Disjunctive Pronouns in German

This section explains Disjunctive Pronouns in German and includes foundation and higher tier examples.

Introduction to Disjunctive Pronouns

In German, disjunctive pronouns (or emphatic pronouns) are used to emphasise the subject or object of a sentence. They are often used in situations where you want to add emphasis or to make a distinction between two people or things.

Disjunctive pronouns are particularly important in spoken German and informal contexts, as they can make the sentence sound more emphatic, stronger, or clearer.

The most common disjunctive pronouns in German are:

• selbst (oneself)
• selber (oneself, in a more colloquial sense)
• selbstständig (independently, on one's own)

These pronouns do not decline, but they can be used with the nominative, accusative, or dative case depending on the sentence.

Disjunctive Pronouns: "selbst" and "selber"

The disjunctive pronouns "selbst" and "selber" both mean "oneself" or "by oneself," but "selber" is a more informal and colloquial version of "selbst." They are often used for emphasis, typically placed after the noun or pronoun they refer to.

Common Usage of Disjunctive Pronouns:

Examples of Disjunctive Pronouns in Sentences

Foundation Tier Examples:

• Ich habe es selbst gesehen. (I saw it myself.)
• Du musst das selbst tun. (You must do it yourself.)
• Er hat den Weg selber gefunden. (He found the way himself.)

Higher Tier Examples:

• Wir haben das ganze Projekt selbst organisiert. (We organised the entire project ourselves.)
• Ich werde es selbst herausfinden, wie es funktioniert. (I will find out for myself how it works.)
• Sie hat das selber ausprobiert und es hat funktioniert. (She tried it herself, and it worked.)

Using "selbst" with Nouns:

• Der Lehrer hat es selbst erklärt. (The teacher explained it himself.)
• Sie hat selbst eine Entscheidung getroffen. (She made the decision herself.)

Disjunctive Pronouns with Reflexive Verbs

Disjunctive pronouns can be used with reflexive verbs to emphasise the action being done by the subject, indicating that the subject is performing the action on themselves.

Examples:

• Ich wasche mich selbst. (I wash myself.)
• Er zieht sich selber an. (He dresses himself.)
• Sie kümmert sich selbst um die Kinder. (She looks after the children herself.)

Disjunctive Pronouns with the Verb "sein" (to be)

The disjunctive pronoun can be used for emphasis with the verb "sein" to highlight the subject of a sentence.

Examples:

• Ich bin selbst verantwortlich. (I am responsible myself.)
• Du bist selbst schuld. (You are to blame yourself.)
• Es ist selber passiert. (It happened by itself.)

Using Disjunctive Pronouns in Comparisons

Disjunctive pronouns can also be used in comparative constructions to show contrast or to emphasise that someone did something alone or independently.

Examples:

• Er arbeitet selbst schneller als sein Kollege. (He works faster by himself than his colleague.)
• Ich habe es selber ohne Hilfe geschafft. (I managed it by myself without help.)
• Sie hat das selbst besser gemacht als ich. (She did it better by herself than I did.)

Key Vocabulary:

• das Pronomen = the pronoun
• selbst = oneself, by oneself
• selber = oneself (informal)
• verantwortlich = responsible
• entscheiden = to decide
• reflexiv = reflexive

Summary

• Disjunctive pronouns are used in German to emphasise that the subject or object performs an action by themselves, without help or interference from others.
• The most common disjunctive pronouns are selbst and selber, with selber being more informal.
• These pronouns can be used with reflexive verbs, the verb "sein" (to be), and in comparisons.
• They can appear in the nominative, accusative, or dative case, depending on the sentence and context.

By using selbst and selber, you can add emphasis to your sentences and sound more natural in both written and spoken German.