German · A2 · Everyday language
Someone Can Help in German
Use jemand, niemand, etwas and nichts to talk about people and things as your child gets ready for group activities.
What you'll learn
- Use jemand and niemand as subjects to talk about unnamed people.
- Use etwas and nichts as subjects or accusative objects to talk about things.
- Ask what your child needs and explain what is missing or ready.
German phrases for someone can help
Jemand wartet draußen auf dich.
Someone is waiting for you outside.
Warten auf means “to wait for.” Use dich when speaking directly to your child.
Jemand hat dein Notizbuch.
Someone has your notebook.
Jemand takes a singular verb: hat, not haben.
Niemand benutzt den Computer.
Nobody is using the computer.
German uses the present tense here for an action happening now.
Niemand muss jetzt schon nach Hause gehen.
Nobody has to go home yet.
This means nobody needs to leave this early. With muss, the infinitive gehen goes at the end.
Bei deinem Projekt fehlt etwas.
Something is missing from your project.
Etwas is the subject, even though it comes after the verb.
Nichts ist kaputt.
Nothing is broken.
Nichts is the subject and takes the singular verb ist.
Brauchst du etwas für deinen Club?
Do you need something for your club?
Etwas is the accusative object of brauchst. In a yes/no question, the verb comes first.
Wir brauchen nichts für das Spiel.
We need nothing for the game.
Nichts is the accusative object. It already makes the sentence negative, so do not add nicht.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
jemand
someone; somebody
Refers to a person without saying who they are.
niemand
nobody; no one
Means that there is no person who does the action.
etwas
something
Refers to an unspecified thing. Its form stays the same as a subject or object.
nichts
nothing; not anything
Refers to no thing. Its form stays the same as a subject or object.
fehlen
to be missing
The missing thing is the subject: Etwas fehlt means “Something is missing.”
kaputt
broken
A common everyday word for something that is damaged or does not work.
der Club
club
For a school activity group, German often uses die AG instead.
Jemand and niemand as subjects
Jemand and niemand refer to people. As subjects, they are in the nominative case and take a third-person singular verb, just like er or sie. They do not indicate whether the person is male or female.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Someone does something | jemand + singular verb | Jemand hat dein Notizbuch. |
| Nobody does something | niemand + singular verb | Niemand benutzt den Computer. |
Etwas and nichts as subjects or objects
Etwas and nichts refer to things. A subject tells you what is doing something or being described. An accusative object tells you what someone needs, has or uses. Etwas and nichts keep the same form in both roles and do not take an article.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Etwas as subject | etwas + singular verb | Etwas fehlt. |
| Nichts as subject | nichts + singular verb | Nichts ist kaputt. |
| Etwas as accusative object | subject + brauchen + etwas | Wir brauchen etwas für das Spiel. |
| Nichts as accusative object | subject + brauchen + nichts | Wir brauchen nichts für das Spiel. |
Making a negative statement
Niemand and nichts already express a negative meaning. Do not add nicht to negate the same action.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| No person | niemand, not niemand nicht | Niemand wartet draußen. |
| No thing | nichts, not nichts nicht | Wir brauchen nichts. |
More examples
Jemand kann dir helfen.
Someone can help you.
Jemand takes the singular form kann. The infinitive helfen goes at the end.
Braucht jemand einen Stift?
Does anyone need a pen?
In a question, jemand can mean “anyone.” It is still the subject.
Für das Spiel fehlt nichts.
Nothing is missing for the game.
Nichts is the subject. Starting with für das Spiel puts the game in focus.