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Il l'a fait soi-même - French Mistake

French mistakes analyzed and explained

By , About.com Guide

Mistakes will always be made in French, and now you can learn from them.

Wrong: Il l'a fait soi-même

Right: Il l'a fait lui-même

Explanation: The French pronoun soi is impersonal, which means you use it only with an impersonal subject, such as on or tout le monde:

   On l'a fait soi-même
   We did it ourselves

   Tout le monde l'a fait soi-même
   Everyone did it himself

But you can't say "il l'a fait soi-même," because il refers to a specific person.

The correct way to say "he did it himself" is il l'a fait lui-même.

Related lessons: Soi | Stressed pronouns
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