B1Prepositions

For With Reflexive Pronouns

What is it?

FOR + reflexive pronoun means doing something for ONE'S OWN BENEFIT or interest: "I bought it for myself" (for my benefit, not for someone else) / "Do it for yourself" (for your own good) / "She made it for herself". Common expressions: buy FOR myself, make FOR yourself, do FOR myself, keep FOR yourself, think FOR yourself (= make your own decisions), speak FOR myself (= express my own opinion), work FOR myself (= self-employed). This emphasizes that the action benefits or is intended for the subject, not others.

How to form it

Subject	Positive	Negative	Question
FOR myself (benefit)	I bought it for myself. / I made it for myself. / I did it for myself.	I didn't buy it for myself.	Did you buy it for yourself?
FOR + all reflexives	for myself, for yourself, for himself, for herself, for ourselves, for themselves	not used	not applicable
buy FOR myself	I bought a gift for myself. / She bought a car for herself.	not used	Did you buy it for yourself?
make FOR myself	I made lunch for myself. / She made a dress for herself.	not used	Did you make it for yourself?
do FOR myself	I did it for myself. (my benefit) / Do something for yourself!	not used	not applicable
think FOR myself	Think for yourself! (make own decisions) / I think for myself.	not used	Can you think for yourself?

• FOR + reflexive = for one's own benefit/interest
• for myself, for yourself, for himself, for herself, for itself, for ourselves, for yourselves, for themselves
• Common verbs: buy, make, do, keep, save, cook, build, create + FOR reflexive
• Think FOR yourself = make your own decisions (not follow others)
• Speak FOR myself = express my own opinion (others may differ)
• Work FOR myself = self-employed (own business, not for a company)
• Emphasizes: action benefits the subject, not someone else
• Compare: 'I bought it for myself' (benefit) vs 'I bought it by myself' (alone)

When to use it

1
BUY/MAKE/CREATE + FOR reflexive — for own benefit
"I bought a gift for myself." / "She made a dress for herself." / "He built a house for himself." / "We cooked dinner for ourselves."
2
DO + FOR reflexive — for own good/benefit
"Do something for yourself!" / "I did it for myself." / "She does everything for herself." / "Think about doing something for yourself."
3
THINK FOR yourself — make own decisions
"Think for yourself!" (don't just follow others) / "I think for myself." / "Children need to learn to think for themselves."
4
SPEAK FOR myself — express own opinion
"I can only speak for myself." (my opinion, not others) / "Speaking for myself, I agree." / "She speaks for herself."
5
WORK FOR myself — self-employed
"I work for myself." (own business) / "She works for herself." / "He stopped working for others and now works for himself."
6
KEEP/SAVE FOR myself — for own use
"Keep it for yourself." / "I saved some for myself." / "She kept the best one for herself."

Common mistakes

I bought it to myself. (benefit intended)

I bought it for myself.

Use FOR myself for benefit, not TO. (TO = direction, FOR = benefit)

I think by myself. (decisions intended)

I think for myself.

THINK FOR myself = make own decisions | BY myself = alone (physical)

I bought it for me. (when emphasizing own benefit)

I bought it for myself. (stronger emphasis on own benefit)

Use reflexive (myself) to emphasize it's for your own benefit, not just 'me'.

Quick reference

FOR + reflexive = for one's own benefit/interest
for myself, for yourself, for himself, for herself, for ourselves, for themselves
buy/make/do FOR myself = for own benefit
think FOR yourself = make own decisions
speak FOR myself = express own opinion
work FOR myself = self-employed
Compare: FOR myself (benefit) vs BY myself (alone)

Natural conversation example

Shopping and self-care

Tom

Did you buy that for someone?

Lisa

No, I bought it for myself! I deserve a treat.

Tom

Good for you! We should do nice things for ourselves sometimes.

Lisa

Exactly! Do you ever buy gifts for yourself?

Tom

Sometimes. I try to think for myself and not worry about what others think.

Lisa

That's great! Speaking for myself, I think self-care is important.

Tom

I agree! I'm even thinking about working for myself one day.

Practice Exercises

Complete with "for" + reflexive pronoun.

1.
I bought it
2.
She made it
3.
Think
4.
We did it
5.
He works
6.
They kept it

By / With Reflexive Pronouns All Topics

Now use For With Reflexive Pronouns in real conversation

Grammar sticks when you use it out loud. Practise with an AI tutor who gives you instant feedback.

Speak with AI Tutor