Log inSign up

ฉัน　ดูแล　ตัวเอง　ได้　ค่ะ

ฉัน　ดูแล　ตัวเอง　ได้　ค่ะ
I can take care of myself.
From Lesson 61:Reflexive pronouns (ตัวเอง)·Thai

Breakdown of ฉัน　ดูแล　ตัวเอง　ได้　ค่ะ

ค่ะ
polite particle (female)
ฉัน
I (female)
ได้
can
ตัวเอง
oneself
ดูแล
to take care of

Questions & Answers about ฉัน　ดูแล　ตัวเอง　ได้　ค่ะ

How does ตัวเอง (myself) work in this sentence?
It acts directly as the object of the verb ดูแล (to take care of). Just like in English, you place the reflexive pronoun ตัวเอง right after the verb to show that the action reflects back onto the subject (ฉัน).
Why does ได้ (can) come after ตัวเอง instead of before the verb?
In Thai, the word ได้ (can / to be able to) goes at the end of the action phrase it modifies, unlike in English where "can" comes before the verb. So the literal word order here is "I - take care - myself - can".
Does the word ตัวเอง change depending on who is speaking?
No, ตัวเอง literally translates to "own body" and is completely neutral. It adapts to whatever the subject of the sentence is. Because the subject here is ฉัน (I), it translates as "myself". If the subject was "he", it would automatically mean "himself".
I know ดู means "to look". What does แล mean in the word ดูแล?
แล is another word that also means "to look" or "to stare". When joined together as ดูแล, the compound word means "to look after" or "to take care of". Combining two similar words to make a new concept is very common in Thai.

Learn ฉัน　ดูแล　ตัวเอง　ได้　ค่ะ and more in Thai

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Thai →