'Keep it for you' vs 'Keep it for yourself'

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi

Could you please tell me which one of the following is better? Are both correct and natural?

1- Keep it for you.
2- Keep it for yourself.

Tom

2

Hi,

It depends whether the ‘keeping’ refers back to the subject as in:

You keep it for yourself.

I’ll keep it for you.

A

3

Thanks Alan

…what if I substitute with for for in my original sentences?

1- Keep it with you.
2- Keep it with yourself.

Tom

4

Hi Tom,

In that case you would only say ‘with’ you as the preposition ‘with’ is, as it were, more remote.

A

5

As Alan says, it depends on the subject of the sentence.

The general rule is that an ordinary pronoun (such as “you”) can’t refer to something within its own clause. So, for example, in the sentence, “She likes her,” the two pronouns have to refer to different people.

On the other hand, if you usually need a reflexive pronoun to refer to something within the same clause, so in, “She likes herself,” both pronouns have to refer to the same person.

If your entire sentences is, “Keep it for yourself,” it’s a command, and the implied subject is you, and so only the reflexive pronoun works. If you add a subject that is not “you”, such as “I”, “they”, etc., then the reflexive pronoun can’t be used.

This is the theory behind what Alan was saying.