Upper Sorbian Grammar

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Reflexive pronoun

The reflexive pronoun can never be the subject of a sentence. It can only be used as an object (direct on indirect) or combined with a preposition to form an adverbial complement. It replaces a regular personal pronoun when the sentence's subject and it's object or adverbial complement both reffer to the same person or thing. It could be roughly translated as self.

Declension

The reflexive pronoun doesn't have a Nominative and a Vocative form. It has one set of forms for all the grammatical numbers, genders and persons.

Gsebje, so
Dsebi, sej
Asebje, so
I(ze) sobu
L(w) sebi

The longer variants of the Gen., Dat. and Acc. forms are only used after prepositions and in combination with the emphatic pronoun sam alone.


Usage

The reflexive never appears in the position of a sentence's subject. It is used instead of a presonal pronoun when stands for the same dessiganate (same person, animal, thing or phenomenon) as the sentence's subject does.

Móžešsejpomhać.
can
2.sing.pres.
self
Dat.
help
infinitive
verbindirect objectdirect object
You can help yourself.

Mějksebidowěru.
have
2.sing.imperat.
to
 
self
Dat.
trust
Acc.sing.fem.
verbadverbialdirect object
Trust yourself.

In the examples above the subject and the indirect object or the adverbial reffer to the same person: you (sing.), thus the reflexive pronoun must be used for the indirect object or the adverbial instead of a regular personal pronoun. Compare the below sentences with different arguments:

Móžešmipomhać.
can
2.sing.pres.
I
Dat.sing.
help
infinitive
verbindirect objectdirect object
You can help me.

Mějkemnidowěru.
have
2.sing.imperat.
to
 
I
Dat.
trust
Acc.sing.fem.
verbadverbialdirect object
Trust me.

This time, as the subject and the indirect object or the adverbial reffer to two different persons (you (sing.) vs. I), the indirect object and the adverbial are expressed with a regular personal pronoun.



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