Understanding Indefinite Pronouns
French indefinite pronouns refer to unspecified people, things, or quantities. They don't refer to specific individuals but to general or unknown entities.
These pronouns are essential for expressing concepts like "someone," "nobody," "everything," "nothing," and "each one."
Many indefinite pronouns have special rules for negation and agreement.
Examples
Quelqu'un a téléphoné. (Someone called.)
Unspecified person
Personne ne comprend. (Nobody understands.)
No person at all
Tout est possible. (Everything is possible.)
All things
Pronouns for People
Indefinite pronouns referring to unspecified people:
QUELQU'UN (Someone/Somebody)
Refers to an unspecified person in positive contexts:
Quelqu'un est à la porte. (Someone is at the door.)
Je cherche quelqu'un qui parle anglais. (I'm looking for someone who speaks English.)
Il y a quelqu'un dans le jardin. (There's someone in the garden.)
Quelqu'un d'intéressant viendra. (Someone interesting will come.)
PERSONNE (Nobody/No One)
Refers to no person - requires NE in negation:
Personne ne vient. (Nobody is coming.)
Je ne vois personne. (I don't see anybody.)
Personne n'a répondu. (Nobody answered.)
Il n'y a personne ici. (There's nobody here.)
CHACUN/CHACUNE (Each One)
Refers to each individual person:
Chacun a ses problèmes. (Each one has his problems.)
Chacune d'elles est belle. (Each one of them is beautiful.)
Pronouns for Things
Indefinite pronouns referring to unspecified things:
QUELQUE CHOSE (Something)
Refers to an unspecified thing in positive contexts:
J'ai quelque chose à te dire. (I have something to tell you.)
Il y a quelque chose qui ne va pas. (There's something wrong.)
Quelque chose d'important s'est passé. (Something important happened.)
With de + adjective for description
RIEN (Nothing)
Refers to no thing - requires NE in negation:
Rien ne marche. (Nothing works.)
Je ne vois rien. (I don't see anything.)
Il n'y a rien à faire. (There's nothing to do.)
Rien d'intéressant ne se passe. (Nothing interesting is happening.)
TOUT (Everything/All)
Refers to all things or everything:
Tout va bien. (Everything is fine.)
J'ai tout compris. (I understood everything.)
Tout est possible. (Everything is possible.)
Il mange tout. (He eats everything.)
Quantity and Degree Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns expressing quantity or degree:
PLUSIEURS (Several)
Refers to several unspecified items:
Plusieurs sont venus. (Several came.)
J'en ai acheté plusieurs. (I bought several of them.)
CERTAINS/CERTAINES (Some/Certain Ones)
Refers to some specific but unidentified items:
Certains pensent que... (Some think that...)
Certaines d'entre elles sont parties. (Some of them left.)
D'AUTRES (Others)
Refers to other unspecified items:
Les uns travaillent, d'autres se reposent. (Some work, others rest.)
J'en veux d'autres. (I want others.)
Negation with Indefinite Pronouns
Special negation rules apply to certain indefinite pronouns:
Examples
Personne ne vient. (Nobody is coming.)
Personne as subject requires ne
Je ne vois personne. (I don't see anybody.)
Personne as object with ne...personne
PERSONNE and RIEN Negation Patterns
How personne and rien work with negation:
Negation Patterns
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Personne + ne + verb | subject | Personne ne sait. (Nobody knows.) |
| Ne + verb + personne | object | Je ne connais personne. (I know nobody.) |
| Rien + ne + verb | subject | Rien ne marche. (Nothing works.) |
| Ne + verb + rien | object | Je ne vois rien. (I see nothing.) |
With Compound Tenses
Placement in passé composé and other compound tenses:
Personne n'est venu. (Nobody came.)
Je n'ai vu personne. (I didn't see anybody.)
Rien n'a changé. (Nothing changed.)
Il n'a rien dit. (He said nothing.)
Indefinite Pronouns with DE
Many indefinite pronouns use de when followed by adjectives:
Examples
quelqu'un de gentil (someone nice)
quelque chose d'intéressant (something interesting)
personne d'important (nobody important)
rien de nouveau (nothing new)
DE + Adjective Pattern
Common pattern with indefinite pronouns:
J'ai rencontré quelqu'un de très sympa. (I met someone very nice.)
Il n'y a rien de plus beau. (There's nothing more beautiful.)
Personne d'autre n'est venu. (Nobody else came.)
Quelque chose d'autre m'inquiète. (Something else worries me.)
Special Uses and Expressions
Common expressions and special uses of indefinite pronouns:
Examples
Tout le monde (everybody - literally "all the world")
N'importe qui (anybody at all)
N'importe quoi (anything at all)
Quelque part (somewhere)
N'IMPORTE Expressions
Expressions meaning "any" or "no matter":
N'importe qui peut le faire. (Anyone can do it.)
Il dit n'importe quoi. (He says anything/nonsense.)
N'importe où (anywhere)
N'importe quand (anytime)
Fixed Expressions
Common fixed expressions with indefinite pronouns:
Tout le monde le sait. (Everybody knows it.)
Quelque part en France (somewhere in France)
Common Indefinite Pronoun Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Missing negation: Forgetting ne with personne and rien
2. Wrong placement: Incorrect position in compound tenses
3. Missing de: Forgetting de before adjectives
4. Gender confusion: Wrong agreement with certains/certaines
Examples
❌ Personne vient → ✅ Personne ne vient
Wrong: must include ne with personne as subject
❌ Je n'ai personne vu → ✅ Je n'ai vu personne
Wrong: personne goes after past participle
❌ quelqu'un intelligent → ✅ quelqu'un d'intelligent
Wrong: must use de before adjective
❌ Certains filles → ✅ Certaines (filles)
Wrong: must agree with feminine gender