French indefinite pronouns are words used to refer to things and people in a vague or imprecise way. Some indefinite pronouns are the same as the indefinite adjectives in French, but they work differently. While indefinite adjectives introduce nouns, indefinite pronouns replace a noun.
Certains livres sont abîmés.
Some books are damaged.
Certains sont à moi, d’autres sont à ma femme.
Some are mine, others are my wife’s.
You use indefinite pronouns for several reasons in a couple of different contexts. For example, let’s say you want to be mysterious (or you just don’t know more details), you might say something like:
Il a donné quelque chose à quelqu’un.
He gave somebody something.
Or, maybe you are talking about the nationality of students in your French class. You don’t know exactly how many students there are. You could say:
Quelques-uns sont américains, d’autres sont canadiens.
Some are American, others are Canadian.
In this sentence, however, the pronouns refer to an approximate quantity of students. They also agree in gender or number with the noun they replace (étudiants), unlike the invariable pronouns quelque chose(something) or quelqu’un(someone).
In this post, we’ll review the French indefinite pronouns used to talk about people, those used to talk about things, and the pronouns used to discuss approximate quantities of both people and things.
C’est parti !
Let’s go!
There are certain indefinite pronouns in French that can only be used to talk about people: quelqu’un(someone), personne(no one), n’importe qui (whoever), on(one), and tout le monde(everybody). These indefinite pronouns are invariable and are used to replace nouns that refer to people when:
you are unsure exactly who you are talking about
you prefer to hide the identity of a person (to be intentionally vague)
you are making a generalization
Unlike indefinite pronouns expressing quantities in French, the following indefinite pronouns do not require an antecedent (a noun (person) that has been previously mentioned). Let’s get started with quelqu’un(someone).
Quelqu’un (someone) can be used as both a subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and an objectNo definition set for objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. It is neutral, which in French means it will always be masculineNo definition set for masculineLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., singularNo definition set for singularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.!
Quelqu’un est passé ce matin.
Someone came by this morning.
Furthermore, this indefinite pronoun can be used on its own as an answer to the question Qui(Who).
Qui a fait la vaisselle ?
Who did the dishes?
Quelqu’un dans la famille, mais je ne sais pas qui.
Someone in the family, but I don’t know who.
Personne(no one) is the French negative form of quelqu’un. It is used with ne but not pas. Just like quelqu’un, it can be used as both a subject and an object and is masculine singular. Personne can be used on its own:
Qui a appelé ?
Who called?
Personne ! (= Personne n’a appelé !)
No one!
Or in a sentence:
Personne n’est passé ce matin.
No one came by this morning.
If you want to describe an indefinite pronoun with an adjective, you’ll need to use the structure below:
indefinite pronoun + de + adjective (masculine/singular)
Ma voisine est quelqu’un de patient.
My neighbor is someone who is patient.
It is the equivalent of:
Ma voisine est une personne patiente.
My neighbor is a patient person.
N’importe qui(anyone, whoever) is a French indefinite pronoun that works the same way as quelqu’un. However, it does tend to have a more negative connotation, so be careful how you use it! Literally, n’importe qui translates as “it doesn’t matter who.” So, when you say n’importe qui, you are expressing the idea of “just anyone.” Take a look at the example below:
Toutes les portes sont ouvertes, n’importe qui pourrait entrer.
All the doors are open, anyone could come in.
→ used as a subject
The indefinite pronouns on(one) and tout le monde(everybody) are used to make generalizations in French by referring to all people in general.
In French, on is used like the word "one" is in English sentences like "one does not insult the queen!" But on doesn't sound nearly as stuffy in French! Instead, it refers to people in general. The French possessive adjective that we use to refer back to on is the same as for iland elle and its stressed pronounNo definition set for stressed pronounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. is soi.
En France, on passe en moyenne 2h41 à faire ses courses.
In France, people spend an average of 2 hours and 41 minutes on their grocery shopping.
On doit prendre du temps pour soi.
One must take care of oneself.
Have you ever seen l’on and wondered what the “L” is for? Well, it sounds better and is formal, so think about it when writing in French.
Il faut qu’on fasse attention. → Il faut que l’on fasse attention.
We must be careful.
Tout le monde (everybody) does not refer to the entire world but to people in general. (If you wanted to talk about the whole world, you’d say le monde entier. Tout le monde works just like on and is the opposite of personne(no one).
