“You are your self first supporter”, a more proper way to say it





.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty{ margin-bottom:0;
}







3















I want to say that the person himself/herself should be the first supporter of himself/herself. I came up with two different ways of saying that, and I want to know if they are all correct, and which one presents the best version.





  1. You are your self first supporter.


  2. You are the first supporter for yourself.





I prefer the first one as it sounds idiomatic, but I don't want the "your self" part to get confused with "yourself" when spoken loudly. So is there another word I can substitute "self" with?










share|improve this question

























  • Neither of these sound very idiomatic to me. "First supporter" sounds weird (like it was written by a non-native spaker) no matter the context. How about "always look out of number one" or some variant of that phrase?

    – only_pro
    7 hours ago













  • @only_pro | I would avoid the "number one" phrase at all costs. It may be only between Arabs, but when mentioned, this extremely bad song comes to mind.

    – Tasneem ZH
    7 hours ago






  • 1





    I'm not sure how that's relevant. When speaking English, you should use English idioms.

    – only_pro
    7 hours ago











  • @only_pro | If it was translated, I would agree. But the singer used it exactly as it is in English.

    – Tasneem ZH
    7 hours ago











  • Then I don't know what to tell you. A random song should not change how you speak English. And certainly most native speakers have never heard that song and/or don't care.

    – only_pro
    6 hours ago


















3















I want to say that the person himself/herself should be the first supporter of himself/herself. I came up with two different ways of saying that, and I want to know if they are all correct, and which one presents the best version.





  1. You are your self first supporter.


  2. You are the first supporter for yourself.





I prefer the first one as it sounds idiomatic, but I don't want the "your self" part to get confused with "yourself" when spoken loudly. So is there another word I can substitute "self" with?










share|improve this question

























  • Neither of these sound very idiomatic to me. "First supporter" sounds weird (like it was written by a non-native spaker) no matter the context. How about "always look out of number one" or some variant of that phrase?

    – only_pro
    7 hours ago













  • @only_pro | I would avoid the "number one" phrase at all costs. It may be only between Arabs, but when mentioned, this extremely bad song comes to mind.

    – Tasneem ZH
    7 hours ago






  • 1





    I'm not sure how that's relevant. When speaking English, you should use English idioms.

    – only_pro
    7 hours ago











  • @only_pro | If it was translated, I would agree. But the singer used it exactly as it is in English.

    – Tasneem ZH
    7 hours ago











  • Then I don't know what to tell you. A random song should not change how you speak English. And certainly most native speakers have never heard that song and/or don't care.

    – only_pro
    6 hours ago














3












3








3








I want to say that the person himself/herself should be the first supporter of himself/herself. I came up with two different ways of saying that, and I want to know if they are all correct, and which one presents the best version.





  1. You are your self first supporter.


  2. You are the first supporter for yourself.





I prefer the first one as it sounds idiomatic, but I don't want the "your self" part to get confused with "yourself" when spoken loudly. So is there another word I can substitute "self" with?










share|improve this question
















I want to say that the person himself/herself should be the first supporter of himself/herself. I came up with two different ways of saying that, and I want to know if they are all correct, and which one presents the best version.





  1. You are your self first supporter.


  2. You are the first supporter for yourself.





I prefer the first one as it sounds idiomatic, but I don't want the "your self" part to get confused with "yourself" when spoken loudly. So is there another word I can substitute "self" with?







phrases idiomatic-language






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 8 hours ago









Jasper

19.5k43872




19.5k43872










asked 10 hours ago









Tasneem ZHTasneem ZH

987220




987220













  • Neither of these sound very idiomatic to me. "First supporter" sounds weird (like it was written by a non-native spaker) no matter the context. How about "always look out of number one" or some variant of that phrase?

    – only_pro
    7 hours ago













  • @only_pro | I would avoid the "number one" phrase at all costs. It may be only between Arabs, but when mentioned, this extremely bad song comes to mind.

    – Tasneem ZH
    7 hours ago






  • 1





    I'm not sure how that's relevant. When speaking English, you should use English idioms.

    – only_pro
    7 hours ago











  • @only_pro | If it was translated, I would agree. But the singer used it exactly as it is in English.

    – Tasneem ZH
    7 hours ago











  • Then I don't know what to tell you. A random song should not change how you speak English. And certainly most native speakers have never heard that song and/or don't care.

