Russian self, linguistically speaking

  Today we'll look at the Russian word for self – сам. Below are examples of its use, words with the same root and more.

сам - oneself, itself (masc.)

само - oneself, itself (neut.)

сама - oneself, itself (fem.)

сами - oneself, itself (pl.)

с самим собой - with oneself

разговаривать с самим собой - to talk to oneself

сам по себе - by itself, by oneself, alone

Кошка гуляет сама по себе. - A cat is walking by itself (i.e. choosing her own way).

Я сама связала этот шарф. - I knitted this scarf by myself.

Я сам! - I'll do it alone/by myself!

Машина едет сама. - The car is driving on its own.

Он любит говорить только о самом себе. - He likes to talk only about himself.

Сделай это сам. - Do it yourself.

Сами они из Австралии. - They themselves are from Australia.

Он сама невинность. - He is innocence itself.

Само собой я сделаю это. - Of course I'll do it.

Он сам не знает, что говорит. - He himself doesn't know what he is saying.

Сам Пушкин не смог бы написать лучше. - Pushkin himself wouldn't be able to write (it) better.

Им самим нетрудно это сделать. - It's not hard for them to do it by themselves.

Complex words with -сам- root:

самоучитель (literally selfteacher) - self-teaching guide

самоучка - self-taught person

самолёт (literally itself flying) - airplane

самокат (itself rolling) - kick scooter

самоанализ - self-study, self-analysis

самовар (itself boiling) - samovar

самозванец (self called) - impostor, pretender

самоубийство (self killing) - suicide

самочувствие (self feeling) - health, well-being

самообман - self-deception, self delusion

самовольный - self-willed, willful, unathourized

самоуверенный (self believing) - confident

самостоятельный (self standing) - independent, self-sustained

самодельный - self-made, homemade, handmade

Don't confuse with:

самый красивый - the most beautiful

то же самое - the same

оно самое - exactly that, that thing, yes

Conjugation of сам.

More examples.