Tout le monde se sert. ≠ Personne ne se sert.
Everybody helps themselves. ≠ No one helps themselves.
Tout le monde devrait manger trois repas par jour.
Everybody should eat three meals a day.
The indefinite pronouns in French used to talk only about things are similar to the pronouns used to talk about people: quelque chose (something), rien(nothing), n’importe quoi(anything, whatever), and tout(everything). Like the indefinite pronouns for people, these pronouns are also invariable, meaning they are always masculine and singular and do not require the object they reference to have been previously mentioned.
Quelque chose(something), like quelqu’un, can also be used as a subject or object.
Laura a commandé quelque chose.
Laura ordered something.
Quelque chose can also be used as an answer to the question using the French interrogative pronoun Quoi?(What?).
Qu’est-ce que tu écris ?
What are you writing?
Quelque chose. (= J’écris quelque chose.)
Something. (= I am writing something.)
Rien(nothing) is the negative form of quelque chose(something). Like personne, rien is used with ne but not pas. Rien can also be used as a subject or an object, and it is always masculine singular.
Laura n’a rien commandé.
Laura didn’t order anything.
Like quelque chose, rien can be used on its own in response to a question:
Qu’est-ce que vous avez vu la nuit dernière ?
What did you see last night?
Rien. (= Je n’ai rien vu.)
Nothing. (I saw nothing.)
The original meaning of n’importe quoi is “anything,” but it tends to sound negative and expresses the idea of “nonsense.” Literally, n’importe quoi means “it does not matter what.” Grammatically, it works exactly like quelque chose.
Je mange n’importe quoi.
I eat whatever. OR I eat unhealthy food (depending on the context)
→ used as an object
N’importe quoi !
Nonsense!
→ used on its own
Tout refers to things in general. It can also stand for “it all,” or it can be translated as “everything.” It is different from the plural indefinite pronouns tous, toutes which stand for “all of them,” referring to a specific group of things or people that have been previously mentioned. Tout is singular, so when tout is the subject, the verb is conjugated in the third person singular. Adjectives describing tout are, similarly, singular masculine. Just like the opposite of tout le monde is personne, the opposite of tout is rien.
Tout est beau. ≠ Rien n’est beau.
Everything is beautiful. ≠ Nothing is beautiful.
Je veux tout ! ≠ Je ne veux rien !
I want it all! ≠ I don’t want anything.
We have covered the basics for invariable French indefinite pronouns describing people and things. Let’s now take a look at the indefinite pronouns you can use to talk about unspecified quantities of people and things.
Indefinite pronouns, such as l’un(e), chacun(e), aucun(e), tous, and toutes, express quantities of people or things — either as subjects or objects. They either replace a noun that was previously mentioned (the antecedentNo definition set for antecedentLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.) or describe something or someone implied in the context.
Les étudiants sont internationaux, certains sont asiatiques, d’autres européens.
The students are international, some are Asian, others are European.
Some indefinite pronouns used for quantities do not agree with the gender of the antecedent, like plusieurs(several), but others will agree, like l’un(e)(one) or certain(e)s(certain ones). Here is a list of the most common indefinite pronouns replacing people/things:
Indefinite pronouns that agree with the gender of the antecedent | |
|---|---|
for singular nouns | for plural nouns |
|
|
Indefinite pronouns that agree with the gender of the antecedent |
|---|
for plural nouns |
|
The indefinite pronouns in the left column of the table above are either singular or plural. Which one you use will depend on whether you want to talk about one person or thing among a group you’ve already mentioned or several people or things. Let’s first start with the singular pronouns.
Singular indefinite pronouns
The singular indefinite pronouns are l’un(e), l’autre(one, the other) , chacun(e)(each), and aucun(e)(no, not any). All of these indefinite pronouns (aside from l’autre, which has the same form in masculine and feminine) will agree in gender with their antecedent and all of them are conjugated in the third person singular.
Elle a deux sœurs, l’une est extravertie, l’autre est réservée. Chacune a un chat.
She has two sisters, one is an extrovert, the other is shy. Each one has a cat.
Chacun(e)(each) most commonly appears after the first conjugated verb when used with a subject pronoun, but it can also come at the beginning of the sentence:
Ils ont chacun leur billet. ⇔ Chacun a son billet.
Each of them has their ticket.
Most indefinite pronouns express positive quantities. However, aucun(e)(not any, none of them) expresses a negative quantity and calls for the negation particle ne but not pas .
Les étudiants sont tous là, aucun n’est pas arrivé en retard aujourd’hui !
All the students are here, none were late today!
Aucun(e) is NOT the same as personne. Where personne means “no one” and is the opposite of quelqu’un(someone) and tout le monde (everybody), aucun(e) means “not any” or “none of them” and is the opposite of tous and toutes(all of them).
Personne n’a rigolé après la blague.
No one laughed after the joke.
Les spectateurs étaient silencieux, aucun n’a rigolé.
The audience was silent, none of them laughed.
Notice how aucun(e) requires an antecedentNo definition set for antecedentLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.: les spectateurs!
If you want to mention only one element of a group, you can use a singular indefinite pronoun + d’entre(among) + stressed pronoun.
Les jumeaux vont venir. L’un d’entre eux sera en retard.
The twins are going to come. One of them will be late.
But if you want to highlight every single element of a group, you can use chacun(e) d’entre(each of them) + stressed pronoun.
Les photos sont dans l’album. Chacune d’entre elles est datée.
The photos are in the album. Each of them is dated.
Plural indefinite pronouns
Most indefinite pronouns are plural. In the table above, we see that les un(e)s (some, others), quelques-un(e)s(some, a few), certain(e)s(certain ones) , and tou(te)s (all of them) have different forms depending on whether the noun they are replacing is masculine or feminine.
Les filles jouent dans la parque. Quelques-unes jouent au cache-cache, et les autres passent le ballon.
The girls play in the park. Some of them play hide and seek and the others pass the ball.
In the example above, the indefinite pronoun quelque-unes agrees in number and gender with les filles, and les autres agrees in number (the form is the same in gender for masculine and feminine nouns).
However, there are also many indefinite pronouns that replace plural nouns and are invariable (see the right column in the table of pronouns). This means that though their antecedent must always be plural, the form of the indefinite pronoun does not change to match the antecedent’s gender.
Les biscuits sur la table sont parfaits. Mais peu ont été mangés.
The cookies on the table are perfect. But few have been eaten.
Regardless of whether the plural indefinite pronouns are invariable or agree with the noun they replace, all the plural indefinite pronouns are followed by a verb conjugated in the third person plural when used as a subject.
Even the invariable indefinite pronouns, like beaucoup(a lot), la plupart(most of them), or trop(too many), are conjugated with the third person plural when they are the subject.
Je porte beaucoup de chemises. La plupart (de mes chemises) sont unies.
I wear a lot of shirts. Most of them are plain.
Les plantes vont mourir. Trop (de plantes) ont besoin d’eau.
The plants are going to die. Too many (of the plants) need water.
But what about when the indefinite pronouns are objects?
When used as objects, all indefinite pronouns work with the French pronoun enand come at the end of the sentence. The same pronouns will also agree in gender and number when they are objects.
Vous avez des romans d’Amélie Nothomb ?
Do you sell novels by Amélie Nothomb?
Nous en avons quelques-uns.
We have a few in store.
One last point before we wrap up! Tou(te)s(all of them), like the singular pronoun chacun(e), can be at the beginning of a sentence or placed after the first conjugated verb when used with a subject pronoun.
Toutes sont jolies. ⇔ Elles sont toutes jolies.
They are all nice.
The indefinite pronoun tous as a subject, or as an object with en, is pronounced [toos], as opposed to the indefinite adjective, which is always pronounced [too].
Tous y vont à pied.
toos
They all go by foot.
Ils sont tous là.
toos
They are all here.
There you have it! Let’s recap what we’ve learned!
When using indefinite pronouns in French, keep the following points in mind:
Quelqu’un(someone), quelque chose(something), and their negative forms personne(no one) and rien(nothing) stand for people and things we don’t know or prefer not to identify. The conjugation and agreement are masculine singular.
Remember the form quelqu’un, quelque chose, rien + de + adjective (masculine/singular).
To talk about generalities, on = “people,” tout le monde = “everybody,” tout = “everything.” Their conjugation and agreement are also masculine singular.
To replace previously mentioned nouns and talk about quantities, indefinite pronouns like quelques-un(e)s(some) and certain(e)s(certain ones) agree in gender and number with their antecedents.
When used as an object with en, indefinite pronouns go at the end of the sentence.
Now how about some practice with our activities on the French indefinite pronouns?
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