    – only_pro
    6 hours ago



















  • Neither of these sound very idiomatic to me. "First supporter" sounds weird (like it was written by a non-native spaker) no matter the context. How about "always look out of number one" or some variant of that phrase?

    – only_pro
    7 hours ago













  • @only_pro | I would avoid the "number one" phrase at all costs. It may be only between Arabs, but when mentioned, this extremely bad song comes to mind.

    – Tasneem ZH
    7 hours ago






  • 1





    I'm not sure how that's relevant. When speaking English, you should use English idioms.

    – only_pro
    7 hours ago











  • @only_pro | If it was translated, I would agree. But the singer used it exactly as it is in English.

    – Tasneem ZH
    7 hours ago











  • Then I don't know what to tell you. A random song should not change how you speak English. And certainly most native speakers have never heard that song and/or don't care.

    – only_pro
    6 hours ago

















Neither of these sound very idiomatic to me. "First supporter" sounds weird (like it was written by a non-native spaker) no matter the context. How about "always look out of number one" or some variant of that phrase?

– only_pro
7 hours ago







Neither of these sound very idiomatic to me. "First supporter" sounds weird (like it was written by a non-native spaker) no matter the context. How about "always look out of number one" or some variant of that phrase?

– only_pro
7 hours ago















@only_pro | I would avoid the "number one" phrase at all costs. It may be only between Arabs, but when mentioned, this extremely bad song comes to mind.

– Tasneem ZH
7 hours ago





@only_pro | I would avoid the "number one" phrase at all costs. It may be only between Arabs, but when mentioned, this extremely bad song comes to mind.

– Tasneem ZH
7 hours ago




1




1





I'm not sure how that's relevant. When speaking English, you should use English idioms.

– only_pro
7 hours ago





I'm not sure how that's relevant. When speaking English, you should use English idioms.

– only_pro
7 hours ago













@only_pro | If it was translated, I would agree. But the singer used it exactly as it is in English.

– Tasneem ZH
7 hours ago





@only_pro | If it was translated, I would agree. But the singer used it exactly as it is in English.

– Tasneem ZH
7 hours ago













Then I don't know what to tell you. A random song should not change how you speak English. And certainly most native speakers have never heard that song and/or don't care.

– only_pro
6 hours ago





Then I don't know what to tell you. A random song should not change how you speak English. And certainly most native speakers have never heard that song and/or don't care.

– only_pro
6 hours ago










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















8
















  1. "You are your own biggest fan."




This would be an informal way of saying the same thing. It could be used positively or negatively. If used in a negative sense, it is stating sarcastically that the person thinks too much of himself.



Here's a link to an Internet search showing how similar sayings are used in a self-affirming sense: Link to search results






share|improve this answer


























  • Thanks for the suggestion, but would "fan" mean "supporter" literally?

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @TasneemZH -- Yes. Collins' dictionary lists this meaning as its first definition of "fan". I don't think this meaning was the original meaning of the word, though.

    – Jasper
    8 hours ago













  • 'Fan' usually means a supporter of somebody famous, like a performer or athlete, or a supporter of an athletic team. It can be used for something a person is interested in, like 'I'm a fan of movies'.

    – dwilli
    5 hours ago



















7














Here is a rhetorical question that makes the original poster's point:





  1. If you don't believe in yourself, who will?







share|improve this answer


























  • By numbering the examples, you are a genius. Thanks for your answer. (Did I phrase it correctly by the way?)

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @TasneemZH -- Your comment would make a good question.

    – Jasper
    8 hours ago











  • If that's the case, then I will save it for another time.

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago



















7














Statements like this typically use your own X:





  1. You are your own first supporter.




This:





  1. You are your self first supporter




sounds awkward. Self is not used as a modifier very often except as part of fixed phrases like self service.






share|improve this answer


























  • Such a great suggestion! Thank you.

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago






  • 2





    Downvoted because I think this suggestion still sounds awkward. I can't imagine a native speaker ever saying this. First Supporter sounds like the name of a cop show or something, lol.

    – only_pro
    7 hours ago





















0














Your first sentence is not grammatical English, so it will not sound natural to any native speaker. The reason is that 'self' is the indirect object of first supporter, but your sentence doesn't indicate the relationship. You would have to say




You are your own first supporter




Your second sentence fixes this problem by explaining that you are the first supporter of yourself. There is functionally no difference between 'your self' and 'yourself' in this case. They mean the same thing.



