all
Refers to the entirety of a countable set; every individual person or thing in a group.
EXAMPLE
Alle meine Freunde kommen zu meiner Geburtstagsparty.
All my friends are coming to my birthday party.
all
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Meanings
all
everything
Used as a pronoun ('alles') to refer to 'every thing' or 'the entirety of something'.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe alles für den Urlaub eingepackt.
I packed everything for the vacation.
all
Refers to the entirety of an uncountable amount.
EXAMPLE
All sein Mut verließ ihn in diesem Moment.
All his courage left him in that moment.
vor allem
above all / especially
A fixed expression that means 'especially' or 'mainly' and highlights something.
EXAMPLE
Ich mag Sport, vor allem Fußball.
I like sports, especially soccer.
all
all gone
Colloquial for 'used up', 'empty', or 'finished'.
EXAMPLE
Mist, die Milch ist schon wieder all.
Darn, the milk is all gone again.
Usage tips
Declension with and without an article
The ending of `all-` depends on whether an article follows. Without an article, `all-` takes the article ending. If a definite article or possessive pronoun follows, `all` often remains undeclined.
EXAMPLE
Alle Kinder spielen im Garten.
All children are playing in the garden.
Countable vs. uncountable
The form `alle` with an ending is used for countable plural nouns. The undeclined form `all` often stands before uncountable singular nouns, usually together with a possessive pronoun.
EXAMPLE
Alle Stühle in diesem Raum sind besetzt.
All the chairs in this room are occupied.
The pronoun 'alles'
As a pronoun, the form `alles` (everything) is used and means 'every thing' or 'the entirety'. It is treated like a neuter singular noun and often stands alone as the subject or object.
EXAMPLE
Ist alles bereit für die Abreise?
Is everything ready for departure?
Fixed expression
The phrase `vor allem` (above all / especially) is a fixed combination and means 'especially' or 'mainly'. It is used to particularly emphasize one part of a group or one aspect.
EXAMPLE
Ich esse gerne Obst, vor allem Äpfel und Bananen.
I like eating fruit, especially apples and bananas.
Regional meaning
The meaning 'empty' or 'finished' is colloquial and especially common in southern and western Germany. This meaning is not used in standard language.
EXAMPLE
Kannst du neue Milch kaufen? Diese hier ist all.
Can you buy new milk? This one is all gone.
Compare with
all vs ganz
whole / quite
All and ganz can both refer to a complete amount. All emphasizes the entire amount and comes before the article, while ganz views the content referred to more as a complete unit and comes after the article. In many situations, both are possible, but the perspective is different.
all
Sie verteilte all das Wasser aus der Flasche auf die Becher.
She distributed all the water from the bottle among the cups.
ganz
Sie goss das ganze Wasser aus der Flasche auf einmal in den Topf.
She poured the whole amount of water from the bottle into the pot all at once.
In real life
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