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TOPIC · Articles & pronouns

Indefinite pronouns in German

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After this lesson you can recognize the main German indefinite pronouns, choose the correct forms and use them confidently in simple sentences.

In this lesson you learn the most common German indefinite pronouns (Indefinitpronomen) like jemand, niemand, etwas, nichts, alles, einige, manche, alle, jeder and man, and how to use them correctly.

1What are indefinite pronouns?

Indefinite pronouns refer to people or things that are not clearly specified. They often replace nouns when we speak in a general or vague way.

Examples:

  • Hast du etwas für mich? (Do you have something for me?) – etwas = some unknown thing.
  • Jemand wartet vor der Tür. (Someone is waiting at the door.) – jemand = a person, we don’t know who.

2Indefinite pronouns for people

Typical indefinite pronouns only for people:

  • jemand
  • niemand
  • alle (when talking about people)
  • jeder
  • man

2.1 Declension of „jemand“ and „niemand“

CaseForm „jemand“Form „niemand“
Nominativejemandniemand
Accusativejemandenniemanden
Dativejemandemniemandem

Examples:

  • Da sitzt jemand. (Someone is sitting there.)
  • Ich sehe jemanden. (I see someone.)
  • Ich helfe jemandem. (I help someone.)
  • Ich sehe niemanden. (I see no one / nobody.)

2.2 „man“

man is an impersonal pronoun, used for a general „people / one“. It appears only in the nominative, and the verb is always 3rd person singular.

Examples:

  • Man sagt, dass es morgen regnet. (People say that it will rain tomorrow.)
  • In Deutschland trinkt man viel Kaffee. (In Germany people drink a lot of coffee.)

For other cases German often uses einen (accusative) and einem (dative) with the same general meaning:

  • Das interessiert einen nicht. (That doesn’t interest you / one.)
  • Das fällt einem schwer. (That is difficult for you / one.)

2.3 „jeder“ and „alle“

  • jeder: focuses on each single person.
    • Jeder Schüler schreibt den Test. (Every student writes the test.)
  • alle: focuses on the group as a whole.
    • Alle Schüler schreiben den Test. (All (the) students write the test.)

3Indefinite pronouns for things

Typical indefinite pronouns only for things:

  • etwas
  • nichts
  • alles

These forms are not declined; they stay the same in all cases.

Examples:

  • Hörst du etwas? (Do you hear anything?) – Ja, ich höre etwas. (Yes, I hear something.)
  • Ich höre nichts. (I hear nothing / I don’t hear anything.) – nichts is the negation of etwas.
  • Alles ist ruhig. (Everything is quiet.)

4Indefinite pronouns for people and things

These pronouns can refer to people or things, often as plural forms:

  • einige
  • manche
  • alle

Examples:

  • Einige kommen später. (Some (people) will come later.)
  • Einige Bücher liegen auf dem Tisch. (Some books are lying on the table.)
  • Manche mögen Kaffee, manche nicht. (Some like coffee, some don’t.)
  • Alle wollen den neuen Film sehen. (Everyone / All of them want to see the new film.)

5Typical contrasts and mistakes

  • etwas vs. nichts:
    Hast du etwas gegessen? – Nein, ich habe nichts gegessen.
    (Have you eaten anything? – No, I haven’t eaten anything.)

  • jemand vs. niemand:
    Kennt jemand diese Stadt? – Nein, niemand kennt sie.
    (Does anyone know this city? – No, nobody knows it.)

  • Confusing jeder and alle:
    Jeder Schüler (each student, one by one) vs. alle Schüler (the whole group).

6Small self‑check

Fill in a suitable indefinite pronoun:

  1. ___ wartet auf dich vor der Tür.
  2. Ich habe ___ verstanden. (negation)
  3. ___ Menschen machen Fehler.
  4. ___ Kinder spielen im Park.
  5. Hörst du ___?

Suggested answers: 1. jemand 2. nichts 3. Alle / Man 4. Alle 5. etwas