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Using someone, anyone, everybody, nothing and similar pronouns.
Indefinite pronouns refer to people, things or quantities without identifying a specific person or object.
Common indefinite pronouns include someone, anyone, everyone, nobody, something and nothing.
Someone left a message for you.
Кто-то оставил для тебя сообщение.
"Someone" refers to an unspecified person.
Is anyone home?
Кто-нибудь дома?
"Anyone" refers to an unspecified person in a question.
Everyone enjoyed the party.
Все хорошо провели время на вечеринке.
"Everyone" refers to all the people in a group without naming them individually.
Nobody answered the phone.
Никто не ответил на телефонный звонок.
"Nobody" means no person.
I need something to eat.
Мне нужно что-нибудь поесть.
"Something" refers to an unspecified thing.
There is nothing in the fridge.
В холодильнике ничего нет.
"Nothing" means no thing or no item.
I looked everywhere for my keys.
Я повсюду искал свои ключи.
"Everywhere" refers to all places without identifying them individually.
Anyone can apply for the job.
Любой может подать заявку на эту работу.
"Anyone" can refer to any person without specifying who.
Pronouns ending in -body and -one usually have the same meaning.
Examples include somebody/someone, anybody/anyone and everybody/everyone.
Someone is waiting outside.
Кто-то ждет снаружи.
"Someone" and "somebody" normally have the same meaning.
Somebody left their phone here.
Кто-то оставил здесь свой телефон.
"Somebody" is an indefinite pronoun referring to an unspecified person.
Did anyone call while I was away?
Кто-нибудь звонил, пока меня не было?
"Anyone" and "anybody" are normally interchangeable.
Anybody can learn this skill.
Любой может освоить этот навык.
"Anybody" has the same general meaning as "anyone" here.
Everyone is ready.
Все готовы.
"Everyone" and "everybody" normally have the same meaning.
Everybody enjoyed the concert.
Все получили удовольствие от концерта.
"Everybody" refers to every person in the relevant group.
Nobody knows the answer.
Никто не знает ответа.
"Nobody" and "no one" both mean no person.
No one was at the office.
В офисе никого не было.
"No one" is the spaced form corresponding to "nobody".
Pronouns ending in -thing refer to objects, ideas, situations or actions.
Examples include something, anything, everything and nothing.
I need something from the store.
Мне нужно кое-что из магазина.
"Something" refers to an unspecified thing.
Did you hear anything?
Ты что-нибудь слышал?
"Anything" is common in questions.
Everything is ready.
Все готово.
"Everything" refers to all relevant things collectively.
Nothing happened.
Ничего не произошло.
"Nothing" means no thing or no event.
There is something wrong with my laptop.
С моим ноутбуком что-то не так.
"Something" can refer to an unspecified problem or situation.
I did not see anything unusual.
Я не увидел ничего необычного.
"Anything" is used in a negative clause.
Everything in this store is on sale.
Все в этом магазине продается со скидкой.
"Everything" refers to all the relevant items.
Is there anything I can do to help?
Есть ли что-нибудь, что я могу сделать, чтобы помочь?
"Anything" can refer to any possible action or thing.
Some- pronouns are generally used in affirmative contexts, while any- pronouns are common in negatives, questions and conditional clauses.
Context and speaker intention may affect the choice.
Someone left a package at the door.
Кто-то оставил посылку у двери.
"Someone" is common in affirmative statements.
I need something to drink.
Мне нужно что-нибудь выпить.
"Something" is natural in an affirmative statement.
Did anyone call me?
Кто-нибудь мне звонил?
"Anyone" is common in questions.
I didn't see anyone at the station.
Я никого не видел на станции.
"Anyone" is common after a negative verb.
If anyone calls, tell them I'll call back.
Если кто-нибудь позвонит, скажи, что я перезвоню.
"Anyone" is natural in a conditional clause.
If you need something, let me know.
Если тебе что-нибудь понадобится, дай мне знать.
"Something" is possible in a conditional clause when the speaker expects or suggests a positive possibility.
Would you like something to eat?
Хочешь что-нибудь поесть?
"Something" is natural in offers and requests when the speaker expects a yes/no response.
I'm looking for someone who can fix this.
Я ищу кого-нибудь, кто сможет это починить.
"Someone" suggests the speaker expects that such a person exists.
Every- pronouns refer to all members of a group individually.
