себе

See also: себе-

Bulgarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsɛbɛ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

се́бе • (sébe)

1. (rare) Synonym of се́бе си (sébe si)

Macedonian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsɛbɛ]

Pronoun

себе • (sebe)

1. Long reflexive direct object pronoun (all persons).
2. Long reflexive indirect object pronoun (all persons).

Old Church Slavonic

Pronoun

себе • (sebe)

1. genitive of сѧ (sę)

Declension

Old Church Slavonic personal pronouns

		nominative	accusative	genitive	locative	dative	instrumental		possessive
singular	1st person	азъ (azŭ)	мѧ (mę)	мене (mene)	мьнѣ (mĭně)	мьнѣ, ми (mĭně, mi)	мъноѭ (mŭnojǫ)		мои (moi)
	2nd person	тꙑ (ty)	тѧ (tę)	тебе (tebe)	тебѣ (tebě)	тебѣ, ти (tebě, ti)	тобоѭ (tobojǫ)		твои (tvoi)
dual	1st person	вѣ (vě)	на (na)	наю (naju)	наю (naju)	нама, на (nama, na)	нама (nama)		нашь (našĭ)
	2nd person	ва (va)	ва (va)	ваю (vaju)	ваю (vaju)	вама, ва (vama, va)	вама (vama)		вашь (vašĭ)
plural	1st person	мꙑ (my)	нꙑ (ny)	насъ (nasŭ)	насъ (nasŭ)	намъ, нꙑ (namŭ, ny)	нами (nami)		нашь (našĭ)
	2nd person	вꙑ (vy)	вꙑ (vy)	васъ (vasŭ)	васъ (vasŭ)	вамъ, вꙑ (vamŭ, vy)	вами (vami)		вашь (vašĭ)
reflexive		—	сѧ (sę)	себе (sebe)	себѣ (sebě)	себѣ, си (sebě, si)	собоѭ (sobojǫ)		свои (svoi)

Old East Slavic

Alternative forms

• сѧ (sę) — accusative

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sebe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛˈbɛ/→/sʲɛˈbʲɛ/→/sʲɛˈbʲɛ/

• (ca. 9^th CE) IPA^(key): /sɛˈbɛ/
• (ca. 11^th CE) IPA^(key): /sʲɛˈbʲɛ/
• (ca. 13^th CE) IPA^(key): /sʲɛˈbʲɛ/

Pronoun

себе (sebe)

1. (reflexive) myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves, oneself (no nominative case)

Declension

Declension of Old East Slavic personal pronouns

Singular	1st person	2nd person	Reflexive
Nominative	ꙗзъ (jazŭ), ꙗ (ja), азъ (azŭ)	тꙑ (ty)	—
Accusative	мене (mene), мѧ (mę)	тебе (tebe), тѧ (tę)	себе (sebe), сѧ (sę)
Genitive	мене (mene)	тебе (tebe)	себе (sebe)
Locative	мънѣ (mŭně)	тобѣ (tobě)	собѣ (sobě)
Dative	мънѣ (mŭně), ми (mi)	тобѣ (tobě), ти (ti)	собѣ (sobě), си (si)
Instrumental	мъноѭ (mŭnojǫ)	тобоѭ (tobojǫ)	собоѭ (sobojǫ)
Possessive	мои (moi)	твои (tvoi)	свои (svoi)
Dual	1st person	2nd person	Reflexive
Nominative	вѣ (vě)	вꙑ (vy)	—
Accusative	на (na)	ва (va)	себе (sebe), сѧ (sę)
Genitive	наю (naju)	ваю (vaju)	себе (sebe)
Locative	наю (naju)	ваю (vaju)	собѣ (sobě)
Dative	нама (nama)	вама (vama)	собѣ (sobě), си (si)
Instrumental	нама (nama)	вама (vama)	собоѭ (sobojǫ)
Possessive	нашь (našĭ)	вашь (vašĭ)	свои (svoi)
Plural	1st person	2nd person	Reflexive
Nominative	мꙑ (my)	вꙑ (vy)	—
Accusative	насъ (nasŭ), нꙑ (ny)	васъ (vasŭ), вꙑ (vy)	себе (sebe), сѧ (sę)
Genitive	насъ (nasŭ)	васъ (vasŭ)	себе (sebe)
Locative	насъ (nasŭ)	васъ (vasŭ)	собѣ (sobě)
Dative	намъ (namŭ), нꙑ (ny)	вамъ (vamŭ), вꙑ (vy)	собѣ (sobě), си (si)
Instrumental	нами (nami)	вами (vami)	собоѭ (sobojǫ)
Possessive	нашь (našĭ)	вашь (vašĭ)	свои (svoi)

Descendants

• Belarusian: сябе́ (sjabjé) (Possibly through blending with accusative сѧ (sę))
• Russian: себя́ (sebjá) (Possibly through blending with accusative сѧ (sę))
• Ukrainian: себе́ (sebé)
• Carpathian Rusyn: себе (sebe)

Russian

Alternative forms

• себѣ́ (sebě́) — Pre-reform orthography (1918)

Etymology

Perhaps borrowed from Old Church Slavonic себѣ (sebě) or inherited from Old East Slavic собѣ (sobě); both from Proto-Slavic *sebě.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sʲɪˈbʲe]

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

себе́ • (sebé)

1. dative/prepositional of себя́ (sebjá)

Particle

себе́ • (sebé)

1. keep on

   А он себе́ чита́ет. ― A on sebé čitájet. ― But he (just) keeps on reading.

