elle-même
/ɛl.mɛm/feminine
The English phrase 'herself' is translated into French as elle-même.
elle-même is used to emphasize that a woman performed an action without outside help or to specify that she is herself.
Meaning: (reflexive object) her (pron)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the pronoun elle (she) and the particle même (self/even), literally meaning 'she herself'.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between using elle-même for emphasis and using the reflexive pronoun se. Use elle-même to emphasize that she did something alone (e.g., 'she did it herself'), but use the unstressed reflexive pronoun se for standard grammatical reflexive objects (e.g., 'she washes herself').
How does it change in a sentence?
The form elle-même is used for emphasis or to specify that the subject performed the action without outside help.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ɛl.mɛm/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- While elle-même emphasizes a woman acting alone, French uses the word seule to specifically mean 'alone' or 'by herself' in terms of solitude.
- The word même in elle-même also means 'same'. If you want to say 'the same woman', you would use la même femme.
- The feminine form même does not change its spelling to match the feminine pronoun elle, unlike many other French adjectives that add an 'e'.
Examples in context
- Mary l'a fait elle-même.Mary made that herself.This sentence shows how to use elle-même to express that Mary performed an action herself.Tatoeba #6592693 by GB3, translation #6429656 by CF
- Elle se parle à elle-même.She's talking to herself.This sentence illustrates elle-même used to show a woman is talking to herself.Tatoeba #4765091 by sacredceltic, translation #2297301 by Hybrid
- Elle est à nouveau elle-même.She is herself again.This sentence uses elle-même to describe a woman returning to her true identity or state.Tatoeba #134129 by Aiji, translation #312361 by CC
- Elle est fière d'elle-même.She is proud of herself.
- Elle n'a confiance qu'en elle-même.She only trusts herself.
- Elle doit prendre soin d'elle.She needs to take care of herself.
- Elle se fait peur toute seule en regardant ce film d'horreur.She scares herself while watching that horror movie.
- Elle s'est blessée en tombant.She hurt herself while falling.
- 50 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are discussing a project at work.
- LéaEst-ce que Léa a fini le rapport ?Did Léa finish the report?
- LucasOui, elle l'a écrit elle-même.Yes, she wrote it herself.
- LéaC'est impressionnant, elle est très rapide.That's impressive, she is very fast.
- LucasEffectivement, elle est très efficace.Indeed, she is very efficient.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “herself” translations and entries elle-même, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