Although they refer to many people or things, they normally take singular verbs.
Everyone is ready to leave.
Все готовы уходить.
"Everyone" refers to all people individually but takes the singular verb "is".
Everybody knows the answer.
Все знают ответ.
"Everybody" takes the singular verb "knows".
Everything is packed.
Все упаковано.
"Everything" takes singular agreement.
Everyone has their own opinion.
У каждого есть свое мнение.
"Everyone" takes the singular verb "has", while singular "they" can refer back to it.
Everything looks fine.
Все выглядит нормально.
"Everything" is grammatically singular.
Everyone wants to know what happened.
Все хотят знать, что произошло.
"Everyone" takes "wants", not "want".
Everything in the house belongs to the landlord.
Все в доме принадлежит хозяину.
"Everything" refers to all relevant things as a grammatically singular subject.
Everybody was surprised by the news.
Все были удивлены новостями.
"Everybody" takes the singular verb "was".
No- pronouns express complete absence and normally replace negative verb forms.
Compare Nobody came with Nobody did not come.
Nobody came to the meeting.
Никто не пришел на собрание.
"Nobody" already expresses the negative meaning, so the verb is not negative.
No one answered the phone.
Никто не ответил на телефонный звонок.
"No one" replaces a negative expression such as "not anyone".
Nothing happened during the storm.
Во время бури ничего не произошло.
"Nothing" expresses complete absence.
Nobody knows where he went.
Никто не знает, куда он пошел.
Avoid adding another negative word after "nobody".
Nothing is wrong with the car.
С машиной все в порядке.
"Nothing" is the subject and already gives the sentence a negative meaning.
Nothing unusual happened.
Ничего необычного не произошло.
"Unusual" follows "nothing".
No one was available to help.
Никого не было, кто мог бы помочь.
"No one" takes a singular verb.
Everyone involved received an email.
Все, кто был вовлечен, получили письмо.
"Involved" follows "everyone".
Nobody said anything.
Никто ничего не сказал.
"Nobody" gives the negative subject, while "anything" is used with the negative situation.
I didn't see anything interesting at the store.
Я не увидел ничего интересного в магазине.
"Interesting" follows "anything".
I saw nobody at the station.
Я никого не увидел на станции.
"Nobody" can also occur as an object, although "I didn't see anybody" is very common.
There is nothing wrong with your computer.
С твоим компьютером все в порядке.
"Wrong" follows "nothing" and describes its condition.
When an adjective modifies an indefinite pronoun, it usually follows the pronoun.
Examples include someone interesting, nothing unusual and anybody available.
Someone interesting joined the meeting.
На собрание пришел кто-то интересный.
The adjective "interesting" follows "someone".
I need something cold to drink.
Мне нужно что-нибудь холодное выпить.
The adjective "cold" follows the pronoun "something".
Is there anyone available?
Есть кто-нибудь свободный?
"Available" follows "anyone".
We need somebody experienced for this job.
Нам нужен кто-нибудь опытный для этой работы.
"Experienced" follows the indefinite pronoun "somebody".
Indefinite pronouns can form possessives.
Examples include someone's bag, everybody's opinion and nobody's fault.
Someone's phone is ringing.
У кого-то звонит телефон.
"Someone's" is the possessive form of "someone".
Everybody's opinion matters.
Мнение каждого имеет значение.
"Everybody's" expresses possession or association.
Nobody's car was damaged.
Ничья машина не была повреждена.
"Nobody's" means that no person owns or is associated with the car.
Is anyone's phone missing?
У кого-нибудь пропал телефон?
"Anyone's" asks whether a phone belongs to any person in the relevant group.
Someone's keys are on the desk.
На столе чьи-то ключи.
"Someone's" is followed by the possessed noun "keys".
Everyone's schedule is different.
У каждого свое расписание.
"Everyone's" takes a singular possessive form even though "everyone" refers to many people.
Nobody's fault was obvious.
Не было очевидно, чья это была вина.
"Nobody's fault" expresses the absence of an identifiable responsible person.
I found somebody else's wallet.
Я нашел чей-то чужой кошелек.
"Somebody else's" expresses possession by an unspecified other person.
Pronouns such as everyone, somebody and anyone are often followed by singular they.
Singular they is widely accepted when gender is unknown, irrelevant or inclusive language is preferred.
Someone left their umbrella here.
Кто-то оставил здесь свой зонтик.
