Français — même: same / -self / even
The single word même wears three hats: before a noun it means "same" (le même livre), after a stressed pronoun it means "-self" (moi-même), and as an adverb it means "even" (même Paul est venu).
How it works
As an adjective before the noun (with an article), même agrees in number: le même jour, les mêmes idées. Attached to a stressed pronoun with a hyphen it means "-self" and agrees: moi-même, eux-mêmes. As an invariable adverb it means "even": Il travaille même le dimanche.
Examples
| Use | Example → meaning |
|---|---|
| same (adj., sing.) | le même livre → "the same book" |
| same (adj., plural) | les mêmes idées → "the same ideas" |
| -self (1st sing.) | moi-même → "myself" |
| -selves (3rd plural) | eux-mêmes → "themselves" |
| even (adverb) | Même Paul est venu → "Even Paul came" |
| fixed phrase | quand même → "anyway / all the same" |
Good to know
Position changes the meaning. Before the noun, le même chose is wrong — say la même chose ("the same thing"). After the noun, le jour même means "that very day" (emphasis), not "the same day". And même les enfants ("even the children") is the adverb, distinct from les mêmes enfants ("the same children").