Myself, yourself, themselves… Mastering Reflexive Pronouns for the TOEIC®
Flow Exam team
Reflexive Pronouns in English (myself, yourself, themselves, ...)
These indicate that the subject is performing the action on themselves.
On the TOEIC®, these mostly appear in Parts 5 and 6. Examiners often exploit confusion between reflexive pronouns, object pronouns (me, you, him...), and constructions with "by + reflexive pronoun".
Their most frequent trap: placing a reflexive pronoun after a verb that does not need one, such as "feel" or "relax".
When to Use a Reflexive Pronoun (and When to Avoid It)
Reflexive pronouns are used in three specific cases.
Classic Reflexive Action: the subject performs the action on themselves.
- "She introduced herself to the new manager."
Elle s'est présentée au nouveau manager. - "The CEO himself reviewed the proposal."
Le PDG lui-même a relu la proposition.
Emphasis: to stress that it was this specific person (and no one else) who performed the action.
- "I repaired the printer myself."
J'ai réparé l'imprimante moimême.
After "by": to indicate "alone" or "without help".
- "He completed the report by himself."
Il a terminé le rapport tout seul.
Verbs That Never Take a Reflexive Pronoun
Many test-takers incorrectly add a reflexive pronoun after verbs that don't require one in English. These verbs might be reflexive in French but are not in English.
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This is a point we frequently emphasize to candidates we coach for the TOEIC®. This mistake can cost many scores in Part 5 and appears very often in pronoun questions.
Reflexive Pronoun or Object Pronoun?
Confusion between reflexive pronouns and object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) causes the majority of errors.
Simple Rule: Use the reflexive pronoun if the subject and the object are the same person. Otherwise, use the object pronoun.
- "The manager asked me to send the files."
Le manager m'a demandé d'envoyer les fichiers.
→ "Manager" eq "me" → object pronoun
- "I asked myself why the meeting was canceled."
Je me suis demandé pourquoi la réunion était annulée.
→ "I" = "myself" → reflexive pronoun
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Specific TOEIC® Traps
Part 5 questions exploit two confusions that come up constantly.
Trap 1: French Pronominal Verbs eq English Reflexive Verbs
Many French-speaking candidates we support transfer the French structure ("se souvenir" [to remember], "se demander" [to wonder]) directly into English.
- "I wonder why the shipment is late." Je me demande pourquoi la livraison est en retard.
Some might be tempted to say: "I wonder myself..."
Trap 2: Confusion with "by + pronoun"
- "By myself/yourself/himself..." means "alone," "without help." But be careful not to confuse this with "for myself" (for me) or "to myself" (privately to me).
- "She works better by herself." Elle travaille mieux seule.
- "I kept the information to myself." J'ai gardé l'information pour moi.
Final Checklist
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Mistakes to Absolutely Avoid
The errors that occur most frequently in Parts 5 and 6.
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Ultimately, the candidates who progress the fastest all do the same thing: they systematically check whether the subject and the object are identical before choosing a pronoun. Just this step helps eliminate the vast majority of errors.
Ready to Practice?
Reflexive pronouns account for 3 to 5 questions in Parts 5 and 6 on every TOEIC® test. This is an easy grammar point to master with some targeted practice.
On Flow Exam, you can practice directly on the Pronouns topic in Part 5, with thousands of questions formatted exactly like those on the official TOEIC®.
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