No. 548 in Icelandic

sjálf

"Self" or "herself" (depending on context).

In a sentence

Ég leysti verkefnið sjálf.
I solved the task myself.
Here, 'sjálf' emphasizes that I did the task on my own, showing reflexivity and subject emphasis.
Hún tók sjálf ákvörðunina.
She made the decision herself.
In this usage, 'sjálf' stresses that she is the one who took the decision independently, highlighting agency.
Bókin sjálf er mjög áhugaverð.
The book itself is very interesting.
In this context, 'sjálf' refers to the entity (the book) to underline its intrinsic attributes.

Hear it in real podcasts

The recording above is a synthetic voice. Hear how people say “sjálf” in actual Icelandic podcasts.

Learn it from shows you like

LangTurbo plays Icelandic podcasts with a transcript and the English under every line. Tap a word like this one and it tells you what it means right there.

Get the app

Icelandic books and courses on Amazon (an affiliate link: a purchase through it supports this site).