But neither sentence can be used by itself without sounding strange, because the phrase 'first supporter' is not a common phrase in native English. It's confusing because we don't know what is meant by the word 'first'. Does it mean you are the earliest one, the one that comes before the others sequentially? Or does it mean you're the most important one of all your supporters?



Also, the word 'supporter' is not usually used in a general way. It needs a context. A person might have supporters at work, or political supporters, but not just 'supporters'.



Your question says that you want to say a person 'should be' the first supporter of their self, but your suggestions use the verb 'are'. 'Are' doesn't mean the same as 'should be'. If you want to say that someone 'should be' their own supporter then use an imperative word like 'be'.




Be your own first supporter




The idiomatic phrase that comes to my mind for saying the same thing is




Be your own best friend




You could also say




Support yourself first




This could be understood in several ways, depending on what the word 'first' is referring to. You would have to clarify what 'first' means by adding context.




support yourself before you support others

support yourself before you do something else

support yourself before others support you







share|improve this answer


























    Your Answer








    StackExchange.ready(function() {
    var channelOptions = {
    tags: "".split(" "),
    id: "481"
    };
    initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

    StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
    // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
    if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
    StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
    createEditor();
    });
    }
    else {
    createEditor();
    }
    });

    function createEditor() {
    StackExchange.prepareEditor({
    heartbeatType: 'answer',
    autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
    convertImagesToLinks: false,
    noModals: true,
    showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
    reputationToPostImages: null,
    bindNavPrevention: true,
    postfix: "",
    imageUploader: {
    brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
    contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
    allowUrls: true
    },
    noCode: true, onDemand: true,
    discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
    ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
    });


    }
    });














    draft saved

    draft discarded


















    StackExchange.ready(
    function () {
    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f204062%2fyou-are-your-self-first-supporter-a-more-proper-way-to-say-it%23new-answer', 'question_page');
    }
    );

    Post as a guest















    Required, but never shown

























    4 Answers
    4






    active

    oldest

    votes








    4 Answers
    4






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    8
















    1. "You are your own biggest fan."




    This would be an informal way of saying the same thing. It could be used positively or negatively. If used in a negative sense, it is stating sarcastically that the person thinks too much of himself.



    Here's a link to an Internet search showing how similar sayings are used in a self-affirming sense: Link to search results






    share|improve this answer


























    • Thanks for the suggestion, but would "fan" mean "supporter" literally?

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 1





      @TasneemZH -- Yes. Collins' dictionary lists this meaning as its first definition of "fan". I don't think this meaning was the original meaning of the word, though.

      – Jasper
      8 hours ago













    • 'Fan' usually means a supporter of somebody famous, like a performer or athlete, or a supporter of an athletic team. It can be used for something a person is interested in, like 'I'm a fan of movies'.

      – dwilli
      5 hours ago
















    8
















    1. "You are your own biggest fan."




    This would be an informal way of saying the same thing. It could be used positively or negatively. If used in a negative sense, it is stating sarcastically that the person thinks too much of himself.



    Here's a link to an Internet search showing how similar sayings are used in a self-affirming sense: Link to search results






    share|improve this answer


























    • Thanks for the suggestion, but would "fan" mean "supporter" literally?

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 1





      @TasneemZH -- Yes. Collins' dictionary lists this meaning as its first definition of "fan". I don't think this meaning was the original meaning of the word, though.

      – Jasper
      8 hours ago













    • 'Fan' usually means a supporter of somebody famous, like a performer or athlete, or a supporter of an athletic team. It can be used for something a person is interested in, like 'I'm a fan of movies'.

      – dwilli
      5 hours ago














    8












    8








    8









    1. "You are your own biggest fan."




    This would be an informal way of saying the same thing. It could be used positively or negatively. If used in a negative sense, it is stating sarcastically that the person thinks too much of himself.



    Here's a link to an Internet search showing how similar sayings are used in a self-affirming sense: Link to search results






    share|improve this answer

















    1. "You are your own biggest fan."




    This would be an informal way of saying the same thing. It could be used positively or negatively. If used in a negative sense, it is stating sarcastically that the person thinks too much of himself.



    Here's a link to an Internet search showing how similar sayings are used in a self-affirming sense: Link to search results







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited 4 hours ago

























    answered 9 hours ago









    Don B.Don B.

