Dal'qörian reflexive pronouns
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Reflexive pronouns reflect the 'action' of a verb back to the subject or, rarely, the object of a sentence. dal’qörian reflexive pronouns, which are identical to the accusative, are never used with a nominative pronoun as in English:
- mæöra qlasédria. He is washing himself. (lit: Himself (is) washing).
- iádas, érenöra déatäør. They dress themselves every day. (lit: Daily, themselves dress).
- ädas, mæöra scalaÞr. He shaves every morning. (lit: Mornings, himself shaves).
However, when a real noun is used, a reflexive pronoun is still required:
- ädas, Mæcal mæöra scalaÞr'. Michael shaves every morning. (lit: Mornings, Michael himself shaves).
If you were to leave out the reflexive pronoun, then the sentence is incomplete as there is no object to complement the verb:
- ädas, Mæcal scalaÞr. (lit: Mornings, Michael shaves [shaves what?]).
Reflexive pronouns are also used in sentences such as:
- siöra nöacr lenandrax. She can’t help herself. (lit: Herself can help not).
and in sentences where, in English, we use the phrase on ones own meaning by myself/herself etc:
- diöra mösár görax! You mustn't go on your own/by yourself! (lit: Yourself must go not).
- binöra nöacr maquirax siÞ. I can't do it on my own. (lit: Myself can do not this).
- diöra maquirax taÞ! You mustn’t do that by yourself! (lit: Yourself does not that!).
The general rule is: where no other person or object is acted upon by the action of the verb, use the reflexive pronoun.