What Does “Put yourself through sth” Mean?
“Put yourself through something” means to make yourself experience a difficult or unpleasant situation, often by choice.
Introduction
The phrase “put yourself through sth” is a common phrasal verb in English. It is often used when someone chooses to endure a challenging or uncomfortable experience. For example, a student might put themselves through years of hard study to earn a degree. Understanding the “put yourself through sth meaning” helps learners express the idea of willingly facing hardship for a goal or necessity. This phrase is useful in many contexts, from education and work to personal challenges.
Quick Info Box
- Phrasal verb: put yourself through something
- Type: transitive
- Level: B2
- Short meaning: to make yourself experience something difficult
Structure (Grammar Rules)
“Put yourself through sth” is an inseparable phrasal verb. You cannot place the object between “put” and “through.” The structure is:
- Subject + put + yourself + through + something
- Example: She put herself through college by working part-time.
How to Use Put yourself through sth?
Use this phrasal verb when talking about willingly undergoing a difficult or unpleasant experience. It often relates to education, hard work, or personal challenges. The focus is on the effort or hardship the person chooses to face.
Common subjects include “I,” “you,” “he,” “she,” or “they” with reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, etc.). The object is usually a noun referring to a challenging experience, such as “training,” “school,” or “hard times.”
Examples
People often put themselves through tough situations to reach their goals.
- She put herself through medical school by working nights.
- He put himself through intense training before the competition.
- They put themselves through a lot of stress to finish the project on time.
- I don’t want to put myself through that kind of pressure again.
- Putting yourself through hard work can be very rewarding.
Here’s “put yourself through sth in a sentence”: “I put myself through university by tutoring other students.”
Common Mistakes
Sometimes learners confuse the word order or omit the reflexive pronoun, which changes the meaning.
- Incorrect: I put through university myself.
- Correct: I put myself through university.
- Incorrect: She put herself the training through.
- Correct: She put herself through the training.
Differences / Synonyms
Similar phrasal verbs include “go through” and “put up with.”
- Put yourself through sth means choosing to experience difficulty.
- Go through sth means experiencing something, not always by choice.
- Put up with sth means tolerating something unpleasant but not necessarily choosing it.
Example: “She put herself through a tough course” vs. “She went through a tough time” vs. “She put up with bad conditions.”
Common Collocations
You often see this phrasal verb with words related to challenges or effort.
- Put yourself through college/university – study while supporting yourself financially
- Put yourself through training – complete difficult preparation
- Put yourself through hardship – endure difficult times
- Put yourself through pain – experience physical or emotional pain by choice
Related Phrasal Verbs
Here are related phrasal verbs of put yourself through sth:
Real-life Dialogue
Here’s a simple conversation using the phrase:
Anna: How did you manage to pay for your studies?
Ben: I put myself through college by working part-time jobs.
Anna: That must have been tough.
Ben: It was, but it was worth it.
Practice
Try this fill-in-the-blank exercise to practice:
Complete the sentence with the correct phrase:
She decided to ____________ the difficult training to improve her skills.
- a) put herself through
- b) put through herself
- c) put herself up with
Answer: a) put herself through
FAQ
- What does “put yourself through sth” mean? It means to make yourself experience something difficult or unpleasant.
- Can I say “put me through”? No, “put yourself through” requires a reflexive pronoun matching the subject.
- Is “put yourself through” separable? No, it is inseparable; you cannot split the phrase.
- Can it be used in the past tense? Yes, for example, “She put herself through university.”
- What are common things people put themselves through? Training, education, hardship, pain, or stress.
