Indefinite and Negative Pronouns

Kurz erklärt

Indefinite pronouns refer to an unspecified person or thing: alguien means ‘someone’ and algo means ‘something’. Their negative counterparts are nadie (‘no one’) and nada (‘nothing’). Alguno and ninguno can replace a previously mentioned countable noun and change for gender: ¿Quieres alguna? (‘Do you want one?’).

Bildung

person: alguien ↔ nadie; thing: algo ↔ nada; countable noun already mentioned: alguno/alguna ↔ ninguno/ninguna

Verwendung

• Use alguien and nadie for people, and algo and nada for things or ideas.
• When nadie or nada comes after the verb, place no before the verb: No vino nadie.
• When nadie or nada comes before the verb, do not add no: Nadie vino.
• Use a before alguien or nadie when the verb normally requires the personal a: No conozco a nadie aquí.

Beispiele

• ¿Hay alguien en casa? — Is anyone at home?
• No necesito nada del supermercado. — I don’t need anything from the supermarket.
• Nadie sabe la respuesta. — No one knows the answer.
• Tengo varias camisas; puedes elegir alguna. — I have several shirts; you can choose one.

Typischer Fehler

❌ Vi a nadie.

✅ No vi a nadie.

Unlike standard English, Spanish normally uses no before the verb when nadie follows it. This double negative is required, not incorrect.

Merke

After the verb, nadie and nada normally need no before the verb. Before the verb, they express the negative by themselves.