Simple explanation
What are indefinite pronouns? We use indefinite pronouns when we talk about a person or thing without saying exactly who or what it is. For example, Someone is at the door tells us that a person is there, but it does not identify the person. At A2 level, the easiest way to understand these words is to organize them into four groups: some, any, every and no. The some group: someone, somebody and something Forms with some are common in positive sentences. Someone and somebody refer to an unspecified person, while something refers to an unspecified thing. Somewhere refers to an unspecified place. For example, I need something to eat means that I need a thing to eat, but I do not say exactly what food I need. The any group: anyone, anybody and anything Forms with any are especially common in questions and negative sentences. Anyone and anybody refer to people, anything refers to things, and anywhere refers to places. In Did anyone call?, we ask whether any person called. In I don't know anyone here, anyone is used after a negative verb form. The every group: everyone, everybody and everything Forms with every include all members of a group. Everyone and everybody refer to all the people in a group, everything refers to all the relevant things, and everywhere means all places or many places in the situation. An important grammar point is that everyone and everybody take singular verbs: Everyone is ready. The no group: no one, nobody and nothing Forms with no already have a negative meaning. No one and nobody mean that there is not a single person, while nothing means that there is not a single thing. Nowhere means no place. Because these words already express a negative idea, we normally use them with a positive verb form: Nobody called. Nothing happened. Person, thing or place? The endings make the system easier to remember. Forms ending in -one or -body refer to people, forms ending in -thing refer to things, and forms ending in -where refer to places. Compare someone, something and somewhere. They all belong to the some group, but each one answers a different type of question. Why can we use some in questions? Any is a useful general choice in neutral questions: Is anyone there? However, we often use some forms in offers and requests when a positive response is expected or something is being offered. For example, Would you like something to drink? is a natural way to offer a drink.
Grammar formula
Unspecified person in a positive sentence
someone/somebody + singular verbSomeone is waiting outside.
Question about a person
question + anyone/anybodyDid anyone call?
Unspecified thing in a positive sentence
something + singular verbSomething smells good.
Negative sentence with any
negative verb + anyone/anything/anywhereI can't find anything.
Negative meaning with no
nobody/no one/nothing + positive verbNobody knows the answer.
Talking about all people or things
everyone/everybody/everything + singular verbEveryone is ready.
Talking about an unspecified place
somewhere/anywhere/nowhereLet's go somewhere quiet.
Core rules
- 1
Use some forms mainly in positive sentences
Use someone or somebody for an unspecified person and something for an unspecified thing in many positive sentences: Someone called you. I need something to eat.
- 2
Use any forms commonly in questions
Use anyone, anybody or anything when asking neutral questions about whether a person or thing exists or is available: Is anyone home? Did you buy anything?
- 3
Use any forms after negative verbs
Anyone, anything and anywhere commonly follow negative forms such as don't, doesn't, didn't and can't: I don't know anyone here. We can't find anything.
- 4
Do not add another negative to no forms
Nobody, no one, nothing and nowhere already express a negative meaning. Use a positive verb with them in standard English: Nobody knows. Nothing happened.
- 5
Use every forms for all members of a group
Everyone and everybody mean all the people, everything means all the things, and everywhere refers to all relevant places.
- 6
Use a singular verb with these pronouns
Someone, anyone, everyone, no one and the related -body and -thing forms are grammatically singular: Everyone knows. Something is wrong.
- 7
Use some forms in offers and some requests
Some can appear in questions when you are offering something or expect a positive response: Would you like something to eat?
- 8
Someone and somebody are usually similar
Someone and somebody normally have the same basic meaning in everyday English. The same is generally true of anyone/anybody, everyone/everybody and no one/nobody.
Useful examples
Someone is waiting for you downstairs.
A person is waiting for you downstairs, but we do not say who.
Someone refers to an unspecified person in a positive sentence.
Did anyone call me this morning?
Did any person call me this morning?
Anyone is natural in a neutral question about a person.
I don't know anybody at this party.
There is no person at this party that I know.
Anybody is used with the negative verb form don't know.
Everyone is ready to leave.
All the people are ready to leave.
