Kendimi

Kendimi is a Turkish reflexive pronoun form meaning “myself.” It is the accusative (direct object) form of kendim, the first-person reflexive pronoun, and is used when the speaker is the object of the action. In a sentence such as Kendimi seviyorum, the word Kendimi marks the object and translates to “myself.”

Turkish reflexive pronouns decline by person and number and take standard case endings. The base kendim can appear with endings to express different cases, for example Kendime (to myself), Kendimde (in myself), Kendimden (from myself), Kendimin (of myself), and Kendimi (myself as object). The form Kendimi thus represents the combination of the base reflexive pronoun with the accusative suffix.

Kendimi is used in a variety of contexts, including expressions of self-reference, self-care, self-critique, and introspection, as well as in sentences describing actions the speaker performs on or for themselves. It can appear in simple clauses like Kendimi affettirmek istiyorum (“I want to forgive myself”) or Kendimi iyi hissediyorum (“I feel myself well” or more naturally “I feel good”). The phrase kendi kendine (“by oneself,” “on one’s own”) is a common related construction that emphasizes solitary action.

In usage, kendimi aligns with Turkish pro-drop tendencies, allowing the subject to be implicit or explicit, and it contrasts with non-reflexive possessives by referring specifically to the subject’s own self rather than another entity.