In German, indefinite pronouns (Indefinitpronomen) are words like jemand meaning someone, etwas meaning something, alle meaning all, everything, everyone, or keine meaning none, which represent an undefined or nonspecific noun or group.
There are a number of indefinite pronouns in German. Some of these pronouns are only used for people (e.g. jemand), some only for things (e.g. etwas) and some can be used for both (e.g. kein). Each indefinite pronoun also comes with some of its own grammatical rules. For example, some of them can only act as the subject of a sentence. In this post, we’ll discuss the different types of German indefinite pronouns and how to use each one in context. Let’s have a look!
What are indefinite pronouns?
Indefinite pronouns are a subgroup of pronouns (words used in place of a noun) that are used to refer to people, animals, things, places, or concepts in a general or unspecified way. Unlike other kinds of pronouns like “she” or “those,” which refer to specific individuals or groups, indefinite pronouns refer to a broad type of noun or group. For example, a word like “someone” refers to a person, but not to any particular person we already have in mind. These pronouns are called “indefinite” because they refer to a noun that is not fully “defined.”
What are the most important indefinite pronouns in German?
In German, the most common indefinite pronouns can be divided into three main groups, based on what they refer to:
Humans:
man meaning one, you, jemand meaning someone, niemand meaning nobody
Things:
etwas meaning something, nichts meaning nothing
Either:
alle meaning all, everyone, everything, keine meaning none, eine meaning one, einige meaning some, manche meaning some, certain ones
German indefinite pronouns for humans
Let’s start with the pronouns that can be used to refer to humans — the equivalents of English words like “someone” or “nobody.”
‘Man’ (one, you)
Man is a very common pronoun in German that used to refer to a single unspecified person. It is similar to the English pronouns “one,” in that it can mean “someone,” but it more often stands abstractly for “people in general.”
In German, we quite often use man as a rough equivalent to the passive voice. For example:
Man sagt, im Winter ist es kalt und jeder Mensch wird einmal alt.Translation: It is said, winter it is cold and everyone grows old once.Literally: One says, ...Man can also be used to make generalizations or express opinions without specifying the subject:
In der Schweiz isst man viel Käse.Translation: In Switzerland, people eat a lot of cheese.Literally: In Switzerland, one eats a lot of cheese.In some cases, man can be translated into English using the generic “you”:
Das sollte man nicht vergessen.Translation: You shouldn’t forget that.Literally: One shouldn’t forget that.Just remember that, however it’s translated, in German this pronoun is always singular and third person, so the verb should match that!
Unlike other indefinite pronouns, man is only used in the nominative case. If you want to use “someone” as an object or possessor, you’ll want to use jemand meaning someone instead:
- ❌Suchen Sie man?
✅Suchen Sie jemanden?Translation: Are you looking for someone? - ❌Wir schreiben man einen Brief.
✅Wir schreiben jemandem einen Brief.Translation: We’re writing someone a letter.
‘Jemand’ (someone)
Jemand means “someone” or “somebody.” Unlike man meaning one, which refers to “any person in general,” jemand is used to refer to a specific person whose identity is just unspecified. For example:
Jemand hat mein Auto gestohlen.Translation: Someone stole my car.There was a specific person who did it, but I don’t know who.It is also very common to use jemand in questions:
Hat mich jemand angerufen?Translation: Did someone call me?Jemand is always masculine, even in contexts where it clearly refers to someone female, and it is inflected depending on its case.
- Ich habe mich in jemanden verliebt.Translation: I have fallen in love with someone.
- Hast du das Geheimnis jemandem erzählt?Translation: Have you told anyone the secret?
Check out our table of indefinite pronouns to see all the declined forms of jemand!
‘Niemand’ (nobody, no one, not anyone)
Another word that refers to people in a general sense is niemand meaning nobody, no one, which refers to the absence of a person or people.
Niemand antwortete auf die Frage des Lehrers.Translation: No one answered the teacher's question.Niemand can take endings, just like jemand, but it doesn’t have to be. Both of the following examples are correct:
✅Ich sehe niemanden.
✅Ich sehe niemand.Translation: I don’t see anyone.You can see all the inflected forms of niemand in our table of indefinite pronouns.
German indefinite pronouns referring to things
Next, let’s discuss the pronouns that can be used for things and non-human nouns. These are the German equivalents of words like “nothing” or “something.”
‘Etwas’ (something)
Etwas means “something” and it is a staple word in of the German. Unlike some other German indefinite pronouns, it is not inflected — it stays the same across all cases.
- Nominative:Etwas stimmt hier nicht.Translation: Something isn’t right here.
- Accusative:Wer hat etwas gesehen?Translation: Who has seen something?
- Accusative:Wir haben etwas für dich mitgebracht.Translation: We brought something for you.
‘Nichts’ (nothing, not anything)
Nichts means “nothing” but it can also be used in situations where you might use “not” + “anything” in English. This is another indefinite pronoun — its form stays the same across all cases!
- Nichts ist schöner als ausschlafen!Translation: Nothing is better than sleeping in!
- Nichts funktioniert mehr.Translation: Nothing works any more.
- Warum wurde nichts unternommen?Translation: Why was nothing done?
- Ich verstehe nichts.Translation: I don’t understand anything.
Other German indefinite pronouns
All the other common German indefinite pronouns can be used to refer to either people or things. Let’s have a look!
‘Alle’ (all, everything, everyone)
Alle means “all,” but it can be used to replace “all” + noun, and so it is often translated as “everything” or “everyone.”