"Their" refers back to singular "someone" without specifying gender.
Everyone should bring their own lunch.
Каждый должен принести свой обед.
"Their" is singular in reference but uses the ordinary plural possessive form.
If anyone calls, tell them I'm busy.
Если кто-нибудь позвонит, скажи им, что я занят.
"Them" refers to singular "anyone".
Someone forgot their password.
Кто-то забыл свой пароль.
"Their" avoids assuming the person's gender.
Everybody can make their own choice.
Каждый может сделать свой выбор.
"Their" refers to each individual person in "everybody".
No one should feel like they have to do everything alone.
Никто не должен чувствовать, что ему нужно все делать одному.
"They" refers to singular "no one".
If somebody needs help, they can ask me.
Если кому-нибудь нужна помощь, они могут попросить меня.
"They" is singular because it refers to one unspecified person.
Every applicant should submit their resume online.
Каждый кандидат должен отправить свое резюме онлайн.
Singular "their" is widely used with singular indefinite antecedents.
Most indefinite pronouns ending in -body, -one and -thing take singular verbs.
Some pronouns, such as all, none and some, may take singular or plural verbs depending on the noun they refer to.
Everyone is here.
Все здесь.
"Everyone" takes the singular verb "is".
Someone has left a message.
Кто-то оставил сообщение.
"Someone" takes the singular verb "has".
Nothing seems wrong.
Кажется, все в порядке.
"Nothing" takes the singular verb "seems".
All of the water is gone.
Вся вода закончилась.
"All" takes singular agreement because it refers to the uncountable noun "water".
All of the students are here.
Все студенты здесь.
"All" takes plural agreement because it refers to the plural noun "students".
Some of the cake is left.
Часть торта осталась.
"Some" takes singular agreement because "cake" is uncountable here.
Some of the cookies are gone.
Некоторых печений уже нет.
"Some" takes plural agreement because "cookies" is plural.
None of the students are ready yet.
Никто из студентов пока не готов.
"None" commonly takes plural agreement with a plural noun in modern English.
The choice of indefinite pronouns sometimes varies according to register.
Formal English may avoid contractions or colloquial combinations, while spoken English uses them freely.
Someone has left their coat in the conference room.
Кто-то оставил свое пальто в конференц-зале.
This neutral modern construction uses singular "they".
Somebody left their phone at the office.
Кто-то оставил свой телефон в офисе.
"Somebody" is common in conversational English.
No one should disclose confidential information.
Никто не должен раскрывать конфиденциальную информацию.
"No one" is common and works well in both formal and neutral writing.
Nobody should disclose confidential information.
Никто не должен раскрывать конфиденциальную информацию.
"Nobody" is equally grammatical but may sound slightly more conversational.
Everybody is expected to submit their form by Friday.
Все должны подать свою форму до пятницы.
Singular "their" is natural in modern formal English when gender is unspecified.
Each participant should submit his or her form by Friday.
Каждый участник должен подать свою форму до пятницы.
"His or her" is possible in formal writing, although singular "their" is often preferred today.
No one is permitted to enter the laboratory without authorization.
Никому не разрешается входить в лабораторию без разрешения.
"No one" is appropriate in formal policies and notices.
Anybody can join us after work.
Любой может присоединиться к нам после работы.
"Anybody" is particularly common in conversational English but is also grammatically neutral.
Use indefinite pronouns with the correct verb agreement and sentence structure.
Common mistakes include double negatives, incorrect adjective placement, using plural verbs after everyone and confusing somebody with anybody.
Everyone is ready.
Все готовы.
Do not use the plural verb "are" after "everyone"; use "is".
Nobody came.
Никто не пришел.
Avoid double negatives such as "Nobody didn't come" in standard English.
I didn't see anyone.
Я никого не увидел.
Use "anyone" with the negative verb rather than creating a double negative.
I saw someone interesting at the party.
Я встретил на вечеринке кого-то интересного.
The adjective "interesting" follows "someone".
Something unusual happened.
Произошло что-то необычное.
The adjective follows "something", not the other way around.
Someone left their bag here.
Кто-то оставил здесь свою сумку.
Singular "their" is natural after an indefinite pronoun such as "someone".
Is anyone available?
Кто-нибудь свободен?
Use "anyone" rather than "someone" in an ordinary neutral question.
Everything is ready.
Все готово.
Use singular agreement with "everything".