eux-mêmes
themselves
The French word 'eux-mêmes' is used similarly to 'themselves' in English. It is a reflexive pronoun, meaning it refers back to the subject of the sentence. It can be used in several contexts, such as emphasizing the people or things that perform an action (e.g., Ils ont fait le travail eux-mêmes or They did the work themselves), or indicating that an action affects the people or things performing it (e.g., Ils se sont blessés eux-mêmes or They hurt themselves).
Example sentences using: eux-mêmes
Ils doivent résoudre le problème eux-mêmes.
They must solve the problem themselves.
In this sentence, 'eux-mêmes' translates to 'themselves', conveying a sense of responsibility or self-reliance. It suggests that they are the one's who have to solve the problem without any help.
Ils ont construit la maison eux-mêmes.
They built the house themselves.
Here, 'eux-mêmes' is used to emphasize the personal effort. It suggests that they didn't hire anyone to build the house but did it themselves.
Ils ont fait la cuisine eux-mêmes.
They cooked themselves.
In this example 'eux-mêmes' signifies that the people in question are the ones who did the cooking, implying personal involvement or self-reliance in the task.
Ils vont le découvrir eux-mêmes.
They will discover it themselves.
This sentence implies an expectation that they will understand or find out something by their own efforts without being told, this is elegantly communicated by the term 'eux-mêmes'
Ils se sont préparés eux-mêmes.
They prepared themselves.
In this example, 'eux-mêmes' signifies personal preparation instead of preparation by others. This phrase can be used in many contexts such as getting ready for an event, an exam, etc.
Les enfants doivent le faire eux-mêmes.
Children must do it themselves.
Here we use 'eux-mêmes' to emphasize that children are the ones who are required to perform a certain task by themselves.
Ils ont écrit les lettres eux-mêmes.
They wrote the letters themselves.
This sentence implies that the subjects wrote the letters on their own without anyone's assistance; which is indicated by 'eux-mêmes'.
Ils vont le faire eux-mêmes.
They will do it themselves.
In this sentence, 'eux-mêmes' indicates that the subjects will perform a future action by themselves.
Ils ont tué le temps eux-mêmes.
They killed time themselves.
This saying implies that the speakers spent time on their own or entertained themselves without others, as indicated by the term 'eux-mêmes'.
Nous devons faire face à nos problèmes nous-mêmes et pas eux-mêmes.
We must face our problems ourselves and not themselves.
Here 'eux-mêmes' is used to categorically distinguish between 'we' and 'they' and emphasizes that 'they' should not face 'our' problems.