irgendein
some / any
Refers to a single, unspecified or randomly selected person or thing from a group.
EXAMPLE
Da hat irgendein Mann nach dir gefragt.
Some man was asking for you.
irgendein
some / any
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry irgendein, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
The four cases
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | irgendein | irgendeine | irgendein | – |
| acc. | irgendeinen | irgendeine | irgendein | – |
| dat. | irgendeinem | irgendeiner | irgendeinem | – |
| gen. | irgendeines | irgendeiner | irgendeines | – |
Usage tips
Word formation
'Irgendein' is made up of 'irgend-' and 'ein'. 'Irgend-' leaves the choice open: it refers to a single person or thing whose identity is unknown or unimportant.
EXAMPLE
Irgendein Geräusch hat mich in der Nacht geweckt.
Some noise woke me up during the night.
Singular usage
'Irgendein' comes before a countable singular noun and changes its ending to match the noun's case and gender. In a sentence, it can come before either a person or a thing.
EXAMPLE
Gib mir einfach irgendeinen Stift, egal welchen.
Just give me any pen; I don't care which one.
Used independently
When the noun does not need to be repeated, 'irgendein' can also stand alone as a pronoun. It then refers to an unspecified person or thing.
EXAMPLE
Irgendeiner hat meinen Regenschirm mitgenommen.
Someone took my umbrella.
In real life
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