The Reflexive Pronoun ตัวเอง
In Thai, the word ตัวเอง acts as a universal reflexive pronoun. It does not change form based on gender or number, so it can mean myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves, or themselves, depending on the subject of the sentence.
To express doing an action to oneself, place ตัวเอง in the object position directly after the verb.
Using ตัวเอง with Prepositions
You will also use ตัวเอง after common prepositions to express actions like talking to oneself or being proud of oneself. Note that Thai pairs the verb ภูมิใจ (to be proud) with the preposition ใน (in).
Doing Things "By Oneself"
To emphasize that someone performed an action independently or without help, use the phrase ด้วยตัวเอง (by oneself). This is formed by combining the preposition ด้วย (with/by) and the reflexive pronoun, and it usually sits at the end of the sentence.
Emphasizing Possession
You can also use ตัวเอง to emphasize possession. When placed after the possessive marker ของ (of), the phrase ของตัวเอง translates to "one's own" (my own, his own, their own, etc.).
