The reflexive sendiri “self” occurs with nouns and pronouns to make clear who or what is being referred to:

Examples:
– Saya berenang sendiri. I swam by myself.
– Suami saya berangkat ke Jakarta sendiri. My husband left for Jakarta himself.
Sendiri can be used before/after the verb or after the object of the verb.

Examples:
– Saya sendiri datang. / Saya datang sendiri.
I came myself.
– Kami sendiri membeli apartemen ini. /Kami membeli apartemen ini sendiri.
We bought this apartment ourselves.

Colloquially sendiri is often used after the verb instead of sendirian, seorang diri “alone, by oneself”.

Examples:
– Dia datang sendirian/ seorang diri/sendiri.
He came by himself/alone.

The reduplicated form sendiri- sendiri means ”apart, separately”.
Examples:
– Mereka pulang ke rumah sendiri-sendiri.
They went home separately.

Both sendiri and the phrase dengan sendirinya means ”automatically, by itself, of its own accord” when referring to action by an inanimate subject.

Examples:
– Pintu itu terbuka sendiri.
That door opened by itself.
– Mobil itu bergerak dengan sendirinya.
That car moved automatically.
Following a possessive noun or pronoun, sendiri translates “own”.

Examples:
– Meja dan kursi itu dari rumah saya sendiri.
Those table and chair are from my own house.
– Ini rumah saya sendiri.
This is my own house.

Reflexive Phrases
A reflexive phrase consists of minimally of reflexive pronoun diri”self”. A minimal reflexive phrase usually occurs as the object of a verb and indicates that the object is the same person as the subject of the verb.

Examples:
– Mereka menjaga diri baik-baik.
They look after themselves properly.
– Tuan rumah memperkenalkan diri kepada tamu.
The host introduced himself to the guest.
Sometimes a transitive verb followed by diri occurs where English uses an intransitive verb.

Examples:
– Orang itu melarikan diri.
That man fled.
– Perdana menteri mengundurkan diri.
The prime minister resigned.

– minta/mohon diri beg leave to depart
– menarik diri withdraw
– mencalonkan diri stand (for office)
– mengkhususkan diri specialize (in a certain field)
– menyerahkan diri surrender
– (mem)bunuh diri commit suicide

The full reflexive phrase is diri+ possessive pronoun+sendiri
Third person “–nya” corresponds to a plural as well as a singular third person subject.

Examples:
– dirinya sendiri himself/herself/themselves
– Dia suka (terhadap) dirinya sendiri. He likes himself.

A reflexive phrase can follow a preposition.

Examples:
– Dia jengkel terhadap dirinya sendiri. He is annoyed at himself.

A phrase consisting of diri followed by a noun, meaning something like “the person of (noun)”, can occur in a non- reflexive context.

Examples:
– Saya akan menulis buku tentang diri Presiden.
I am going to write a book about the President.
– Ada cinta dalam diri manusia.
There is love within humans.