How does Chinese 自 zì 己 jǐ differ from English 'myself' in terms of when it is obligatory?

English 'myself' is obligatory only for true reflexives ('I hurt myself') and emphasis ('I did it myself'). Chinese 自 zì 己 jǐ is similarly used for emphasis: 我 wǒ 自 zì 己 jǐ 做 zuò 的 de (I myself did it). But Chinese does NOT use 自 zì 己 jǐ for everyday self-directed actions that English might reflexivize: 我 wǒ 洗 xǐ 澡 zǎo (I bathe — no reflexive), not 我 wǒ 洗 xǐ 自 zì 己 jǐ (I wash myself — unnatural unless emphasizing). Spanish speakers learning English add 'myself' to verbs that don't need it ('I wake myself up'). English speakers learning Chinese add 自 zì 己 jǐ where it is redundant.

How does Chinese 自 zì 己 jǐ differ from English 'myself' in terms of when it is obligatory?

English 'myself' is obligatory only for true reflexives ('I hurt myself') and emphasis ('I did it myself'). Chinese 自 zì 己 jǐ is similarly used for emphasis: 我 wǒ 自 zì 己 jǐ 做 zuò 的 de (I myself did it). But Chinese does NOT use 自 zì 己 jǐ for everyday self-directed actions that English might reflexivize: 我 wǒ 洗 xǐ 澡 zǎo (I bathe — no reflexive), not 我 wǒ 洗 xǐ 自 zì 己 jǐ (I wash myself — unnatural unless emphasizing). Spanish speakers learning English add 'myself' to verbs that don't need it ('I wake myself up'). English speakers learning Chinese add 自 zì 己 jǐ where it is redundant.

Topics

Intermediate

Reflexive Verbs

How reflexive verbs express actions done to oneself in Spanish, English and Chinese.

Compare languages

Spanish uses reflexive pronouns extensively, including for inherent reflexives and reciprocal actions. English uses 'myself' only for emphasis or true reflexives. Chinese uses 自zì己jǐ (self) or omits the reflexive entirely.

Overview

Reflexive verbs express actions where the subject and object are the same person.

Spanish: Uses reflexive pronouns extensively. Many everyday verbs are inherently reflexive (levantarse, acostarse, acordarse). The se construction also serves passive and impersonal functions.
English: Uses reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself) only for true reflexives or emphasis. Most Spanish reflexive verbs have no reflexive equivalent in English.
Chinese: Uses 自zì己jǐ (self) when emphasis is needed. Most self-directed actions are expressed without any special marker.

Spanish

Reflexive pronouns

Person	Pronoun
yo	me
tú	te
él/ella/usted	se
nosotros	nos
vosotros	os
ellos/ellas/ustedes	se

True reflexives

The subject acts on itself:

Me lavé. (I washed myself.)
Te ves en el espejo. (You see yourself in the mirror.)
Se criticó. (He criticized himself.)

Inherent reflexives (most common)

Many Spanish verbs are always reflexive — the reflexive is part of the verb itself:

Reflexive	Meaning	Non-reflexive	Meaning
levantarse	to get up	levantar	to lift
acostarse	to go to bed	acostar	to lay down
despedirse	to say goodbye	despedir	to fire
acordarse	to remember	acordar	to agree
quejarse	to complain	—	—
arrepentirse	to regret	—	—
atreverse	to dare	—	—

Rule: Learn these as vocabulary — the reflexive is not optional.

Reciprocal (each other)

With plural subjects, reflexives express reciprocity:

Se quieren. (They love each other.)
Nos vemos mañana. (We’ll see each other tomorrow.)
Se escriben frecuentemente. (They write to each other frequently.)

Context distinguishes reflexive from reciprocal:

Se lavaron. (They washed themselves. OR They washed each other.)

Reflexive for change of state

Some verbs use reflexive to show a change:

Se enfadó. (He got angry.)
Se puso rojo. (He turned red.)
Se hizo médico. (He became a doctor.)

Passive / impersonal se

Se has multiple functions beyond reflexive:

Se habla español. (Spanish is spoken. — impersonal)
Se vendieron las casas. (The houses were sold. — passive)
Se me cayó el vaso. (I dropped the glass. — accidental)

Position of reflexive pronouns

Reflexives usually precede conjugated verbs:

Me levanto a las siete. (I get up at seven.)

