itseensä

Itseensä is a Finnish reflexive pronoun form derived from the word itse, used to refer back to the subject of the clause in a reflexive sense. It denotes that an action, feeling, or state concerns the subject themselves rather than another person.

In practice, itseensä appears in constructions that express reflexivity or self-directed emphasis, most often with third-person subjects such as hän. The form can function as an object or complement in a sentence, and it appears in several common idioms, including phrases that describe taking offense, looking at oneself, or behaving toward oneself in a particular way. The exact morphology of reflexive pronouns in Finnish can vary by verb and syntactic role, but itseensä is widely understood as a standard reflexive reference in contexts involving self-related action or experience.

Examples illustrate the general sense of reflexivity and emphasis:

- Hän otti asian itseensä meaning that he took the matter personally.

- Hän katsoi itseensä peilistä conveying “he looked at himself in the mirror.”

- The form can also appear in more abstract self-referential statements, where the subject relates to its own state or actions.

Relation to other forms:

Itseensä is part of a broader set of reflexive pronouns that include itsensä and itsensä as well as the emphatic itse. While itse is often used for emphasis with the subject, itseensä marks reflexive relation to the subject’s own experience or body.

See also: itse, itsensä.