German · A2 · Everyday language
Someone, something, nothing in German
Use jemand (someone) and niemand (nobody) to talk about unnamed people, and etwas (something) and nichts (nothing) to talk about unnamed things.
What you'll learn
- Use jemand and niemand as the subject of a sentence.
- Use etwas and nichts as subjects or accusative objects.
- Understand that niemand and nichts already express a negative meaning.
German phrases for someone, something, nothing
Jemand wartet draußen.
Someone is waiting outside.
Jemand is the subject: an unnamed person is waiting.
Niemand sitzt auf diesem Stuhl.
Nobody is sitting on this chair.
Niemand is the subject and means that no person is sitting there.
Etwas bewegt sich in der Kiste.
Something is moving in the box.
Etwas is the subject: you do not name the thing that is moving.
Ich kann etwas hinter dem Vorhang hören.
I can hear something behind the curtain.
Etwas is the accusative object: it is what you can hear.
Möchtest du etwas trinken?
Would you like something to drink?
Etwas is the accusative object of trinken: it refers to an unspecified drink.
In meiner Hosentasche ist nichts.
There is nothing in my pocket.
Nichts is the subject here, even though it comes last. Hosentasche specifies a trouser pocket.
Niemand hat deinen Keks genommen.
Nobody has taken your biscuit.
Niemand is the subject. It already means 'nobody', so do not add nicht.
Jemand hat hier einen Hut liegen lassen.
Someone has left a hat here.
Jemand tells us that a person left the hat, without saying who.
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Try it free for 7 daysKey words
jemand
someone; somebody
Refers to a person without naming them.
niemand
nobody; no one
Means that there is no person who does the action.
etwas
something
Refers to a thing without naming it.
nichts
nothing
Means 'not anything'.
der Stuhl
chair
Plural: die Stühle.
die Kiste
box; crate
Plural: die Kisten.
der Vorhang
curtain
Plural: die Vorhänge.
die Hosentasche
trouser pocket
Plural: die Hosentaschen.
der Keks
biscuit; cookie
Plural: die Kekse.
der Hut
hat
Plural: die Hüte.
Jemand and niemand as subjects
Jemand means 'someone'; niemand means 'nobody'. As subjects, they answer 'Who?' and take a third-person singular verb, like er or sie.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| An unnamed person | jemand + singular verb | Jemand wartet draußen. |
| No person | niemand + singular verb | Niemand sitzt auf diesem Stuhl. |
Etwas and nichts: subjects or objects
Etwas and nichts refer to things. As subjects, they take a singular verb. As accusative objects, they tell us what someone hears, sees or does something with. Their forms do not change between these two roles.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Etwas as subject | etwas + singular verb | Etwas bewegt sich in der Kiste. |
| Nichts as subject | nichts + singular verb | Nichts bewegt sich. |
| Etwas as accusative object | subject + verb + etwas | Ich höre etwas. |
| Nichts as accusative object | subject + verb + nichts | Ich höre nichts. |
Negative meaning without an extra nicht
Niemand and nichts already make the statement negative. Do not add nicht to express 'nobody' or 'nothing'.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nobody | niemand, not niemand nicht | Niemand wartet draußen. |
| Nothing | nichts, not nichts nicht | Ich sehe nichts. |
More examples
Jemand klopft.
Someone is knocking.
Jemand is the subject; the person is not named.
Niemand ist hier.
Nobody is here.
Niemand takes the singular verb ist.
Etwas liegt auf dem Stuhl.
Something is lying on the chair.
Etwas is the subject.
Nichts passiert.
Nothing is happening.
Nichts is the subject and takes a singular verb.
Ich sehe etwas.
I can see something.
Etwas is the accusative object: what you see.
Ich sehe nichts.
I can't see anything.
Nichts is the accusative object. No extra nicht is needed.