With infinitives and gerunds, they can attach:

Voy a levantarme. (I’m going to get up.)
Estoy levantándome. (I’m getting up.)

With positive imperatives, they attach:

¡Levántate! (Get up!)
¡Acuéstate! (Go to bed!)

English

Reflexive pronouns

Person	Reflexive
I	myself
you	yourself
he	himself
she	herself
it	itself
we	ourselves
you (pl)	yourselves
they	themselves

True reflexives

Only used when subject = object:

I hurt myself.
She taught herself Spanish.
They blame themselves.

Emphatic use

Reflexives add emphasis — the subject did it alone or personally:

I myself saw it. (not someone else)
She did it herself. (alone, no help)
The president himself spoke. (emphasis on status)

Alone vs by myself:

I live alone. (no one else lives with me)
I did it by myself. (without help)

No reflexive for Spanish inherent verbs

English does not use reflexives for many verbs that are reflexive in Spanish:

Spanish	English
me despierto	I wake up
me levanto	I get up
me acuesto	I go to bed
me acuerdo	I remember
me quejo	I complain

Each other / one another (reciprocal)

English uses explicit reciprocal pronouns:

They love each other.
We help one another.

Each other is preferred for two people; one another for groups (though this distinction is fading).

Get + past participle (reflexive-like)

English uses get for some change-of-state meanings:

I got dressed. (= me vestí)
He got married. (= se casó)
They got lost. (= se perdieron)

Chinese

No inherent reflexives

Chinese verbs do not require reflexive marking. Many Spanish reflexive verbs translate as simple verbs:

我wǒ起qǐ床chuáng。(I get up. — no reflexive)
我wǒ洗xǐ澡zǎo。(I take a bath. — no reflexive)
我wǒ睡shuì觉jiào。(I sleep. — no reflexive)

自zì己jǐ for emphasis

自zì己jǐ (oneself) adds emphasis or clarity:

我wǒ自zì己jǐ做zuò。(I do it myself.)
他tā伤shāng害hài了le自zì己jǐ。(He hurt himself.)

Without 自zì己jǐ, the meaning can be ambiguous:

他tā洗xǐ了le。(He washed. — himself? someone else? context decides)

Reciprocal: 互hù相xiāng

互hù相xiāng (each other) marks reciprocity:

他tā们men互hù相xiāng帮bāng助zhù。(They help each other.)
我wǒ们men互hù相xiāng认rèn识shi。(We know each other.)

Natural reciprocals

Some Chinese verbs are naturally reciprocal without 互hù相xiāng:

我wǒ们men见jiàn面miàn。(We meet [each other].)
他tā们men吵chǎo架jià。(They quarrel [with each other].)

自zì as prefix

自zì can prefix verbs for “self-” meanings:

自zì杀shā (suicide — self-kill)
自zì学xué (self-study)
自zì动dòng (automatic — self-moving)

Comparison at a glance

Feature	Spanish	English	Chinese
True reflexive	Yes (me lavo)	Yes (I wash myself)	Rare (自zì己jǐ optional)
Inherent reflexives	Many (required)	None	None
Reciprocal	se (ambiguous)	each other / one another	互hù相xiāng
Emphatic	yo mismo / a mí mismo	myself (alone)	自zì己jǐ
Change of state	se + verb	get + participle	verb + 了le
Passive/impersonal	se + verb	be + past participle	verb + 了le / context
Reflexive set	me, te, se, nos, os, se	myself, yourself…	自zì己jǐ
Position	Before verb / attached	After verb / after noun	Before verb (自zì己jǐ)

Examples

In Context

Spanish	English	Chinese
Me levanto* a las siete.*	I get up* at seven.*	我wǒ七qī点diǎn起qǐ床chuáng。
Se quieren.	They love each other.	他tā们mén互hù相xiāng爱ài。
Lo hice yo mismo.	I did it myself.	我wǒ自zì己jǐ做zuò的de。
Se enfadó.	He got* angry.*	他tā生shēng气qì了le。

Common mistakes

English speakers learning Spanish: Omitting reflexive: Me despierto not Despierto
Spanish speakers learning English: Adding ‘myself’: I wake myself up → I wake up
English speakers learning Chinese: Adding 自zì己jǐ unnecessarily: 我wǒ自zì己jǐ洗xǐ澡zǎo → 我wǒ洗xǐ澡zǎo
Spanish speakers learning English: Confusing each other: They love themselves → They love each other

