German · A2 · Everyday language
Someone Is Here in German
Use jemand (someone), niemand (no one), etwas (something) and nichts (nothing) to talk gently about people and things without naming them.
What you'll learn
- Use jemand and niemand as the subject of a sentence.
- Use etwas and nichts as subjects or direct objects.
- Choose singular verb forms with these pronouns as subjects.
- Use reassuring phrases during everyday care.
German phrases for someone is here
Jemand macht dein Fläschchen warm.
Someone is warming your bottle.
Jemand means someone. Dein Fläschchen is a familiar way to say your feeding bottle.
Jemand wartet darauf, mit dir zu kuscheln.
Someone is waiting to cuddle you.
Mit dir kuscheln means to cuddle with you. Wartet darauf introduces what the person is waiting to do.
Niemand lässt dich allein.
No one is leaving you alone.
Niemand means no one. Lässt dich allein means leaves you alone.
Niemand schläft in deinem Kinderbettchen.
No one is sleeping in your cot.
Kinderbettchen is a gentle word for a small child's bed or cot. In deinem describes its location.
Etwas macht ein komisches Geräusch.
Something is making a funny noise.
Etwas is the subject. Komisch can mean funny or strange.
Nichts fehlt in deiner Tasche.
Nothing is missing from your bag.
Fehlen means to be missing. German naturally uses in deiner Tasche here.
Ich habe etwas für dich.
I have something for you.
Etwas is the direct object: it tells us what I have. Für dich means for you.
Für dein Bad brauchen wir sonst nichts.
We need nothing else for your bath.
Sonst nichts means nothing else. Nichts is the direct object of brauchen (to need).
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.
niemand
no one; nobody
Says that there is no person doing the action.
etwas
something
Refers to an unnamed thing.
nichts
nothing; not anything
Already has a negative meaning; do not add nicht.
das Fläschchen
small bottle; feeding bottle
The ending -chen makes a noun smaller or more affectionate. All nouns ending in -chen use das.
kuscheln
to cuddle; to snuggle
Use mit to say who you cuddle with: mit dir (with you).
das Geräusch
noise; sound
Ein Geräusch machen means to make a noise.
sonst nichts
nothing else
Useful when everything needed is already there.
Unnamed people as subjects
The subject tells us who does the action. Jemand and niemand take a third-person singular verb, just like er or sie.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Someone | jemand + singular verb | Jemand wartet. — Someone is waiting. |
| No one | niemand + singular verb | Niemand schläft. — No one is sleeping. |
Etwas and nichts: subjects or objects
Etwas and nichts keep the same form as subjects and accusative direct objects. As subjects, they take a singular verb. As objects, they answer what is had, needed or acted on.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Etwas as subject | etwas + singular verb | Etwas macht ein Geräusch. — Something is making a noise. |
| Nichts as subject | nichts + singular verb | Nichts fehlt. — Nothing is missing. |
| Etwas as object | subject + verb + etwas | Ich habe etwas. — I have something. |
| Nichts as object | subject + verb + nichts | Wir brauchen nichts. — We need nothing. |
Everyday sentence patterns
German uses the present tense for actions happening now. Niemand and nichts make a sentence negative without nicht. In statements, the conjugated verb is the second sentence element, even when a longer phrase comes first.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| An action happening now | subject + present-tense verb | Jemand wartet. — Someone is waiting. |
| Negative meaning | niemand or nichts, without nicht | Niemand fehlt. — No one is missing. |
| Bath phrase first | introductory phrase + verb + subject | Für dein Bad brauchen wir sonst nichts. — We need nothing else for your bath. |
More examples
Jemand ist hier.
Someone is here.
Jemand takes the singular verb ist.
Niemand geht weg.
No one is going away.
Weggehen means to go away. In this sentence, weg goes at the end.
Etwas ist in deiner Tasche.
Something is in your bag.
Etwas is the subject.
Du brauchst nichts.
You don't need anything.
Nichts is the direct object. English often uses not anything where German uses nichts.