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My doubt came with these 2 sentences (I don't know if it is correct):

Je ne sais pas comment parler pour moi-même.

J'ai étudié pour moi-même

Doing a little bit of research, I found the form par moi instead of pour moi. What's the difference between them and which one should I use in both cases?

(1st should be: I don't know how to talk (french) by myself; 2nd: I studied on my own)

Thank you!

2 Answers 2

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Pour is odd in both of your sentences.

Parler pour soi même is used to contrast with parler pour quelqu'un d'autre. In the first case, you express your own opinions while in the second one you are just a spokesperson, a porte-parole. This isn't what you want to express.

"Talk by myself" is more like parler de moi-même, parler par moi-même or simply parler sans assistance. Beware that the former (using de) is ambiguous and might mean "talk about myself."

J'ai étudié pour moi-même is dubious (study for me, study for myself)) as you cannot really study for someone else (unless when expressed in opposition to an alternative, as Najib commented). Here to match "by myself", you'd rather say: J'ai étudié par moi-même or the rarer j'ai étudié de moi-même.

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  • Regarding the last paragraph, this could be by opposition of studying to please one's parents, or to obtain a degree or whatever.
    – N.I.
    Commented Mar 14, 2018 at 14:51
  • @NajibIdrissi Granted. J'ai étudié pour faire plaisir à mes parents might be shortened in j'ai étudié pour mes parents and j'ai étudié pour la licence is also perfectly acceptable so j'ai étudié pour moi-même, pas pour mes parents (or pas pour la licence) are definitely valid.
    – jlliagre
    Commented Mar 15, 2018 at 0:04
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J'ai fait une petite recherche sur le net et j'ai trouvé cette traduction :

« Pour moi » signifie for me et « par moi » signifie by myself or through me.

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