Pronouns: How reflexive pronouns fit into the pronoun system
Passive: How se functions as a passive marker in Spanish
Imperatives: How reflexive pronouns attach to positive commands
Verb Tenses: How reflexive verbs conjugate in different tenses

Examples

True reflexive (I wash myself)

me lavo

Reciprocal (They love each other)

se quieren

Inherent reflexive (to fall asleep)

me duermo (required)

Emphatic (I did it myself)

lo hice yo mismo

Reflexive pronouns set

me, te, se, nos, os, se

Change of state (se rompió)

Yes (passive/se accidental)

Examples

True reflexive (I wash myself)

I wash myself

Reciprocal (They love each other)

they love each other

Inherent reflexive (to fall asleep)

I fall asleep (no reflexive)

Emphatic (I did it myself)

I did it myself

Reflexive pronouns set

myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Change of state (se rompió)

It broke (no reflexive)

Examples

True reflexive (I wash myself)

我wǒ洗xǐ澡zǎo / 我wǒ洗xǐ自zì己jǐ

Reciprocal (They love each other)

他tā们mén互hù相xiāng爱ài

Inherent reflexive (to fall asleep)

我wǒ睡shuì着zháo了le (no reflexive)

Emphatic (I did it myself)

我wǒ自zì己jǐ做zuò的de

Reflexive pronouns set

自zì己jǐ (zìjǐ) + optional pronoun

Change of state (se rompió)

坏huài了le (no reflexive)

Comparison at a glance

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
True reflexive (I wash myself)	me lavo	I wash myself	我wǒ洗xǐ澡zǎo / 我wǒ洗xǐ自zì己jǐ
Reciprocal (They love each other)	se quieren	they love each other	他tā们mén互hù相xiāng爱ài
Inherent reflexive (to fall asleep)	me duermo (required)	I fall asleep (no reflexive)	我wǒ睡shuì着zháo了le (no reflexive)
Emphatic (I did it myself)	lo hice yo mismo	I did it myself	我wǒ自zì己jǐ做zuò的de
Reflexive pronouns set	me, te, se, nos, os, se	myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves	自zì己jǐ (zìjǐ) + optional pronoun
Change of state (se rompió)	Yes (passive/se accidental)	It broke (no reflexive)	坏huài了le (no reflexive)

Side-by-side comparison

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
True reflexive (I wash myself)	me lavo	I wash myself	我wǒ洗xǐ澡zǎo / 我wǒ洗xǐ自zì己jǐ
Reciprocal (They love each other)	se quieren	they love each other	他tā们mén互hù相xiāng爱ài
Inherent reflexive (to fall asleep)	me duermo (required)	I fall asleep (no reflexive)	我wǒ睡shuì着zháo了le (no reflexive)
Emphatic (I did it myself)	lo hice yo mismo	I did it myself	我wǒ自zì己jǐ做zuò的de
Reflexive pronouns set	me, te, se, nos, os, se	myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves	自zì己jǐ (zìjǐ) + optional pronoun
Change of state (se rompió)	Yes (passive/se accidental)	It broke (no reflexive)	坏huài了le (no reflexive)

Examples in context

True reflexive (I wash myself)

Spanish

me lavo

English

I wash myself

Chinese

我wǒ洗xǐ澡zǎo / 我wǒ洗xǐ自zì己jǐ

Reciprocal (They love each other)

Spanish

se quieren

English

they love each other

Chinese

他tā们mén互hù相xiāng爱ài

Inherent reflexive (to fall asleep)

Spanish

me duermo (required)

English

I fall asleep (no reflexive)

Chinese

我wǒ睡shuì着zháo了le (no reflexive)

Emphatic (I did it myself)

Spanish

lo hice yo mismo

English

I did it myself

Chinese

我wǒ自zì己jǐ做zuò的de

Reflexive pronouns set

Spanish

me, te, se, nos, os, se

English

myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Chinese

自zì己jǐ (zìjǐ) + optional pronoun

Change of state (se rompió)

Spanish

Yes (passive/se accidental)

English

It broke (no reflexive)

Chinese

坏huài了le (no reflexive)

Key Takeaways

Spanish: Uses reflexive pronouns extensively. Many everyday verbs are inherently reflexive (levantarse, acostarse, acordarse). The se construction al. Spanish uses reflexive pronouns extensively, including for inherent reflexives and reciprocal action

English: Uses reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself) only for true reflexives or emphasis. Most Spanish reflexive verbs have no reflexive equ.

