At CEFR level A1, learners master German indefinite pronouns to talk about unspecified people and things — essential for expressing ideas like someone, nobody, everything and nothing in everyday German.
jemand, niemand, alle, etwas, nichts, alles
At CEFR level A1, learners master German indefinite pronouns to talk about unspecified people and things — essential for expressing ideas like someone, nobody, everything and nothing in everyday German.
Indefinite pronouns refer to unspecified people or things. They do not name a specific noun but stand in place of an unspecified person or thing. They are used when we don't know, don't want to say, or don't need to specify who or what we are talking about.
Personen (People):
Jemand klopft an der Tür.
Somebody is knocking at the door.
"jemand" refers to an unspecified person
Dinge (Things):
Ich möchte etwas trinken.
I would like something to drink.
"etwas" refers to an unspecified thing
Indefinite pronouns have different forms depending on whether they refer to people or things, and some of them change according to the grammatical case.
| Kasus | jemand | niemand | alle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | jemand | niemand | alle |
| Akkusativ | jemand(en) | niemand(en) | alle |
| Dativ | jemand(em) | niemand(em) | allen |
Note: The endings for jemand and niemand are optional in spoken German. Both forms are accepted in everyday speech.
| Kasus | etwas | nichts | alles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | etwas | nichts | alles |
| Akkusativ | etwas | nichts | alles |
| Dativ | etwas | nichts | allem |
1. Jemand und niemand – optionale Endungen
In spoken and informal German, jemand and niemand are often used without case endings. Both forms are grammatically correct.
2. Etwas und nichts bleiben unverändert
Unlike personal pronouns, etwas and nichts never change their form — they are indeclinable and always look the same regardless of case.
3. Alle und alles – unterschiedliche Bedeutungen
Alle (everybody) and alles (everything) are related but used very differently. Alle refers to all people and requires a plural verb; alles refers to all things and takes a singular verb.
alle
Alle sind eingeladen.
Everybody is invited. (plural verb)
alles
Alles ist fertig.
Everything is ready. (singular verb)
Jemand
Jemand hat angerufen.
Somebody called.
Ich kenne hier jemanden.
I know somebody here.
Niemand
Niemand war zu Hause.
Nobody was at home.
Ich habe niemanden gesehen.
I didn't see anybody.
Etwas
Etwas stimmt nicht.
Something is not right.
Ich habe etwas Wichtiges vergessen.
I forgot something important.
Nichts
Ich verstehe nichts.
I understand nothing.
Es gibt nichts zu essen.
There is nothing to eat.
Alle
Alle kommen zur Party.
Everybody is coming to the party.
Das Restaurant gefällt allen.
Everybody likes the restaurant.
Alles
Alles ist in Ordnung.
Everything is fine.
Ich habe alles verstanden.
I understood everything.
Mit Adjektiven
etwas Neues
something new
nichts Besonderes
nothing special
In Fragen
Ist jemand da?
Is anyone there?
Möchtest du etwas?
Would you like something?
In negativen Sätzen
Niemand weiß es.
Nobody knows it.
Ich habe nichts gehört.
I didn't hear anything.
Alle (everybody) refers to a group of people and takes a plural verb: Alle sind eingeladen. (Everybody is invited.) Alles (everything) refers to things or a general totality and takes a singular verb: Alles ist fertig. (Everything is ready.) The key difference is whether you are referring to people (alle) or things/concepts (alles).
Yes, but the case endings for jemand and niemand are optional in spoken German. Nominativ: jemand, Akkusativ: jemand(en), Dativ: jemand(em). In formal writing the endings are preferred, but in everyday speech both forms with and without endings are accepted: Ich habe jemand/jemanden gesehen.
No — etwas (something) and nichts (nothing) are completely indeclinable. They have only one form regardless of case: Ich möchte etwas trinken. (Nominativ/Akkusativ), Das hilft bei nichts. (Dativ). This makes them easy to use once you know them.
When etwas is followed by an adjective, the adjective is capitalised and takes the ending -es: etwas Neues (something new), etwas Interessantes (something interesting). The same pattern applies to nichts: nichts Besonderes (nothing special).
'Alle' (everybody) refers to a group of people and takes a plural verb: 'Alle sind eingeladen.' (Everybody is invited.) 'Alles' (everything) refers to things or a general totality and takes a singular verb: 'Alles ist fertig.' (Everything is ready.) The key difference is whether you are referring to people (alle) or things/concepts (alles).
Yes, but the case endings for 'jemand' and 'niemand' are optional in spoken German. Nominativ: jemand, Akkusativ: jemand(en), Dativ: jemand(em). In formal writing the endings are preferred, but in everyday speech both forms with and without endings are accepted: 'Ich habe jemand/jemanden gesehen.' (I saw someone.)
No — 'etwas' (something) and 'nichts' (nothing) are completely indeclinable. They have only one form regardless of case: 'Ich möchte etwas trinken.' (Nominativ/Akkusativ), 'Das hilft bei nichts.' (Dativ). This makes them easy to use once you know them.
When 'etwas' is followed by an adjective, the adjective is capitalised and takes the ending -es: 'etwas Neues' (something new), 'etwas Interessantes' (something interesting). The same pattern applies to 'nichts': 'nichts Besonderes' (nothing special).