moimême

Moi-même (often written moi-même) is a French emphatic pronoun formed from the personal pronoun moi (me) and the intensifying adjective même. It functions to stress or single out the subject or agent of an action, or to reinforce a speaker’s stance in a sentence.

Etymology and form: The construction combines moi with même to create an emphatic expression. In modern French, the standard spelling is moi-même, with a hyphen, and it is used across genders and numbers as moi-même for the singular, with other emphatic forms such as toi-même, lui-même, elle-même, nous-mêmes, vous-mêmes, and eux-mêmes for corresponding subjects or objects.

Usage and grammar: Moi-même operates as an emphatic pronoun rather than a regular object or subject pronoun. It can follow or precede the verb to emphasize the actor, as in Je l'ai fait moi-même (I did it myself). It can also function as a sentence-initial or sentence-final intensifier, as in Moi-même, je n'y crois pas (Even I don’t believe it). It is distinct from simply using me or myself in English because même adds emphasis. Unlike some other intensifiers, moi-même agrees in form with the speaker rather than with the noun.

Examples:

- Je l’ai réparé moi-même. (I repaired it myself.)

- Moi-même, je préfère rester chez moi. (I, myself, prefer to stay at home.)

- Les enseignants, eux-mêmes, étaient surpris. (The teachers themselves were surprised.)

See also: French reflexive pronouns, emphasized pronouns in French, toi-même, lui-même, elles-mêmes.