To emphasize that a sentence involves a specific, important person (or thing), place the pronoun itse immediately before the noun. It translates to "the [noun] themselves," "the [noun] itself," or "[noun] in person."
| When the state visit began, the chancellor himself smiled. | Valtiovierailun alkaessa itse kansleri hymyili. |
| The pope himself wanted to speak with the new head of state. | Itse paavi halusi puhua uuden päämiehen kanssa. |
Itse remains uninflected
Crucially, itse does not change its form to match the noun. Even when the noun takes a case ending (like the genitive, partitive, or ablative), itse stays exactly the same.
| The whole ceremony began when the pope himself arrived. | Koko seremonia alkoi itse paavin saapuessa. |
| You should ask for the decoration of honour from the majesty herself. | Sinun kannattaa pyytää kunniamerkki itse majesteetilta. |
| The guard of honour must protect the convoy itself. | Kunniavartion pitää suojella itse saattuetta. |
| They must see the pope himself before the state visit. | Heidän pitää nähdä itse paavi ennen valtiovierailua. |
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