însele

See also: insele

Romanian

Etymology

From the definite articulated form of înse, feminine plural of îns (formed with the definite article -le). This strays from the usual pattern that affixes -și (from the third-person unstressed dative își) to an inflection of îns (in this case înse), and instead simply directly uses the definite feminine plural form of îns, a word which is itself otherwise archaic or obsolete when used on its own. The expected result according to the pattern is înseși, and although this is technically correct and occasionally used, due to the normality of the use of însele in speech, it is sometimes discouraged, an issue that has not been fully resolved by the Romanian Academy.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

însele f pl (masculine singular însuși, feminine singular însăși, masculine plural înșiși)

1. (feminine) themselves

   Synonym: înseși

   Ele însele ― They themselves

Related terms

• înșine
• înșivă