- Alle haben das Spiel gesehen.Translation: Everyone has seen the game.Literally: (They) all have seen the game.
- Wir haben allen eine Einladung geschickt.Translation: We sent everyone an invitation.Literally: We sent (them) all an invitation.
- Alles gefällt mir.Translation: I like everything.Literally: I like (it) all.
The endings of alle depend on its gender, case, and number. Its endings are similar to those of the neuter indefinite article. When it means “everybody,” the verb will need to be plural. When meaning “everything”, it is singular.
‘Keine’ (none, not one, nobody)
The opposite of alle is keine meaning none.
Wir haben drei Katzen. Keine ist älter als drei Jahre alt.Translation: We have three cats. None is older than three years old.Keine is similar to niemand, with the important difference that it can refer to any sort of noun, not just people.
- Das interessiert doch niemand(en).Translation: Nobody cares about that.Nobody generally.
- Das interessiert doch keinen.Translation: None care about that.Nobody, from some group.
While the two expressions are mostly exchangeable, keine sounds more specific than niemand, as it refers to none, from some particular group. Niemand is a more general lack of anyone.
‘Eine’ (one, one of them)
Eine meaning onerefers to a single non-specific person or thing. However, unlike man meaning one, which is used to represent one “generic” person, eine is used more like the phrase “one of them,” it represents a non-specific individual from a known group.
Viele haben es versucht, einer hat es geschafft.Translation: Many tried, one succeeded.This indefinite pronoun takes endings that depend on the grammatical gender and case of the type of noun it represents:
- Feminine singular nominative:Alle Schülerinnen haben die Prüfung bestanden, eine sogar mit der vollen Punktzahl.Translation: All the (female) students passed the exam, one even with the full score.
- Masculine singular dative:Allen Hunden schmeckt das Futter, nur einem nicht.Translation: All dogs like the food, except one.
‘Einige’ (some, a few)
Einige refers to an unspecified amount of people or things and can be translated into English as “some” or “a few.” It is one of the inflected pronouns, which means its ending changes depending on case:
- Einige mögen dunkle Schokolade besser als helle.Translation: Some like dark chocolate better than light chocolate.
- Der neue Film gefällt einigen ganz gut.Translation: Some quite like the new movie.
‘Manche’ (some, certain one(s))
Manche means “some” or “certain one(s)” in English and is similar to the aforementioned einige. It is usually used in the plural and is inflected:
- Manche fahren schneller als andere.Translation: Some drive faster than others.
- Manche trinken lieber Tee als Kaffee.Translation: Some prefer to drink tea rather than coffee.
- Die Nachricht hat manche überrascht.Translation: The news took some by surprise.
- Durian schmeckt manchen mehr als anderen.Translation: Durian tastes better to some than others.
However, there are instances where manche is singular:
- Manchen haben seine Worte inspiriert.Translation: To some, his words were inspiring.
- Diese Therapie hat schon manchem gut getan.Translation: This therapy has already done many a person good.
- Manches ist schwierig vorherzusagen.Translation: Many a thing is difficult to predict.
Tips for choosing and using German indefinite pronouns
Here are some tips for using German indefinite pronouns that will help you choose between them, or use them more naturally:
Choosing your indefinite pronoun:
Not sure which indefinite pronoun to use? It might help to imagine these pronouns as part of a scale from less to more:
(less)
niemand / keine
manche
viele
alle
(more)
Alle bestellten eine Hauptspeise, viele bestellten eine Vorspeise, einige bestellten keine Vorspeise, manche bestellten auch ein Dessert und niemand ging hungrig nach Hause.Translation: Everyone ordered a main course, many ordered a starter, some didn’t order a starter, some (fewer) ordered a dessert too, and no one went home hungry.The prefix irgend-:
In colloquial speech, the prefix irgend- can be added to jemand, etwas, or ein to emphasize the indefiniteness, arbitrariness, or generic nature of a named person or thing:
- Ist irgendjemand zuhause?Translation: Is anybody home?
- Irgendetwas stimmt nicht.Translation: Something isn’t right.
- Willst du diesen oder diesen? - Egal, gib mir irgendeinen!Translation: Do you want this one or this one? - Never mind, give me any one!
Which German indefinite pronouns are declined?
In German, the indefinite pronouns jemand meaning someone, niemand meaning no one, alle meaning all, kein meaning none, ein meaning one, manche meaning many a..., and einige meaning some are declined for case, meaning that they take different endings depending on their grammatical role in a sentence.
However, the pronouns man meaning one, you, etwas meaning something, and nichts (nothing), never change their forms.
| Nominative (for the subject) |
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|---|---|
| Accusative (for the direct object) |
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| Dative (for the indirect object) |
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| Genitive (for the possessor) |
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Check out our table of German indefinite pronoun declensions to see all the different forms you’ll need to know!
Summary
There you have it — the German indefinite pronouns! Here are the main things to remember:
The most common German indefinite pronouns are:
for humans → man meaning one, you, jemand meaning someone, niemand meaning nobody
for things → etwas meaning something, nichts meaning nothing
for humans or things → alle meaning all, everyone, everything, keine meaning none, eine meaning one, einige meaning some, manche
The following indefinite pronouns are declined: jemand, niemand, alle, kein, ein, manche, einige, but the others aren’t.
Want to review what you’ve learned? Don’t forget to check out this declension chart or this list of more German indefinite pronouns! Or, if you’re ready for a challenge, check out our German indefinite pronoun exercises!
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