    1,646312




    1,646312













    • Thanks for the suggestion, but would "fan" mean "supporter" literally?

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 1





      @TasneemZH -- Yes. Collins' dictionary lists this meaning as its first definition of "fan". I don't think this meaning was the original meaning of the word, though.

      – Jasper
      8 hours ago













    • 'Fan' usually means a supporter of somebody famous, like a performer or athlete, or a supporter of an athletic team. It can be used for something a person is interested in, like 'I'm a fan of movies'.

      – dwilli
      5 hours ago



















    • Thanks for the suggestion, but would "fan" mean "supporter" literally?

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 1





      @TasneemZH -- Yes. Collins' dictionary lists this meaning as its first definition of "fan". I don't think this meaning was the original meaning of the word, though.

      – Jasper
      8 hours ago













    • 'Fan' usually means a supporter of somebody famous, like a performer or athlete, or a supporter of an athletic team. It can be used for something a person is interested in, like 'I'm a fan of movies'.

      – dwilli
      5 hours ago

















    Thanks for the suggestion, but would "fan" mean "supporter" literally?

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago





    Thanks for the suggestion, but would "fan" mean "supporter" literally?

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago




    1




    1





    @TasneemZH -- Yes. Collins' dictionary lists this meaning as its first definition of "fan". I don't think this meaning was the original meaning of the word, though.

    – Jasper
    8 hours ago







    @TasneemZH -- Yes. Collins' dictionary lists this meaning as its first definition of "fan". I don't think this meaning was the original meaning of the word, though.

    – Jasper
    8 hours ago















    'Fan' usually means a supporter of somebody famous, like a performer or athlete, or a supporter of an athletic team. It can be used for something a person is interested in, like 'I'm a fan of movies'.

    – dwilli
    5 hours ago





    'Fan' usually means a supporter of somebody famous, like a performer or athlete, or a supporter of an athletic team. It can be used for something a person is interested in, like 'I'm a fan of movies'.

    – dwilli
    5 hours ago













    7














    Here is a rhetorical question that makes the original poster's point:





    1. If you don't believe in yourself, who will?







    share|improve this answer


























    • By numbering the examples, you are a genius. Thanks for your answer. (Did I phrase it correctly by the way?)

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 1





      @TasneemZH -- Your comment would make a good question.

      – Jasper
      8 hours ago











    • If that's the case, then I will save it for another time.

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago
















    7














    Here is a rhetorical question that makes the original poster's point:





    1. If you don't believe in yourself, who will?







    share|improve this answer


























    • By numbering the examples, you are a genius. Thanks for your answer. (Did I phrase it correctly by the way?)

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 1





      @TasneemZH -- Your comment would make a good question.

      – Jasper
      8 hours ago











    • If that's the case, then I will save it for another time.

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago














    7












    7








    7







    Here is a rhetorical question that makes the original poster's point:





    1. If you don't believe in yourself, who will?







    share|improve this answer















    Here is a rhetorical question that makes the original poster's point:





    1. If you don't believe in yourself, who will?








    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited 8 hours ago

























    answered 9 hours ago









    JasperJasper

    19.5k43872




    19.5k43872













    • By numbering the examples, you are a genius. Thanks for your answer. (Did I phrase it correctly by the way?)

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 1





      @TasneemZH -- Your comment would make a good question.

      – Jasper
      8 hours ago











    • If that's the case, then I will save it for another time.

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago



















    • By numbering the examples, you are a genius. Thanks for your answer. (Did I phrase it correctly by the way?)

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 1





      @TasneemZH -- Your comment would make a good question.

      – Jasper
      8 hours ago











    • If that's the case, then I will save it for another time.

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago

















    By numbering the examples, you are a genius. Thanks for your answer. (Did I phrase it correctly by the way?)

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago





    By numbering the examples, you are a genius. Thanks for your answer. (Did I phrase it correctly by the way?)

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago




    1




    1





    @TasneemZH -- Your comment would make a good question.

    – Jasper
    8 hours ago





    @TasneemZH -- Your comment would make a good question.

    – Jasper
    8 hours ago













    If that's the case, then I will save it for another time.

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago





    If that's the case, then I will save it for another time.

