själv

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Swedish

Alternative forms

  • själf (obsolete since 1906)
  • sjelf (obsolete since 1889)

Etymology

From Old Norse sjalfr, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz, from Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ- (“one's own”), from *s(w)e- (“separate, apart”).

Pronunciation

Pronoun

själv (neuter självt, plural själva)

  1. oneself, myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself
    Jag gjorde det själv ― I did it myself
    Kolla dig själv i spegeln ― Look at yourself in the mirror

Usage notes

  • Used as intensifier in the same way as the English reflexive pronouns myself, yourself, etc. If the subject of the sentence is also object, själv is preceded by the personal pronoun mig, dig, honom, henne, den, sig. If the subject/object is a neuter noun, use instead det självt. For plural persons, use oss/er/dem + själva.
  • the form självaste is colloquial (SAOL)

Noun

själv n

  1. self, (one's own) personality (the essential qualities that make a person or a thing distinct from all others)
    • 1992, Maria Schottenius, Den kvinnliga hemligheten: en studie i Kerstin Ekmans berättarkonst, page 325:
      Denna förvandling är nödvändig för att självet ska kunna födas: Självets födelse betyder för den medvetna personligheten inte bara en förskjutning av dess dittillsvarande centrum utan som en följd därav en fullständigt förändrad [...]
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 1996, Ögonblicket — det förvandlande: en religionspsykologisk studie av en livsavgörande gudsupplevelse i Gunnar Edmans liv, page 61:
      KAPITEL 3
      Teoretiska utgångspunkter
      3.1 Självets utveckling i relationer
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 2008, Martin Berg, Självets garderobiär: självreflexiva genuslekar och queer socialpsykologi:

Declension

Declension of själv 
Uncountable
Indefinite Definite
Nominative själv självet — —
Genitive självs självets — —

Adverb

själv (comparative mer själv, superlative mest själv)

  1. alone, by herself, by himself, by itself, by myself, by oneself, by yourself
    Hon var själv ― She was by herself
    Hon jobbade själv ― She worked by herself

Derived terms

References

Anagrams

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