, or for emphasis.
Common pairings
by yourself
help yourself
enjoy yourself
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Etymology
This word came from Middle English yourself; it is equivalent to your + -self.
Frequently asked questions
What does “yourself” mean?
The word “yourself” means refers back to the person being spoken to, when they are both the doer and the receiver of an action. In plain terms, you, referring back to yourself — used when you do something to or for yourself, or for emphasis.
How do you pronounce “yourself”?
“Yourself” is pronounced yuh-SEHLF (/jəˈsɛlf/ in IPA).
How do you use “yourself” in a sentence?
Here is “yourself” used in a sentence: “Did you hurt yourself?”
What part of speech is “yourself”?
“Yourself” is a pronoun.
Is “yourself” a common word?
“Yourself” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “yourself” have?
“Yourself” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: refers back to the person being spoken to, when they are both the doer and the receiver of an action.
What is the difference between 'yourself' and 'you'?
You is the ordinary pronoun for the person spoken to, whether as subject or object — 'you called,' 'I saw you.' Yourself is reflexive or emphatic, used only when you are both the doer and receiver — 'you'll tire yourself out' — or to stress the point — 'you said it yourself.'
What is the difference between 'yourself' and 'yourselves'?
Yourself is singular, referring to one person — 'help yourself.' Yourselves is plural, referring to two or more — 'help yourselves.' English keeps this distinction in the reflexive forms even though the word you stays the same for one person or many, so the ending signals how many people you mean.
When should you use 'yourself' instead of 'you'?
Use yourself only when the subject is you and the action returns to that same person — 'you might hurt yourself' — or for emphasis — 'did you fix it yourself?' Avoid it as a would-be polite version of you; 'I'll send yourself the file' should simply be 'I'll send you the file.'
What is an example of 'yourself' in a sentence?
Yourself appears when you acts on you: 'be yourself,' 'help yourself to more,' 'you should be proud of yourself.' Used for emphasis it stresses who did something: 'you built this yourself?' or 'you yourself agreed to it.' In each case a single listener is both subject and object.
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