Iemand, iets, iedereen, alles and more Dutch indefinite pronouns
Learn iemand, niemand, iets, niets, alles, iedereen, elk/elke, sommige, beide, ergens and overal in Dutch, with agreement rules and examples.
Someone, nothing, everyone, everywhere: you need these words in every conversation, and Dutch has a neat, regular set of them. Most come in families (iemand / niemand, iets / niets, ergens / nergens), so once you see the pattern, half the work is done. The tricky parts are small: elk or elke, al or alle, and the verb after iedereen.
People and things: iemand, niemand, iets, niets
| Positive | Negative | Everything / everyone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| people | iemand — someone | niemand — no one | iedereen — everyone |
| things | iets — something | niets / niks — nothing | alles — everything |
| places | ergens — somewhere | nergens — nowhere | overal — everywhere |
Some examples:
- Is er iemand thuis? — Is anyone home?
- Er is niemand thuis. — Nobody's home.
- Ik hoor iets. — I hear something.
- Ik heb niets gezien. — I didn't see anything.
- Alles is goed. — Everything is fine.
Notice that Dutch has no separate word for "anyone" or "anything". In questions, iemand and iets cover both: Wil je iets drinken? — Would you like something / anything to drink?
Niks means the same as niets, but it's informal. You'll hear it constantly: Ik weet het niet, ik heb niks gehoord. — I don't know, I haven't heard anything. In writing, use niets.
Wat is the informal version of iets: Wil je wat eten? — Do you want something to eat?
Anders means "else": iemand anders (someone else), niets anders (nothing else), ergens anders (somewhere else).
Tip: Dutch never doubles the negation. "I didn't see nobody" style sentences don't exist in standard Dutch. Wrong: Ik heb niet niemand gezien. Right: Ik heb niemand gezien.
Singular verbs with iedereen, niemand and alles
Iedereen, niemand, iemand, alles, iets and niets always take a singular verb, just like English "everyone is":
- Iedereen is welkom. — Everyone is welcome.
- Iedereen heeft een kaartje. — Everyone has a ticket.
- Niemand weet het. — Nobody knows.
- Alles kost hier twee euro. — Everything costs two euros here.
Wrong: Iedereen zijn welkom.
What about "everyone has their own opinion"? Traditionally, Dutch uses zijn: Iedereen heeft zijn eigen mening. Many people now write zijn of haar to be inclusive. Hun is heard in speech, but in formal writing many people still consider it incorrect after iedereen.
Allemaal and al/alle
Allemaal
Allemaal means "all (of us, them)". It doesn't go before a noun; it usually comes after the verb, in the middle of the sentence.
- We gaan allemaal mee. — We're all coming along.
- De kopjes zijn allemaal kapot. — The cups are all broken.
- Dat is allemaal onzin. — That's all nonsense.
Allemaal goes with a plural subject (or a summary like dat), so: We zijn allemaal moe. — We're all tired.
Al and alle
Before a noun, "all" is alle or al:
- alle + plural noun: alle kinderen (all the children), alle huizen (all the houses)
- al + another determiner (de, het, mijn, die, deze…): al het geld (all the money), al mijn vrienden (all my friends), al die mensen (all those people)
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Alle winkels zijn dicht. | All the shops are closed. |
| Al het brood is op. | All the bread is gone. |
| Al mijn vrienden komen. | All my friends are coming. |
| Ik heb alles opgegeten. | I ate everything. |
Wrong: alle het geld. Note also that alle already means "all the", so you don't add de: alle kinderen, not Wrong: alle de kinderen.
Elk, elke, ieder, iedere
"Each" or "every" has two forms, and the choice depends on the noun's article, just like adjective endings:
- de-words: elke / iedere — elke dag, elke stoel, iedere week
- het-words: elk / ieder — elk huis, elk jaar, ieder kind
| de-word | het-word |
|---|---|
| elke stoel — every chair | elk huis — every house |
| elke dag — every day | elk jaar — every year |
| iedere keer — every time | ieder kind — every child |
Elk(e) and ieder(e) mean the same. Ieder(e) sounds a bit more formal, and elke is the most common in speech. They're always followed by a singular noun and a singular verb: Elk kind krijgt een cadeautje. — Every child gets a present.
Without a noun, elk and ieder can mean "each (one)": Ze kregen elk tien euro. — They each got ten euros.
If you're unsure about the article, check our de or het guide or drill it with the de/het trainer.
Sommige, enkele, geen enkele, beide
Sommige means "some" (but not others), with plural nouns:
- Sommige mensen houden niet van kaas. — Some people don't like cheese.
Used on its own for people, it gets an -n: Sommigen vinden het leuk. — Some (people) like it. This is a bit formal.
Enkele means "a few", also with plurals: Ik blijf enkele dagen. — I'm staying a few days. In speech, een paar is more common: een paar dagen.
Geen enkele means "not a single" or "no … at all". Watch the ending: enkele with de-words, enkel with het-words.
- Er is geen enkele kans. — There's no chance at all.
- Geen enkel probleem! — No problem at all!
Beide means "both", before a plural noun: beide kinderen (both children), aan beide kanten (on both sides). In everyday speech, people more often say allebei, which works like allemaal:
- We komen allebei. — We're both coming.
- Ze zijn allebei ziek. — They're both ill.
Ergens, nergens, overal
These three are the place versions:
- Mijn sleutels liggen ergens in de keuken. — My keys are somewhere in the kitchen.
- Ik kan mijn bril nergens vinden. — I can't find my glasses anywhere.
- Ik heb overal gezocht. — I've looked everywhere.
Like iemand and iets, they also cover "anywhere" in questions: Heb je hem ergens gezien? — Have you seen him anywhere?
Ergens and nergens also combine with prepositions for "something" and "nothing": Ik heb ergens zin in. — I feel like something. Hij is nergens bang voor. — He isn't afraid of anything. More on this pattern in the word er.
Quick summary
- iemand / niemand / iedereen (people), iets / niets / alles (things), ergens / nergens / overal (places).
- In questions, iemand, iets and ergens also mean "anyone", "anything", "anywhere".
- Niks = informal niets; wat = informal iets.
- Iedereen, niemand, alles take a singular verb: Iedereen is er.
- alle + plural noun; al + het/mijn/die…: alle huizen, al het geld.
- elke / iedere with de-words, elk / ieder with het-words.
- geen enkele kans but geen enkel probleem; allebei is the everyday "both".
Practise it
Put these words to work in Indefinite pronouns, get your de and het sorted for elk/elke in Articles, and use iemand, iets and ergens in questions in Asking questions.