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Definition 2024


zich

zich

Dutch

Pronoun

zich

  1. himself, herself, itself, oneself, themselves; (polite form) yourself, yourselves
    Hij wast zich. He washes himself.
    Hij wast zich het gezicht. He washes his face.
    Vergist u zich niet? Aren't you mistaken? (polite)
    Ieder voor zich. Every man for himself.
  2. expresses an unintended result with many otherwise non-reflexive, even ergative verbs
    Hij viel zich een ongeluk He fell and this resulted in an accident.
    Hij lachte zich een bult He laughed so severely that it left him a hunchback.

Usage notes

  • Zich can be used whether the reflexivity of the verb is optional or mandatory. Optionally reflexive verbs can also take zichzelf as reflexive pronoun.
  • As in English (but unlike German and French), Dutch reflexive pronouns do not express reciprocity, except dialectally. Arguably reciprocal senses may occur in fixed verb constructions, however. For example: Ze hebben zich verloofd. (“They have got engaged.”)

Inflection


Derived terms

See Category:Dutch reflexive verbs

Related terms