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German frequency list

No. 67 in German

selbst

"Selbst" means "self" or "even" in English, depending on context.

In a sentence

  • Ich habe den Kuchen selbst gebacken.

    I baked the cake myself.

    Here, 'selbst' is used as a pronoun to emphasize that the subject, 'Ich' (I), performed the action by theirself, not someone else.

  • Selbst ein kleiner Hund kann laut bellen.

    Even a small dog can bark loudly.

    In this sentence, 'selbst' is used as an adverb meaning 'even', indicating that the subject is not exempt from the action being discussed.

  • Das Problem löst sich von selbst.

    The problem resolves by itself.

    Here, 'selbst' is part of the phrase 'von selbst,' meaning 'by itself' or 'on its own,' indicating an action occurring without external influence.

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