In Farsi, the word for "self" is خود. To specify exactly who the "self" is, you simply attach the standard possessive enclitics to it. This is highly useful when discussing psychology, personal boundaries, or autonomous actions.
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | خودم (myself) | خودمان (ourselves) |
| 2nd | خودت (yourself) | خودتان (yourselves) |
| 3rd | خودش (himself/herself) | خودشان (themselves) |
Emphatic Subjects
To emphasize that a subject performed an action personally—without help, or contrary to expectation—place the matching form of خود directly after the subject. If the subject pronoun is dropped, خود simply takes its place to highlight who is doing the work.
| The psychologist says that I myself must find self-confidence. | روانشناس میگوید که من خودم باید اعتماد به نفس پیدا کنم.ravânshenâs miguyad ke man khodam bâyad e'temâd be nafas peydâ konam. |
| We are not dependent on others; we ourselves solve our problem. | ما به دیگران وابسته نیستیم؛ خودمان مشکلمان را حل میکنیم.mâ be digarân vâbaste nistim; khodemân moshkelemân râ hal mikonim. |
| All people have abilities, but they themselves must discover them. | همهی مردم توانایی دارند، اما خودشان باید آنها را کشف کنند.hame-ye mardom tavânâyi dârand, ammâ khodeshân bâyad ânhâ râ kashf konand. |
Reflexive Objects
When the subject and the direct object of a sentence are the exact same person (e.g., "I know myself" or "we evaluate ourselves"), Farsi uses these same forms of خود as the reflexive object. Because referring to one's self creates a definite direct object, it is usually followed by the object marker را.
| You rely on others and do not see yourself as guilty. | تو به دیگران تکیه میکنی و خودت را مقصر نمیبینی.to be digarân tekye mikoni o khodat râ moghasser nemibini. |
| Understanding oneself is very important; you must know yourself. | شناخت خود خیلی مهم است؛ تو باید خودت را بشناسی.shenâkht-e khod kheyli mohem ast; to bâyad khodat râ beshenâsi. |
| In this crisis, we must evaluate ourselves. | در این بحران، ما باید خودمان را ارزیابی کنیم.dar in bohrân, mâ bâyad khodemân râ arzyâbi konim. |
