Emphasizing the Subject
In addition to acting as a reflexive object, the word خود can be used to emphasize who is performing an action, much like saying "I myself" or "they themselves" in English.
To form these emphatic pronouns, attach the standard possessive suffixes to خود. Because it emphasizes the subject, the emphatic pronoun itself does not take the object marker را.
| Subject | Emphatic Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| من | خودم | I myself |
| تو | خودت | you yourself |
| او | خودش | he/she himself/herself |
| ما | خودمان | we ourselves |
| شما | خودتان | you yourselves |
| آنها | خودشان | they themselves |
The emphatic pronoun usually comes immediately after the main subject pronoun, though it can also replace the subject pronoun entirely.
| I myself designed this software. | من خودم این نرمافزار را طراحی کردم.man khodam in narm-afzâr râ tarâhi kardam. |
| He himself completed this project and succeeded. | او خودش این پروژه را کامل کرد و موفق شد.u khodash in poroje râ kâmel kard va movaffaq shod. |
| You must design this project yourselves. | شما باید خودتان این پروژه را طراحی کنید.shomâ bâyad khodetân in porozhe râ tarâhi konid. |
Doing it Without Help
Using خود for emphasis is especially common when talking about doing things independently, taking on tasks without help, or running a business.
| They design the company's site themselves. | آنها خودشان سایت شرکت را طراحی میکنند.ânhâ khodeshân sâyte sherkat râ tarrâhi mikonand. |
| We want to manage this business ourselves. | ما میخواهیم خودمان این کسب و کار را مدیریت کنیم.mâ mikhâhim khodemân in kasb-o kâr râ modiriyat konim. |
| The manager himself signs the report. | مدیر خودش گزارش را امضا میکند.modir khodash gozâresh râ emzâ mikonad. |
| I paint the room's wall myself. | من خودم دیوار اتاق را رنگ میکنم.man khodam divâre otâq râ rang mikonam. |
As an alternative, you can also use the adverb شخصاً (personally) to highlight someone's direct, personal involvement in a task.
| personally | شخصاًshakhsan |
| I personally speak with the manager. | من شخصاً با مدیر صحبت میکنم.man shakhsan bâ modir sohbat mikonam. |
| You must personally read this report. | شما باید شخصاً این گزارش را بخوانید.shomâ bâyad shakhsan in gozâresh râ bekhânid. |