Indefinite pronouns: man, jemand and alle

In brief

Use indefinite pronouns when you mean people in general, an unspecified person, or everyone in a group. Man means ‘people’, ‘you’ or ‘one’ in general statements; jemand means ‘someone’, and alle means ‘everyone’ or ‘all of them’.

Form

man + singular verb; jemand (subject), jemanden (direct object), jemandem (indirect object); alle + plural verb when referring to a group of people.

Usage

• Use man only as the subject of a general statement. Its verb is singular, even when the English translation uses ‘people’.
• Use jemand for one unspecified person. As an object, jemanden and jemandem are clear, common forms in everyday German.
• Use alle on its own when the group is understood from context; its verb is plural.

Examples

• Man kann hier mit Karte bezahlen. — You can pay by card here.
• Ich habe jemanden an der Tür gehört. — I heard someone at the door.
• Ich habe jemandem den Weg gezeigt. — I showed someone the way.
• Alle sind schon da. — Everyone is already here.

Common mistake

❌ Man können hier mit Karte bezahlen.

✅ Man kann hier mit Karte bezahlen.

Even if you translate man as ‘people’, it takes a singular verb in German: man kann, not man können.

Remember

man is the general pronoun; Mann means ‘man’ as a person.