Everyone has an inclusive meaning but takes the singular verb is.
Nobody answered the door.
No person answered the door.
Nobody already has a negative meaning, so answered stays positive.
I need something to eat.
I need some food, but I am not saying exactly what.
Something refers to an unspecified thing.
Is there anything in the fridge?
Is there any food or other thing in the fridge?
Anything is used in a neutral question about a thing.
Nothing happened after you left.
No event or important thing happened after you left.
Nothing already expresses the negative idea.
Everything looks fine now.
All the relevant things seem fine now.
Everything is grammatically singular, so we use looks.
Let's find somewhere quiet to talk.
Let's find a quiet place without saying exactly which place.
Somewhere refers to an unspecified place.
I can't find my keys anywhere.
I cannot find my keys in any place.
Anywhere is common with a negative verb such as can't.
There is nowhere to park here.
There is no place where we can park here.
Nowhere already expresses a negative meaning.
We looked everywhere for the dog.
We looked in all the places we could think of for the dog.
Everywhere refers to all relevant places.
Would you like something to drink?
Would you like a drink of some kind?
Something is natural in an offer even though the sentence is a question.
No one knows where Mia is.
There is no person who knows where Mia is.
No one means the same as nobody and is written as two words.
Common mistakes
- ❌ I don't know nobody here. ✅ I don't know anybody here. Nobody already has a negative meaning. With the negative form don't know, standard English normally uses anybody for this meaning.
- ❌ Everyone are happy. ✅ Everyone is happy. Everyone is grammatically singular, so it takes the singular verb is.
- ❌ I didn't see someone at the station. ✅ I didn't see anyone at the station. In an ordinary negative sentence, anyone is normally more appropriate than someone.
- ❌ Nothing didn't happen. ✅ Nothing happened. Nothing already makes the meaning negative, so an additional negative form with didn't is not needed.
- ❌ Everybody know the answer. ✅ Everybody knows the answer. Everybody is grammatically singular, so the verb takes -s in the present simple.
- ❌ I can't find my phone nowhere. ✅ I can't find my phone anywhere. Because can't already makes the sentence negative, standard English normally uses anywhere rather than nowhere here.
- ❌ Noone is here. ✅ No one is here. No one is always written as two separate words.
Learning tips
- Think in three categories first: -one and -body for people, -thing for things, and -where for places.
- Use this A2 pattern as a starting point: some is common in positive sentences, while any is common in questions and negatives.
- Remember that nobody, nothing and nowhere already contain a negative meaning.
- Although everyone refers to multiple people, it takes a singular verb.
- Write no one as two words, but write nobody as one word.
- In offers such as Would you like something to drink?, a some form is natural even though the sentence is a question.
- Learn the system as some/any/every/no plus person, thing or place instead of memorizing every word separately.
Practise this topic
Interactive exercises for this topic are coming soon.
PlannedRelated grammar
Related dictionary words
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between someone and anyone?
Someone is especially common in positive statements, while anyone is common in neutral questions and negative sentences. This is a useful general pattern rather than an absolute rule because some forms can also appear in offers and requests.
Do someone and somebody mean the same thing?
In most everyday situations, someone and somebody have the same basic meaning and can be used interchangeably. The same is generally true for anyone/anybody and everyone/everybody.
Why do we say everyone is instead of everyone are?
Everyone refers to all the people in a group, but it is grammatically singular. For this reason, we say Everyone is ready and Everyone knows the answer.
Can I use nothing with don't?
For a simple negative statement in standard English, you normally choose one negative structure. You can say I know nothing or, more commonly in everyday speech, I don't know anything.
Why do we sometimes use something in a question?
Something is common in offers and some requests when the speaker expects a positive response or is offering a real option. For example, Would you like something to drink? is a natural offer.
What is the difference between nothing and anything?
Nothing has a negative meaning by itself, as in Nothing happened. Anything can be used with a negative verb to express a similar idea, as in I didn't see anything.
How can I remember -one, -thing and -where forms?
Use -one or -body for people, -thing for things, and -where for places. For example, someone refers to a person, something to a thing, and somewhere to a place.