5.2 Reflexive pronouns

Definition of reflexive pronouns

A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of its own clause. In the sentence "Marcus praises himself," the word "himself" is reflexive because it points back to Marcus. Without reflexives, you'd have to repeat the subject's name or risk confusion about who is receiving the action.

Purpose in Latin grammar

Reflexive pronouns do a few specific jobs:

• They show that the object of a verb or preposition is the same person as the subject
• They distinguish between actions done to oneself versus actions done to someone else
• They allow tighter sentence structures by avoiding repetition of nouns

For example, Marcus sē laudat means "Marcus praises himself," while Marcus eum laudat means "Marcus praises him (someone else)." That one-word difference changes the meaning entirely.

Comparison to English usage

Latin uses reflexive pronouns more often than English does. A few key differences:

• Where English says "he washes," Latin often says sē lavat ("he washes himself"), making the reflexive explicit
• Latin reflexives sometimes translate as possessive adjectives in English: suam domum vīdit = "he saw his (own) house"
• Latin reflexive pronouns change form based on case but not based on gender (unlike English "himself" vs. "herself")

Forms of reflexive pronouns

The reflexive pronoun has one distinctive feature: there is no nominative form. This makes sense because a reflexive can never be the subject of its clause. It also uses the same forms for singular and plural, which simplifies memorization considerably.

Singular reflexive pronouns

Plural reflexive pronouns

The plural forms are identical to the singular:

Declension patterns

• The forms follow a third-declension pattern
• No gender distinctions exist in the pronoun itself
• The doubled form sēsē is just an emphatic variant of sē

Note that first- and second-person reflexives simply use the regular personal pronoun forms (mē, tē, nōs, vōs). The dedicated reflexive forms above are third person only.

Usage in sentences

Direct objects

When the subject performs an action on itself, the reflexive pronoun appears as the direct object in the accusative case:

• Marcus sē laudat = "Marcus praises himself"
• Sē dēfendit = "He defends himself"
• Sē movet = "He moves himself"

Indirect objects

When the subject is both the agent and the recipient, the reflexive appears in the dative:

• Sibi librum emit = "He buys a book for himself"
• Sibi persuāsit = "He persuaded himself"
• Sibi nocet = "He harms himself" (literally, "he does harm to himself")

Objects of prepositions

Reflexives follow prepositions to refer back to the subject:

• Dē sē cōgitat = "He thinks about himself"
• Per sē fēcit = "He did it by himself"
• Ad sē vēnit = "He comes to himself" (i.e., regains consciousness)

Agreement with antecedents

Person and number

For first and second person, Latin uses the regular personal pronouns as reflexives:

• Mē laudō = "I praise myself"
• Tē laudās = "You praise yourself"
• Nōs laudāmus = "We praise ourselves"

For third person, the dedicated reflexive forms (sē, sibi, suī) are used regardless of whether the antecedent is singular or plural. Sē laudat could mean "he/she praises himself/herself," and sē laudant means "they praise themselves." The verb ending tells you the number, not the pronoun.

Gender in plural forms

The reflexive pronoun itself doesn't show gender. Gender becomes visible through the possessive reflexive adjective suus, -a, -um ("his own, her own, their own"), which declines like a first/second-declension adjective:

• Suās rēs cūrant = "They take care of their own things" (suās is feminine accusative plural, agreeing with rēs)
• Sē suōsque dēfendunt = "They defend themselves and their own (men)"

Intensive use of reflexives

Emphasis and contrast

To add emphasis, Latin often pairs the reflexive with ipse ("himself, herself, itself"):

• Ipse sē laudāvit = "He himself praised himself"
• Ipsī sibi nocent = "They themselves harm themselves"

Reflexives can also create contrast: Sē, nōn aliōs, accūsat = "He accuses himself, not others."

Idiomatic expressions

Several common Latin phrases use reflexives in fixed ways:

• Suī iūris esse = "to be one's own master" (literally, "to be of one's own right")
• Sibi cōnscius = "aware of oneself," "conscious of one's own actions"
• Per sē = "by oneself, on one's own"

These are worth memorizing as set phrases.

Reflexives in subordinate clauses

This is where reflexive pronouns get tricky. The key question is always: who does the reflexive refer back to?

Indirect statements

In indirect discourse (accusative + infinitive constructions), the reflexive refers to the subject of the main verb, not the infinitive:

• Dīcit sē venīre = "He says that he (himself) is coming"
• Putat sē esse sapientem = "He thinks himself to be wise"

In both sentences, sē refers back to the person speaking or thinking. If you wanted to say "he says that someone else is coming," you'd use eum, not sē.

Purpose clauses

In purpose clauses with ut or nē, reflexives typically refer to the subject of the main clause:

• Vēnit ut sē dēfenderet = "He came in order to defend himself"
• Labōrat nē sibi noceat = "He works so that he may not harm himself"

Relative clauses

Here the rule shifts. In relative clauses, a reflexive usually refers to the subject of that clause, not the main clause:

• Vir quī sē laudat = "The man who praises himself" (sē refers to vir, the subject of the relative clause)

This contrast with indirect statements is a common source of confusion. When in doubt, ask yourself: is this an indirect statement (reflexive → main subject) or a relative clause (reflexive → clause subject)?

Common mistakes

Confusion with personal pronouns

The most frequent error is using a personal pronoun (eum, eī) where a reflexive is needed:

• Wrong: Eum laudat (when meaning "he praises himself")
• Right: Sē laudat

The test is simple: does the pronoun refer to the same person as the subject? If yes, use the reflexive. If it refers to someone else, use the personal pronoun.

This distinction matters especially in indirect statements, where choosing sē vs. eum changes who is being talked about.

Overuse in Latin composition

Going the other direction, students sometimes insert reflexives where Latin doesn't need them:

• Adding sē to intransitive verbs that don't take a reflexive in Latin (unlike some Romance languages)
• Translating English reflexive constructions word-for-word when Latin uses a different idiom

When translating into Latin, check whether the verb actually requires a reflexive object before adding one.

Special constructions

Reflexives with infinitives

In accusative-infinitive constructions (indirect discourse), the reflexive serves as the subject of the infinitive:

• Dīcit sē ventūrum esse = "He says that he (himself) will come"
• Crēdit sē esse fortem = "He believes himself to be brave"

With impersonal verbs, reflexives can also appear: Licet mihi mē dēfendere = "It is permitted for me to defend myself."

Reciprocal meanings

Latin has no dedicated reciprocal pronoun like English "each other." Instead, it uses workarounds:

• Inter sē is the most common: Inter sē amant = "They love one another"
• Alter alterum works for two parties: Alter alterum laudat = "Each praises the other"
• Sē invicem or sē mutuō also express mutual action: Sē invicem adiuvant = "They help each other"

Context usually makes clear whether sē is truly reflexive ("themselves") or reciprocal ("each other").

Translation strategies

Literal vs. idiomatic translations

Not every Latin reflexive needs to be translated as "himself/herself" in English:

• Sē lavat → "He washes himself" (literal, and natural in English)
• Suās rēs cūrat → "He takes care of his things" (English drops "own" in casual speech)
• Sibi persuāsit → "He convinced himself" or more idiomatically, "he became convinced"

Start with a literal translation to make sure you understand the grammar, then adjust for natural English.

Context-dependent interpretations

The same reflexive form can mean different things depending on context. Sē in an indirect statement points to the main clause subject, but sē in a relative clause points to the relative clause subject. Always identify the clause structure before deciding what the reflexive refers to.

Also keep in mind that classical authors (Cicero, Caesar) tend to follow these rules strictly, while later Latin can be less consistent.