ourselves
word
/aʊɝˈsɛɫvz/
ow-ur-SELVZ
/aʊəsˈɛlvz/
ow-uh-SELVZ
Definition
'Ourselves' is the reflexive form of 'we'. It means the same people who do an action also receive it, and it is also used for emphasis, as in 'we did it ourselves'.
Usage & Nuances
Use it reflexively after a verb or preposition: 'We hurt ourselves', 'We talked to ourselves'. It is also common for emphasis: 'We built it ourselves'. Do not use it instead of 'we' as the subject: say 'We went home', not 'Ourselves went home'.
Spanish: nosotros mismos - nosotras mismasPortuguese (BR): nós mesmos - nós própriasPortuguese (PT): nós mesmos - nós própriasChinese (Simplified): 我们自己Chinese (Traditional): 我們自己Hindi: हम खुद - हम स्वयंArabic: أنفسناBengali: নিজেদের - নিজেদেরকেRussian: себя - самиJapanese: 自分たち自身Vietnamese: chính mình - bản thân chúng taKorean: 우리 자신Turkish: kendimizUrdu: خودIndonesian: diri sendiri - diri kami sendiri
Example Sentences
We made breakfast ourselves.
basic
We saw ourselves in the mirror.
basic
We should be proud of ourselves.
basic
We can handle this ourselves—we don’t need any help.
natural
Sometimes we make things harder on ourselves than they need to be.
natural
Let’s keep this between ourselves for now.
natural