do (something) oneself
Native recording
Analyzing pitch…
Pitch graph is unavailable
- 1 do (something) oneself、make (something) oneself
Describes doing or making something oneself rather than having someone else do it.
do (something) oneself、make (something) oneself
Means to personally carry out a task or make something instead of relying on someone else.
-
อาหารนี้ฉันทำเอง aahǎan níi chǎn tham eeŋ I made this food myself. อาหารนี้ฉันทำเอง details
-
ลองทำเองดู lɔɔŋ tham eeŋ duu Try doing it yourself. ลองทำเองดู details
Show more (1)
-
เขาทำเองทั้งหมด khǎw tham eeŋ tháŋmòt He did everything himself. เขาทำเองทั้งหมด details
Learning notes
Explanation
This common everyday expression combines ทำ, “do” or “make,” with เอง, “oneself.” The exact sense of ทำ depends on its object. With a task, ทำเอง usually means “do it oneself”; with food or an object, it can mean “make it oneself.” It does not always imply making or crafting something. เอง refers back to the person performing the action, so its English equivalent may be “myself,” “yourself,” “himself,” “herself,” or another reflexive form depending on the subject.
Usage
It is often used when saying that someone handled a task, procedure, or household chore without assistance, or personally made food, an object, or a website. It also appears in encouragements such as ลองทำเองดู, “Try doing it yourself.”
Caution
When directed at someone, ทำเองสิ can sound dismissive—like “Do it yourself”—depending on tone and context. ลองทำเองดูนะ is a gentler way to suggest that someone try. Also, ฉันทำเอง emphasizes doing it without having another person do it, whereas placing เอง after the subject, as in ฉันเองทำ, more strongly contrasts the subject: “I am the one who does it.”
Differences from similar words
1 do (something) oneself synonyms
-
ทำด้วยตัวเอง also means to do something personally. It is a longer, more explicit alternative, while ทำเอง is shorter and especially common in everyday conversation.