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago











    7














    Statements like this typically use your own X:





    1. You are your own first supporter.




    This:





    1. You are your self first supporter




    sounds awkward. Self is not used as a modifier very often except as part of fixed phrases like self service.






    share|improve this answer


























    • Such a great suggestion! Thank you.

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 2





      Downvoted because I think this suggestion still sounds awkward. I can't imagine a native speaker ever saying this. First Supporter sounds like the name of a cop show or something, lol.

      – only_pro
      7 hours ago


















    7














    Statements like this typically use your own X:





    1. You are your own first supporter.




    This:





    1. You are your self first supporter




    sounds awkward. Self is not used as a modifier very often except as part of fixed phrases like self service.






    share|improve this answer


























    • Such a great suggestion! Thank you.

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 2





      Downvoted because I think this suggestion still sounds awkward. I can't imagine a native speaker ever saying this. First Supporter sounds like the name of a cop show or something, lol.

      – only_pro
      7 hours ago
















    7












    7








    7







    Statements like this typically use your own X:





    1. You are your own first supporter.




    This:





    1. You are your self first supporter




    sounds awkward. Self is not used as a modifier very often except as part of fixed phrases like self service.






    share|improve this answer















    Statements like this typically use your own X:





    1. You are your own first supporter.




    This:





    1. You are your self first supporter




    sounds awkward. Self is not used as a modifier very often except as part of fixed phrases like self service.







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited 8 hours ago









    Jasper

    19.5k43872




    19.5k43872










    answered 9 hours ago









    LawrenceCLawrenceC

    27.7k1545




    27.7k1545













    • Such a great suggestion! Thank you.

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 2





      Downvoted because I think this suggestion still sounds awkward. I can't imagine a native speaker ever saying this. First Supporter sounds like the name of a cop show or something, lol.

      – only_pro
      7 hours ago





















    • Such a great suggestion! Thank you.

      – Tasneem ZH
      8 hours ago






    • 2





      Downvoted because I think this suggestion still sounds awkward. I can't imagine a native speaker ever saying this. First Supporter sounds like the name of a cop show or something, lol.

      – only_pro
      7 hours ago



















    Such a great suggestion! Thank you.

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago





    Such a great suggestion! Thank you.

    – Tasneem ZH
    8 hours ago




    2




    2





    Downvoted because I think this suggestion still sounds awkward. I can't imagine a native speaker ever saying this. First Supporter sounds like the name of a cop show or something, lol.

    – only_pro
    7 hours ago







    Downvoted because I think this suggestion still sounds awkward. I can't imagine a native speaker ever saying this. First Supporter sounds like the name of a cop show or something, lol.

    – only_pro
    7 hours ago













    0














    Your first sentence is not grammatical English, so it will not sound natural to any native speaker. The reason is that 'self' is the indirect object of first supporter, but your sentence doesn't indicate the relationship. You would have to say




    You are your own first supporter




    Your second sentence fixes this problem by explaining that you are the first supporter of yourself. There is functionally no difference between 'your self' and 'yourself' in this case. They mean the same thing.



    But neither sentence can be used by itself without sounding strange, because the phrase 'first supporter' is not a common phrase in native English. It's confusing because we don't know what is meant by the word 'first'. Does it mean you are the earliest one, the one that comes before the others sequentially? Or does it mean you're the most important one of all your supporters?



    Also, the word 'supporter' is not usually used in a general way. It needs a context. A person might have supporters at work, or political supporters, but not just 'supporters'.



    Your question says that you want to say a person 'should be' the first supporter of their self, but your suggestions use the verb 'are'. 'Are' doesn't mean the same as 'should be'. If you want to say that someone 'should be' their own supporter then use an imperative word like 'be'.




    Be your own first supporter




    The idiomatic phrase that comes to my mind for saying the same thing is




    Be your own best friend




    You could also say




    Support yourself first




    This could be understood in several ways, depending on what the word 'first' is referring to. You would have to clarify what 'first' means by adding context.




    support yourself before you support others

    support yourself before you do something else

    support yourself before others support you







    share|improve this answer






























      0














      Your first sentence is not grammatical English, so it will not sound natural to any native speaker. The reason is that 'self' is the indirect object of first supporter, but your sentence doesn't indicate the relationship. You would have to say




      You are your own first supporter




      Your second sentence fixes this problem by explaining that you are the first supporter of yourself. There is functionally no difference between 'your self' and 'yourself' in this case. They mean the same thing.



