Indefinite Pronouns: English lesson.

Texts in English

Indefinite pronouns are used to make reference to unspecified people, things, places or quantities; as such they are called “indefinite”. We have already seen some of the indefinite pronouns related to quantity in the lesson on quantifiers. Below you will find a list of indefinite pronouns with an explanation of their meaning, rules of use (Singular or Plural) and an example.

S = singular
P = plural

Pronoun/Explanation	S	P	Example
all the whole or entire amount	x	x	You ate all the cookies!
another one more in addition to one or more of the same kind	x		Another glass of wine please.
any an undetermined number or amount	x	x	Is there any milk?
anybody anyone any person at all (non-specific)	x		Is there anyone home?
anything any such thing (non-specific)	x		It’s so dark, I can’t see anything.
anywhere at, in or to any place or point (non-specific)	x		We can go anywhere you want.
both one as well as the other (2)		x	Both of my children speak French.
each every one of two or more entities considered separately	x		Each of them is different.
either one and/or the other of two	x		I’m happy to see either movie.
enough sufficient; equal to what is needed	x		There is never enough time.
every including each entity in a group or series	x		Every student failed the exam.
everybody everyone every person, all persons	x		Is everybody/everyone here?
everything all	x		How’s everything? Everything is fine.
everywhere in or to every place	x		The water spilled everywhere.
few a small, but indefinite number; not many		x	He has few friends.
fewer less than; a smaller number; not as many		x	There are fewer students this year.
less smaller in amount or number; not so much	x		There is less work this year.
little a small, but indefinite quantity	x		There is little to do here.
many a large, but indefinite quantity		x	She has many books to read.
more greater in amount, number or size	x	x	There is more work this year.
most almost all; the majority of; greatest in amount or degree	x	x	It rains most of the time here.
much a large, but indefinite quantity	x		We don’t have much money.
neither not one or the other of two entities	x		Neither of us speaks Spanish.
nobody no one no person	x		Nobody/No one was in class today.
none not any; no amount or part of something	x	x	None of the children wanted to answer the question.
nothing not anything; not a thing	x		There is nothing in the fridge.
nowhere not in or at any place	x		He has nowhere to stay.
one that person or thing; people in general; any person	x		One never knows what the future will bring.
other used to refer to an entity that has not been mentioned; different or separate from the entity already mentioned	x		The other class has more students.
others plural form of “other”		x	The others are going to a concert tonight.
several more than two, but not very many		x	There are several movies playing.
some an unspecified, but limited quantity	x	x	There are some dogs in the park.
somebody someone an unspecified person	x		Somebody/someone is in the bathroom.
something an unspecified thing	x		I have something in my eye.
somewhere an unspecified place	x		Right now it is raining somewhere.
such that kind or type of person or thing	x	x	He is such a nice man.
they used to refer to people in general or to an unspecified group of people		x	They say this is the best restaurant in town.
you used to refer to any person or to people in general	x		You never know.

Grammatical Rules

1. The singular form of the verb (third person) is used with singular indefinite pronouns.

Examples:

Somebody is at the door.

Everybody loves chocolate.

Nothing was ever the same.

Is there anywhere you want to go?

2. The rules regulating the uses of the indefinite pronouns that are compounds of “some”, “any” and “no” are the same as the rules of use for these quantifiers (“some”, “any” and “no”) when used alone. “Some” and its compounds are used in affirmative and interrogative sentences; “any” and its compounds are used in negative and interrogative sentences; and “no” and its compounds are used only in affirmative sentences (with a negative meaning). For more information, see the lesson on quantifiers.

Examples:

There is something on the floor.

Would you like something to drink?

There isn’t anybody home.

Is there anything I can do to help?

Nobody wants to work today.

3. When we make reference to an indefinite pronoun (singular or plural), we generally use the plural pronoun.

Examples:

Everyone is here already. They have been waiting for you.

Somebody left their jacket. It’s so cold outside, I’m sure they will be back for it soon.

4. We can use the saxon genitive with indefinite pronouns to indicate possession.

Example:

Is this anyone’s seat?

Los pronombres indefinidos no se refieren a ninguna persona, cosa, lugar, ni cantidad específica. Por eso, se llaman “indefinidos”. Ya hemos visto algunos de los indefinidos relacionados a cantidad en la lección de cuantificadores. A continuación, tienes una lista completa con ejemplos de los pronombres indefinidos y las reglas gramaticales de su uso.

Los pronombres indefinidos no se refieren a ninguna persona, cosa, lugar, ni cantidad específica. Por eso, se llaman “indefinidos”. Ya hemos visto algunos de los indefinidos relacionados a cantidad en la lección de los cuantificadores. A continuación, tienes una lista completa con ejemplos de los pronombres indefinidos y las reglas gramaticales de su uso.