Chinese: Uses 自zì己jǐ (self) when emphasis is needed. Most self-directed actions are expressed without any special marker.

Key concepts compared: True reflexive (I wash myself), Reciprocal (They love each other), Inherent reflexive (to fall asleep).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do so many everyday Spanish verbs require reflexive pronouns that have no reflexive equivalent in English or Chinese?

Spanish uses reflexive pronouns for actions that English and Chinese express with simple verbs or zero marking. *Me despierto* (I wake up), *Me levanto* (I get up), *Me acuerdo* (I remember), *Me arrepiento* (I regret). English has no reflexive in any of these: 'I wake up,' 'I get up,' 'I remember,' 'I regret.' Chinese also has no reflexive: <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>醒<rt>xǐng</rt></ruby><ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby> (I wake [change]), <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>记<rt>jì</rt></ruby><ruby>得<rt>dé</rt></ruby> (I remember). These Spanish verbs are inherently reflexive — the reflexive is part of the lexical entry, not an optional emphasis. An English or Chinese speaker learning Spanish must memorize which verbs are reflexive, a category that does not exist in their native grammar.

How does Chinese <ruby>自<rt>zì</rt></ruby><ruby>己<rt>jǐ</rt></ruby> differ from English 'myself' in terms of when it is obligatory?

English 'myself' is obligatory only for true reflexives ('I hurt myself') and emphasis ('I did it myself'). Chinese <ruby>自<rt>zì</rt></ruby><ruby>己<rt>jǐ</rt></ruby> is similarly used for emphasis: <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>自<rt>zì</rt></ruby><ruby>己<rt>jǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>做<rt>zuò</rt></ruby><ruby>的<rt>de</rt></ruby> (I myself did it). But Chinese does NOT use <ruby>自<rt>zì</rt></ruby><ruby>己<rt>jǐ</rt></ruby> for everyday self-directed actions that English might reflexivize: <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>洗<rt>xǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>澡<rt>zǎo</rt></ruby> (I bathe — no reflexive), not <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>洗<rt>xǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>自<rt>zì</rt></ruby><ruby>己<rt>jǐ</rt></ruby> (I wash myself — unnatural unless emphasizing). Spanish speakers learning English add 'myself' to verbs that don't need it ('I wake myself up'). English speakers learning Chinese add <ruby>自<rt>zì</rt></ruby><ruby>己<rt>jǐ</rt></ruby> where it is redundant.

Why do Spanish speakers learning English produce sentences like 'I am agree' or 'She is call herself María'?

These errors come from two different sources. 'I am agree' (*Estoy de acuerdo*) is not a reflexive error but a translation of Spanish's copula + prepositional phrase structure. 'She calls herself María' (*Se llama María*) IS a reflexive error: Spanish uses the reflexive *llamarse* for naming, but English uses a simple transitive: 'Her name is María' or 'She is called María.' Chinese also uses a simple structure: <ruby>她<rt>tā</rt></ruby><ruby>叫<rt>jiào</rt></ruby><ruby>玛<rt>mǎ</rt></ruby><ruby>丽<rt>lì</rt></ruby> (She is-called María). Spanish reflexive verbs for change-of-state (*ponerse* = become, *quedarse* = stay) also have no English or Chinese reflexive equivalent. Spanish speakers must learn to strip the reflexive when translating these verbs.

References

Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981

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pronouns verb-tenses

Last updated: June 4, 2026

Overview

Spanish

Reflexive pronouns

True reflexives

Inherent reflexives (most common)

Reciprocal (each other)

Reflexive for change of state

Passive / impersonal se

Position of reflexive pronouns

English

Reflexive pronouns

True reflexives

Emphatic use

No reflexive for Spanish inherent verbs

Each other / one another (reciprocal)

Get + past participle (reflexive-like)

Chinese

No inherent reflexives

自zì己jǐ for emphasis

Reciprocal: 互hù相xiāng

Natural reciprocals

自zì as prefix

Comparison at a glance

Examples

In Context

Common mistakes

Related topics

Examples

Examples

Examples

Comparison at a glance

Side-by-side comparison

Examples in context

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions

References