      But neither sentence can be used by itself without sounding strange, because the phrase 'first supporter' is not a common phrase in native English. It's confusing because we don't know what is meant by the word 'first'. Does it mean you are the earliest one, the one that comes before the others sequentially? Or does it mean you're the most important one of all your supporters?



      Also, the word 'supporter' is not usually used in a general way. It needs a context. A person might have supporters at work, or political supporters, but not just 'supporters'.



      Your question says that you want to say a person 'should be' the first supporter of their self, but your suggestions use the verb 'are'. 'Are' doesn't mean the same as 'should be'. If you want to say that someone 'should be' their own supporter then use an imperative word like 'be'.




      Be your own first supporter




      The idiomatic phrase that comes to my mind for saying the same thing is




      Be your own best friend




      You could also say




      Support yourself first




      This could be understood in several ways, depending on what the word 'first' is referring to. You would have to clarify what 'first' means by adding context.




      support yourself before you support others

      support yourself before you do something else

      support yourself before others support you







      share|improve this answer




























        0












        0








        0







        Your first sentence is not grammatical English, so it will not sound natural to any native speaker. The reason is that 'self' is the indirect object of first supporter, but your sentence doesn't indicate the relationship. You would have to say




        You are your own first supporter




        Your second sentence fixes this problem by explaining that you are the first supporter of yourself. There is functionally no difference between 'your self' and 'yourself' in this case. They mean the same thing.



        But neither sentence can be used by itself without sounding strange, because the phrase 'first supporter' is not a common phrase in native English. It's confusing because we don't know what is meant by the word 'first'. Does it mean you are the earliest one, the one that comes before the others sequentially? Or does it mean you're the most important one of all your supporters?



        Also, the word 'supporter' is not usually used in a general way. It needs a context. A person might have supporters at work, or political supporters, but not just 'supporters'.



        Your question says that you want to say a person 'should be' the first supporter of their self, but your suggestions use the verb 'are'. 'Are' doesn't mean the same as 'should be'. If you want to say that someone 'should be' their own supporter then use an imperative word like 'be'.




        Be your own first supporter




        The idiomatic phrase that comes to my mind for saying the same thing is




        Be your own best friend




        You could also say




        Support yourself first




        This could be understood in several ways, depending on what the word 'first' is referring to. You would have to clarify what 'first' means by adding context.




        support yourself before you support others

        support yourself before you do something else

        support yourself before others support you







        share|improve this answer















        Your first sentence is not grammatical English, so it will not sound natural to any native speaker. The reason is that 'self' is the indirect object of first supporter, but your sentence doesn't indicate the relationship. You would have to say




        You are your own first supporter




        Your second sentence fixes this problem by explaining that you are the first supporter of yourself. There is functionally no difference between 'your self' and 'yourself' in this case. They mean the same thing.



        But neither sentence can be used by itself without sounding strange, because the phrase 'first supporter' is not a common phrase in native English. It's confusing because we don't know what is meant by the word 'first'. Does it mean you are the earliest one, the one that comes before the others sequentially? Or does it mean you're the most important one of all your supporters?



        Also, the word 'supporter' is not usually used in a general way. It needs a context. A person might have supporters at work, or political supporters, but not just 'supporters'.



        Your question says that you want to say a person 'should be' the first supporter of their self, but your suggestions use the verb 'are'. 'Are' doesn't mean the same as 'should be'. If you want to say that someone 'should be' their own supporter then use an imperative word like 'be'.




        Be your own first supporter




        The idiomatic phrase that comes to my mind for saying the same thing is




        Be your own best friend




        You could also say




        Support yourself first




        This could be understood in several ways, depending on what the word 'first' is referring to. You would have to clarify what 'first' means by adding context.




        support yourself before you support others

        support yourself before you do something else

        support yourself before others support you








        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited 4 hours ago

























        answered 5 hours ago









        dwillidwilli

        1,604312




        1,604312






























            draft saved

            draft discarded




















































            Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language Learners Stack Exchange!


            • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

            But avoid



            • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

            • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


            To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




            draft saved


            draft discarded














            StackExchange.ready(
            function () {
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f204062%2fyou-are-your-self-first-supporter-a-more-proper-way-to-say-it%23new-answer', 'question_page');
            }
            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown





















































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown

































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown







            Popular posts from this blog

            How to label and detect the document text images

            Vallis Paradisi

            Tabula Rosettana