S = singular
P = plural

Pronombre	S	P	Ejemplo
all todo	x	x	You ate all the cookies! ¡Has comido todas las galletas!
another otro	x		Another glass of wine please. Otra copa de vino por favor.
any algún, ningún, cualquier	x	x	Is there any milk? ¿Hay leche?
anybody anyone alguien, nadie, cualquiera	x		Is there anyone home? ¿Hay alguien en casa?
anything algo, nada, cualquier	x		It’s so dark, I can’t see anything. Está muy oscuro, no puedo ver nada.
anywhere cualquier lugar	x		We can go anywhere you want. Podemos ir donde quieras.
both ambos/los dos		x	Both of my children speak French. Mis dos hijos hablan francés.
each cada, cada uno	x		Each of them is different. Cada cual es diferente.
either cualquiera (de 2)	x		I’m happy to see either movie. Me da igual ver cualquier película.
enough bastante, suficiente	x		There is never enough time. Nunca hay tiempo suficiente.
every cada, todos	x		Every student failed the exam. Todos los estudiantes suspendieron el examen.
everybody everyone todos, todo el mundo	x		Is everybody /everyone here? ¿Está todo el mundo aquí?
everything todo	x		How’s everything? Everything is fine. ¿Qué tal todo? Todo bien.
everywhere todas partes	x		The water spilled everywhere. El agua se derramó por todas partes.
few pocos, unos		x	He has few friends. Él tiene pocos amigos.
fewer menos		x	There are fewer students this year. Hay menos alumnos este año.
less menos	x		There is less work this year. Hay menos trabajo este año.
little poco	x		There is little to do here. Hay poco que hacer aquí.
many muchos		x	She has many books to read. Ella tiene muchos libros para leer.
more más	x	x	There is more work this year. Hay más trabajo este año.
most la mayoría	x	x	It rains most of the time here. Llueve la mayoría del tiempo aquí.
much mucho	x		We don’t have much money. No tenemos mucho dinero.
neither ninguno (de 2)	x		Neither of us speaks Spanish. Ninguno de nosotros habla español.
nobody no one nadie	x		Nobody / No one was in class today. Nadie fue a clase hoy.
none ningún, nada	x	x	None of the children wanted to answer the question. Ninguno de los niños quiso responder a la pregunta.
nothing nada	x		There is nothing in the fridge. No hay nada en la nevera.
nowhere ningún lugar	x		He has nowhere to stay. No tiene dónde quedarse.
one un, uno	x		One never knows what the future will bring. Uno nunca sabe lo que le traerá el futuro.
other otro	x		The other class has more students. La otra clase tiene más estudiantes.
others otros		x	The others are going to a concert tonight. Los otros van a un concierto esta noche.
several varios		x	There are several movies playing. Están poniendo varias películas.
some algún, algunos, algo de	x	x	There are some dogs in the park. Hay algunos perros en el parque.
somebody someone alguien	x		Somebody /someone is in the bathroom. Alguien está en el baño.
something algo	x		I have something in my eye. Tengo algo en el ojo.
somewhere algún lugar	x		Right now it is raining somewhere. Ahora mismo está lloviendo en algún lugar.
such tal, tan	x	x	He is such a nice man. Es un hombre tan amable.
they ellos		x	They say this is the best restaurant in town. Dicen que este es el mejor restaurante del pueblo.
you tu	x		You never know. Nunca se sabe.

Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)

1. Los pronombres indefinidos en singular siempre llevan el verbo en singular.

Ejemplos:

Somebody is at the door.(Alguien está en la puerta.)

Everybody loves chocolate.(A todo el mundo le encanta el chocolate.)

Nothing was ever the same.(Nada fue lo mismo.)

Is there anywhere you want to go?(¿Hay un sitio dónde quieras ir?)

2. Los usos de los pronombres indefinidos compuestos con “some”, “any”, y “no” en frases afirmativas, negativas y interrogativas son los mismos que los usos de “some” y “any”. “Some” y sus compuestos se utilizan con frases afirmativas e interrogativas; “any” y sus compuestos se utilizan con frases negativas e interrogativas; y “no” y sus compuestos se usan solo con frases negativas. Para más información, ver la lección de cuantificadores.

2. Los usos de los pronombres indefinidos compuestos con “some”, “any”, y “no” en frases afirmativas, negativas y interrogativas son los mismos que los usos de “some” y “any”. "Some"* y sus compuestos se utilizan con frases afirmativas e interrogativas; “any” y sus compuestos se utilizan con frases negativas e interrogativas; y “no” y sus compuestos se usan solo con frases negativas. Para más información, ver la lección de los cuantificadores.

Ejemplos:

There is something on the floor.(Hay algo en el suelo.)

Would you like something to drink?(¿Te gustaría algo para beber?)

There isn’t anybody home.(No hay nadie en casa.)

Is there anything I can do to help?(¿Hay algo que pueda hacer para ayudarte?)

Nobody wants to work today.(Nadie quiere trabajar hoy.)

3. Cuando nos referimos a un pronombre indefinido, normalmente utilizamos un pronombre plural.

Ejemplos:

Everyone is here already. They have been waiting for you.(Todo el mundo ya está aquí. Han estado esperándote.)

Somebody left their jacket. It’s so cold outside, I’m sure they will be back for it soon.(Alguien ha dejado su chaqueta. Hace tanto frío, estoy seguro que regresará pronto.)

4. Podemos utilizar el genitivo sajón (“-’s”) con pronombres indefinidos de personas y cosas para indicar posesión.

Ejemplo:

Is this anyone’s seat?(¿Hay alguien sentado en este asiento?)

Relative and Indefinite Pronouns - Lesson 2.1

Indefinite Pronouns

(Los pronombres indefinidos)

Grammatical Rules

Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)