Explanation

ERROR SOURCE.

This errors springs from Germans thinking in their language while speaking or writing English, so they translate directly from German adding a reflexive pronoun when not necessary.

The grammatical term Reflexive simply means the object of the verb reflects back to the subject, so a reflexive verb is a verb that has an object which is the same as the subject of the verb. In German, reflexive phrases are more complicated because they consist of a verb together with the reflexive pronoun in the accusative or in the dative case.

Person Accusative reflexive pronoun Dative reflexive pronoun

Ich mich mir

Du dich dir

Er/sie/es sich sich

Wir uns uns

ihr euch euch

Sie sich sich

This is not the case in English.

In English the pronoun always ends with --- self or ---selves and there are no case distinctions.

Person reflexive pronoun

I myself

You yourself

He/she/it himself/herself/itself

We ourselves

You yourselves

They themselves

Hemmingway killed himself. (a reflexive phrase)

Hemmingway killed a shark. ( Not a reflexive phrase because, the subject,

Hemmingway is not the same person as the

object, the shark.)

Languages differ in their use of reflexive phrases. German uses many reflexive phrases while English uses much fewer. While most English reflexive verbs are also reflexive in German, not all German reflexive verbs are reflexive in English. In this regard German learners of English should be aware that NOT ALL GERMAN REFLEXIVES HAVE A CORRESPONDING CONSTRUCTION IN ENGLISH. An English speaker would simply say,

The earth spins round the sun.

But the Germans would make a sentence full of reflexives like:

Die Erde dreht sich um sich selbst um die Sonne.

Infact the reflexive is obligatory for many more verbs in German than English.

For example, To sit down (sich setzen). is a MUST REFLEXIVE IN GERMAN. Otherwise it would mean something else: Setzen( non reflexive in German means to put or to place)

It is therefore wise to always find out whether a new verb you have learnt in English is reflexive or not. Even verbs that sound reflexive in their meanings are not necessarily reflexive in English. This is because the English do not use reflexive pronouns after verbs which describe things people usually do for themselves:

It is thus common to hear an Englishman say:

I shave everyday.

I always wash in cold water.

I comb my hair everyday.

She dressed before I came in.

Only when there is a need for Emphasis is it correct to say:

I shaved myself even though I was ill.

I was surprised to see a two year old washing himself.

In English the plural personal pronouns, we, you and they when reflexive could also mean each other, one another. These are referred to in grammar books as reciprocal reflexives because the action is mutual and involves two or more people.

We help each other. Wir helfen uns.

We love each other. Wir lieben uns

They hate each other. Sie hassen sich.

We kiss each other. Wir küssen uns.

They hit each other. Sie schlagen sich.

We respect each other. Wir respektieren uns.

We got to know each other. Wir haben uns kennengelernt.

When it comes to showing possession and referring to parts of the body, Germans use the reflexive, but the English do not.

I wash my hands. Ich wäsche mir die Hände.

We clean our teeth. Wir putzen uns die Zähne.

There are very few typical reflexive verbs in English but sometimes these verbs are not reflexive. Example:

Express- I can express myself in Spanish. (Reflexive)

I always express my views . (Not reflexive)

Please, express yourself. (Reflexive)

Please, express your opinion. (Not reflexive).

Enjoy- She enjoys herself during holidays.

But She enjoyed the music.

Respect- If you don't respect yourself, nobody will respect you.

We respect our captain because he respects himself.

Repeat- I don't like to repeat myelf.

I don't like to repeat my words.

Convince- Don Quixote was weak but convinced himself that he was strong.

Don Quixote could not convince his friends.

Market- He was a good artist and knew how to market himself.

He was a good artist but did not know how to market his products.

Distinguish- Nelson Mandela was a politician and distinguished himself in this

field. (hervorheben)

It is important to distinguish between business and pleasure.

(Einen Unterschied machen)

Exert- You are sick. Don't exert yourself.

When you kick a ball, you exert a force on it.

Devote- He loved children and devoted himself to them.

The writer devoted his works to his mother.

Commit - I commit myself to the payment of your debts (sich verpflichten)

He committed an offence against the state. (begehen)

Introduce- The actor introduced himself to the audience.

I introduced my girlfriend to my mother.