See also

Declension of Russian personal pronouns

	singular						plural				reflexive
	1st person	2nd person	3rd person				1st person	2nd person	3rd person
			m	n	f
nominative	я (ja)	ты (ty)	он (on)	оно́ (onó)	она́ (oná)		мы (my)	вы (vy)	они́ 1 (oní)		—
genitive	меня́ (menjá)	тебя́ (tebjá)	его́ 2, него́ 2 3 (jevó, nevó)		её 4, неё 3 4 (jejó, nejó)		нас (nas)	вас (vas)	их, них 3 (ix, nix)		себя́ (sebjá)
dative	мне (mne)	тебе́ (tebé)	ему́, нему́ 3 (jemú, nemú)		ей, ней 3 (jej, nej)		нам (nam)	вам (vam)	им, ним 3 (im, nim)		себе́ (sebé)
accusative	меня́ (menjá)	тебя́ (tebjá)	его́ 2, него́ 2 3 (jevó, nevó)		её, неё 3 (jejó, nejó)		нас (nas)	вас (vas)	их, них 3 (ix, nix)		себя́ (sebjá)
instrumental	мной, мно́ю 5 (mnoj, mnóju)	тобо́й, тобо́ю 5 (tobój, tobóju)	им, ним 3 (im, nim)		ей, ней 3, е́ю 5, не́ю 3 5 (jej, nej, jéju, néju)		на́ми (námi)	ва́ми (vámi)	и́ми, ни́ми 3 (ími, ními)		собо́й, собо́ю 5 (sobój, sobóju)
prepositional 6	мне (mne)	тебе́ (tebé)	нём 3 (njom)		ней 3 (nej)		нас (nas)	вас (vas)	них 3 (nix)		себе́ (sebé)

1. Archaic feminine form: оне́ (oné).
2. The letter г (g) in the genitive/accusative case ending is pronounced as /v/.
3. The alternative forms starting with н- (n-) are used after a preposition.
4. Archaic forms: ея́ (jejá), нея́ (nejá).
5. Instrumental forms ending in -ю (-ju) are either dated, poetic, or dialectal.
6. The prepositional case is never used without a preposition.

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sêbe/
• Hyphenation: се‧бе

Pronoun

се̏бе (Latin spelling sȅbe)

1. oneself (reflexive pronoun)
   1. myself
   2. yourself
   3. himself
   4. herself
   5. itself
   6. ourselves
   7. yourselves
   8. themselves

Declension

Declension of себе

	singular	plural
nominative	—	—
genitive	се̏бе, се	се̏бе
dative	се̏би, си	се̏би
accusative	се̏бе, се	се̏бе
vocative	—	—
locative	се̏би	се̏би
instrumental	со̏бо̄м	со̏бом

Ukrainian

Pronunciation

• себе́: IPA^(key): [seˈbɛ]
• се́бе: IPA^(key): [ˈsɛbe] (after prepositions)

• Audio; “себе́” (“sebé”):

  (file)

Pronoun

себе́ or се́бе • (sebé or sébe)

1. oneself (reflexive pronoun)
   1. myself
   2. yourself
   3. himself
   4. herself
   5. itself
   6. ourselves
   7. yourselves
   8. themselves

Declension

Declension of Ukrainian personal pronouns

			nominative	genitive	dative	accusative	instrumental	locative
singular	1st person		я (ja)	мене́, ме́не* (mené, méne*)	мені́ (mení)	мене́, ме́не* (mené, méne*)	мно́ю (mnóju)	мені́ (mení)
	2nd person		ти (ty)	тебе́, те́бе* (tebé, tébe*)	тобі́ (tobí)	тебе́, те́бе* (tebé, tébe*)	тобо́ю (tobóju)	тобі́ (tobí)
	3rd person	m	він (vin)	його́, ньо́го* (johó, nʹóho*)	йому́ (jomú)	його́, ньо́го* (johó, nʹóho*)	ним (nym)	ньо́му, нім (nʹómu, nim)
		n	воно́ (vonó)
		f	вона́ (voná)	її́, не́ї* (jijí, néji*)	їй (jij)	її́, не́ї* (jijí, néji*)	не́ю (néju)	ній (nij)
plural	1st person		ми (my)	нас (nas)	нам (nam)	нас (nas)	на́ми (námy)	нас (nas)
	2nd person		ви (vy)	вас (vas)	вам (vam)	вас (vas)	ва́ми (vámy)	вас (vas)
	3rd person		вони́ (voný)	їх, них* (jix, nyx*)	їм (jim)	їх, них* (jix, nyx*)	ни́ми (nýmy)	них (nyx)
reflexive			—	себе́, се́бе* (sebé, sébe*)	собі́ (sobí)	себе́, се́бе* (sebé, sébe*)	собо́ю (sobóju)	собі́ (sobí)

* The alternative forms with stress retraction and with an initial н- (n-) in the third person are used after a preposition.

Further reading

• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “себе”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka