niemand
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Niemand
Etymology
From Dutch niemand, from Middle Dutch nieman, from Old Dutch nieman.
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Pronoun
niemand
Etymology
From Middle Dutch nieman, from Old Dutch nieman. Equivalent to n- + iemand.
Pronunciation
Pronoun
niemand (genitive niemands)
- nobody, no one
- Niemand weet, niemand weet, dat ik Repelsteeltje heet.
- Nobody knows, nobody knows, that I am called Rumpelstiltskin.
Antonyms
Descendants
- Afrikaans: niemand
Alternative forms
- Niemand (nonstandard in this use)
Etymology
From Middle High German nieman, from Old High German nioman; equivalent to nie (“never”) + Mann (“man”). Cognate with Hunsrik nimmand.
Pronunciation
Pronoun
niemand
- nobody, no one
- 1524, “Christ lag in Todes Banden”, Martin Luther (lyrics), Johann Walter (music):
- Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt.
- Nobody could defeat death.
Usage notes
- Niemand is synonymous with keiner (“no one”), which is the nominalised masculine form of the pronoun kein (“no”). In written German, niemand is more common than keiner, whereas colloquial German often prefers the latter. (Note that keiner can also be used in other senses, in which niemand is not applicable.)
- Niemand may or may not take the case endings -em (dative) and -en (accusative). Thus: “Ich suche niemand” and “Ich suche niemanden” are both correct translations of “I'm looking for nobody.” The latter is somewhat more common (at least in writing). Using niemanden in the dative is incorrect, but it's a common error and occurs with surprising frequency in print. It was possible historically, but not in Modern German.
- With a following adjective, niemand is always uninflected. The adjective itself is capitalized and declined in the strong pattern. It generally uses neuter forms: niemand Neues – "nobody new". In the accusative case it may also take a masculine form: “Ich suche niemand Neuen” alongside “Ich suche niemand Neues.” ("I'm looking for nobody new.") The dative form has -em either way. The genitive case cannot be used with an adjective, but needs to be paraphrased.
Declension
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
- → Hungarian: nímand
See also
German correlatives
Further reading
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