French Conversation · Level 120
57 words
French word
soi
Pronunciation
IPA/swa/
Meaning
- pronounoneself
Example
Il faut prendre soin de soi.
One must take care of oneself.
More examples
Il est important de penser par soi-même.
It is important to think for oneself.
Core concept
A person turned inward and treated as the object of an action or state.
Common phrases
prendre soin de soi
take care of oneself
soi-même
oneself
Similar words
moi: The speaker personally, especially after a preposition or for emphasis.
toi: The person addressed, especially after a preposition or in direct address.
se: A reflexive pronoun showing that an action affects its subject.
soi-même: The self itself, with emphasis on personal identity.
Definition in French
S'emploie pour renvoyer à la personne considérée elle-même, notamment dans des expressions générales comme « prendre soin de soi ».
Word origin
French soi developed from Old French soi and ultimately from Latin se, the reflexive pronoun, as a stressed form.
Usage tips
- After a preposition, French uses soi for a general or unspecified person, as in prendre soin de soi rather than de lui or d'elle.
Opposites
- autruiotherspronoun
Related words
- soi-mêmeoneselfpronoun
- soi-disantself-styledadjective