The Reflexive of Isolation: "for [pronoun] selv"
When you want to describe doing things alone, keeping to yourself, or having something all to yourself, Danish uses a specific phrase: the preposition for followed by a reflexive pronoun and the word selv.
The reflexive pronoun you use depends on who the subject is:
- mig (myself)
- dig (yourself)
- sig (himself / herself / itself / themselves / oneself)
- os (ourselves)
- jer (yourselves)
You will often see this pattern used when people are doing quiet actions—like chuckling, mumbling, or pondering—"to themselves."
| The girl read the message and chuckled to herself. | Pigen læste beskeden og smågrinte for sig selv. |
| I will probably just ponder and mumble a bit to myself. | Jeg vil nok bare gruble og mumle lidt for mig selv. |
| Stop brooding to yourself all night! | Lad være med at gruble for dig selv hele natten! |
Having a Space to Oneself
This construction is incredibly common when talking about getting a physical space or some free time entirely to yourself, away from the rest of the company.
| I would like to have the room to myself. | Jeg vil gerne have rummet for mig selv. |
| We hope that we get the cabin to ourselves this weekend. | Vi håber at vi får hytten for os selv i weekenden. |
| She enjoys the company, but also wants the time to herself. | Hun nyder selskabet, men vil også have tiden for sig selv. |
Seeking Peace and Privacy
When combined with verbs like at være (to be) or at sidde (to sit), for sig selv simply means "by oneself." It is the perfect phrase for discussing independence or the need for privacy and peace.
| She sits by herself and enjoys the peace. | Hun sidder for sig selv og nyder freden. |
| He understands the need to be by himself. | Han forstår behovet for at være for sig selv. |
If you want to emphasize being completely remote or physically cut off from others, you can also use the adjective isoleret (isolated).
| Do you really need to be completely isolated? | Har du virkelig brug for at være helt isoleret? |
| They live quite isolated in the forest, because they want peace. | De bor ret isoleret i skoven fordi de vil have fred. |
