8 German Indefinite Words You Need to Know
Do you know the difference between nie and niemals, or between jemand and niemand? In this lesson you learn eight German indefinite words in four useful pairs: alles and nichts, jemals and nie, überall and nirgends, jemand and niemand. They are opposites, which makes them easy to remember.
1. alles and nichts
Alles means everything, nichts means nothing. With adjectives, use etwas, nichts and alles with a capitalised adjective: etwas Neues, nichts Neues, alles Gute.
2. jemals and nie / niemals
Jemals means ever and is used in questions: Warst du jemals in Berlin? The opposite is nie (never). Nie is more common. Niemals is stronger and is often used alone, as an emphatic answer: Würdest du das tun? - Niemals!
3. überall and nirgends
Überall means everywhere, nirgends means nowhere (also nirgendwo). They answer the question Wo?
4. jemand and niemand
Jemand means someone, niemand means no one. They change with the case:
| Case | jemand | niemand |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | jemand | niemand |
| Akkusativ | jemanden | niemanden |
| Dativ | jemandem | niemandem |
In spoken German, the endings in Akkusativ and Dativ are often dropped, so Ich kenne niemand is also common.
Bonus: irgendetwas and irgendjemand
In spoken German you often hear irgendetwas (something, anything) and irgendjemand (someone, anyone) for something unspecific. You can learn all irgend- words in the follow-up lesson.
Homework
Write four sentences, each with one of the pairs, and post them in the comments.
What to Learn Next
Continue with German irgend- Words and the pronoun lessons Indefinitpronomen Teil 1 and Teil 2.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are indefinite words in German?
They are words like alles, nichts, jemand or niemand that refer to unspecific persons, things, places or times.
What is the difference between nie and niemals?
Both mean never. Nie is more common. Niemals is stronger and is often used alone as an emphatic answer.
How do jemand and niemand change in the cases?
In the Akkusativ they become jemanden and niemanden, in the Dativ jemandem and niemandem. In spoken German the endings are often dropped.
When do I use jemals?
Jemals means ever and is mostly used in questions, for example Warst du jemals in Berlin?
What is the opposite of überall?
The opposite is nirgends (nowhere).
Want to build a richer vocabulary at B1 level? Our B1 German online course practises these words in context.
