Reflexive Pronouns

In Urdu, there are two reflexive pronouns: آپ aap and خود kh'ud 'oneself'. Each of them can be used as an equivalent of all the reflexive pronouns in English. Both pronouns are indeclinable.

میں یہ کام خود کرونگا

maiN yah kaam kh'ud karuuNgaa

'I will do this work myself'

تم یہ کام خود کروگے

tum yah kaam kh'ud karoge

'You will do this work yourself'

وہ یہ کام خود کرینگے

vah yah kaam kh'ud kareNge

'They will do this work themselves'

The pronoun آپ aap can function as a honorific personal pronoun, equivalent to the English pronoun you or he/she in the honorific use. In this case, the verb, which agrees with the pronoun, is always in the third person plural:

آپ کون ھیں؟

aap kaun haiN?

'Who are you?'

The pronominal adjective اپنا apnaa 'one's own' is derived from the pronoun آپ aap. t always agrees with the noun it qualifies, and inflects for gender, number, and case in the same way as declinable adjectives. (See Declension of Adjectives.) In a sentence, it functions as the equivalent of English possessive pronouns when the possessor denoted by them is identical with the subject:

میں اپنا کام کرتا ھوں

maiN apnaa kaam kartaa huuN

'I do my work'

وہ اپنے بیٹے سے لمبا ھے

vah apne beTe se lambaa hai

'He is taller than his son'

تم اپنی بیٹی کے یہاں جاتے ھو ؟

tum apnii beTii ke yahaaN jaate ho?

'Do you visit your daughter?'

The use of the pronominal adjective apnaa اپنا n such sentences is obligatory.

The constructions اپنے آپ apne aap and اپنے آپ سے apne aap se are widely used instead of the pronoun آپ aap in the reflexive function:

وہ اپنے آپ کو عقلمند آدمی سمجھتا ھے

vah apne aap ko aqlmand aadmii samajhtaa hai

'He considers himself a wise person'

تم یہ کام اپنے آپ سے کروگے

tum yah kaam apne aap se karoge

'You will do this work yourself'