niemand
nobody
No person; not a single person.
EXAMPLE
Niemand hat gestern angerufen.
Nobody called yesterday.
niemand
nobody
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry niemand, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | niemand | – |
| accusative | niemanden niemand | – |
| dative | niemandem | – |
| genitive | niemandes niemands | – |
Usage tips
Singular verb
'Niemand' (nobody) is grammatically singular, even when it excludes many or all people. The verb therefore appears in the third-person singular.
EXAMPLE
Niemand weiß, warum der Bus heute zu spät kommt.
Nobody knows why the bus is late today.
Case in the sentence
Depending on its function in the sentence, 'niemand' (nobody) takes different forms: As an object, 'niemanden' (nobody) is often used; after certain verbs or prepositions, 'niemandem' (nobody) is used. These forms show what role the person has in the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe gestern niemanden im Büro getroffen.
I didn't meet anybody at the office yesterday.
Sie hat niemandem von ihrem Plan erzählt.
She didn't tell anybody about her plan.
Negation
'Niemand' (nobody) already contains the negation of a person. Therefore, a statement with 'niemand' (nobody) normally does not need an additional 'nicht' (not).
EXAMPLE
Niemand hat die wichtige Nachricht gelesen.
Nobody read the important message.
In real life
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