herself
gb/hɚsˈɛlf/ us/hɚsˈɛlf/
A2
English
~ 600
Senses
0 senses
pronoun
A2
relation
1
Reflexive pronoun for 'she'
Used when the woman or girl does something to the same woman or girl, or to make 'she' stronger.
Usage pattern:
[subject] [verb] herself
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'herself' with 'her' in reflexive contexts, e.g., saying 'She hurt her' when they mean 'She hurt herself'.
Synonyms
itself (Refers to an object, animal, or concept rather than a female person.)
|
myself (Refers to the speaker instead of a female third person.)
Antonyms
himself (Refers to a male subject instead of a female.)
Collocations
by herself
|for herself
|hurt herself
|proud of herself
|teach herself
Themes
grammar
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Examples
- She taught herself to play the guitar.
- The cat scratched herself while climbing the tree.
- She looked at herself in the mirror.
- Maria made herself a cup of tea.
- Anna blamed herself for the mistake.
Learner examples
- She hurt herself with the knife.
- She is talking to herself.
- She made herself a sandwich.
- She can dress herself now.
- She saw herself in the photo.
pronoun
A2
relation
2
Alone, without help (female)
Used to say a woman or girl is alone or does something without help.
Usage pattern:
by herself
Common mistake:
Some learners confuse 'by herself' with 'herself' alone, forgetting the preposition 'by' is needed for the 'alone' meaning.
Synonyms
alone (General term meaning without others present.)
Antonyms
together (Indicates being with others instead of alone.)
Collocations
live by herself
|travel by herself
|sit by herself
Themes
daily life
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Examples
- She went to the movie by herself.
- Maria lives by herself in a small apartment.
- Anna enjoys traveling by herself.
- She sat by herself at the café.
- The girl walked home by herself.
Learner examples
- She goes to school by herself.
- She eats lunch by herself.
- She walks to the park by herself.
- She sits by herself in class.
- She plays by herself.
pronoun
B1
relation
3
Emphasis on female subject
Used to show it is that woman or girl and no one else.
Usage pattern:
[subject] herself [verb/phrase]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this emphatic use with reflexive use, thinking it always means the action is done to oneself.
Synonyms
personally (Can emphasize direct involvement, though not limited to females.)
Collocations
the Queen herself
|the author herself
|the teacher herself
Themes
grammar
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Examples
- The CEO herself approved the decision.
- The author herself will be signing books today.
- The teacher herself explained the rules.
- The mayor herself attended the event.
- The bride herself baked the cake.
Learner examples
- The queen herself came to the party.
- The singer herself met her fans.
- The teacher herself talked to me.
- The boss herself called me.
- The chef herself cooked my meal.
Grammar
Expressions
all by herself
1/ˈɔl bˈaɪ hɚsˈɛlf/
fixed phrase
Completely alone (female)
When a woman or girl does something completely without help from anyone else.
Examples
- She built the bookshelf all by herself.
- Anna solved the problem all by herself.
by herself
1/bˈaɪ hɚsˈɛlf/
fixed phrase
Alone, without others (female)
When a woman or girl is alone or does something without help from anyone else.
Examples
- She fixed the car by herself.
- Maria likes to eat by herself at lunch.