The Reflexive Pronoun: Kendi
In Turkish, the word kendi means "self." To say "myself," "yourself," or "himself/herself," you attach standard possessive suffixes. When used before a verb without any additional case endings, these reflexive pronouns emphasize that the subject is doing the action independently, without anyone else's help.
| Person | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person Singular | kendim | myself |
| 2nd Person Singular | kendin | yourself |
| 3rd Person Singular | kendisi (or kendi) | himself / herself / itself |
| I do my makeup myself every morning. | Her sabah makyajımı kendim yapıyorum. |
| Do you shave yourself every day? | Her gün kendin mi tıraş oluyorsun? |
Adding Case Endings
Like any noun, reflexive pronouns can take case endings depending on their role in the sentence.
If you perform an action directly to yourself (like drying or washing yourself), the pronoun becomes the direct object and takes the accusative suffix.
- kendimi: myself (accusative)
- kendini: yourself / himself / herself (accusative)
| I shave and dry myself with a towel. | Tıraş oluyorum ve kendimi havluyla kuruluyorum. |
Just like kendim and kendin, the third-person kendisi is used to show that someone completes an action on their own.
| Does that girl comb her hair herself? | O kız saçını kendisi mi tarıyor? |
| The baby didn't dry himself after the bath. | Bebek banyodan sonra kendini kurulamadı. |
You will often use reflexive pronouns to talk about chores, repairs, and difficult projects you managed to do all on your own.
| My husband didn't iron his trousers but he repaired the radio himself. | Kocam pantolonunu ütülemedi ama radyoyu kendisi tamir etti. |
| My teacher, I accomplished this difficult project myself! | Öğretmenim, bu zor projeyi kendim başardım! |
Lastly, if an action is directed to or for yourself, the pronoun takes the dative suffix (such as kendime for "to myself").
| I am teaching myself Turkish. | Ben kendime Türkçe öğretiyorum. |