The short answer
Myself is a reflexive pronoun. Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the sentence — they cannot start a sentence as the subject themselves. To introduce yourself, use “I am [Name]” or “My name is [Name]”.
When is ‘myself’ correct?
Reflexive pronouns have two valid uses in standard English:
Use 1 — Reflexive (subject and object are the same)
“I hurt myself.” — the subject (I) is also the object.
“She taught herself Python.”
Use 2 — Emphatic (to stress the subject did it personally)
“I will do it myself.”
“The Prime Minister himself attended the function.”
Wrong — Using reflexive as subject pronoun
“Myself Amirul Khan.” — no subject pronoun exists before “myself” to refer back to.
“Myself and my friend went to the market.” — wrong; use “My friend and I”.
Correct Introductions
The Full Reflexive Pronoun Table
| Subject | Reflexive | Correct example |
|---|---|---|
| I | myself | I did it myself. |
| you (singular) | yourself | You should believe in yourself. |
| he | himself | He hurt himself. |
| she | herself | She blamed herself. |
| it | itself | The door closed itself. |
| we | ourselves | We must protect ourselves. |
| you (plural) | yourselves | Help yourselves. |
| they | themselves | They introduced themselves. |
Why Does This Happen in Indian English?
In Hindi and Urdu, the word mera naam (my name) or main(I) is sometimes omitted or de-emphasised in rapid speech. Additionally, the reflexive introduction pattern “aapko apna parichay deta hoon” (I introduce myself to you) — when compressed — sounds like “myself [name]” in English. It has spread through formal presentations, office environments, and job interviews, and is now extremely widespread despite being grammatically wrong.
IELTS Speaking tip
IELTS examiners note pronoun errors. Starting your Part 1 introduction with “Myself [name]” immediately signals a pronoun problem and affects your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score. Use “I am [name]” — simple, correct, confident.