411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
-zelf
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
zelf
Dutch
Etymology
From nl zelf.
Pronunciation
nl /zɛlf/
Suffix
nl suffix
Forms reflexive object forms of the personal pronouns.
nl Ik waste mezelf. I washed myself.
nl Hij is vandaag zichzelf niet. He is not himself today.
Forms intensive subject forms of the personal pronouns.
nl Veel mensen hebben een hond, maar ikzelf heb liever een kat. Many people have a dog, but I myself would rather have a cat.
Usage notes
The reflexives are formed from the regular reflexive pronoun forms nl me, nl je, nl zich etc. In modern Dutch, the suffix adds somewhat more emphasis, although the difference is very slight and used interchangeably by most native speakers. Grammatically, there is no difference in meaning between for example nl zich and nl zichzelf.
Derived terms
Subject forms:
nl ikzelf
nl jijzelf
nl uzelf
nl gijzelf
nl hijzelf
nl zijzelf
nl wijzelf
nl julliezelf rare
nl zijzelf
Object forms:
nl mijzelf
nl mezelf
nl jouzelf
nl jezelf
nl uzelf
nl hemzelf
nl haarzelf
nl zichzelf
nl onszelf
nl julliezelf rare
nl henzelf
nl hunzelf