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French grammar

CEFR B1

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French Indefinite Pronouns: chacun, quelqu'un, n'importe qui

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 25 October 2026

An indefinite pronoun stands in for a noun without saying exactly who or what: . - Someone called. French has about a dozen, and most of them come with one trap each. Here is the whole set on one screen.

feminine formplural formen, of themne, with no pasWhat do the colours mean?
PronounEnglishExample
someone .
chosesomething .
, each one .
some, a few .
some (not others) .
several .
anyone at all .
nobody .
nothing .
, not one .
each other uns .
, everything, all .
autruiother people autrui.
onone, people, we .

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

Indefinite pronouns are on the AQA A-level (AS) grammar list. Several have an adjective twin ( beside , beside ): the adjectives are on French indefinite adjectives. The rule of thumb is simple. An adjective needs a noun after it; a pronoun stands alone.

  • . - Each pupil has a book. (adjective + noun)
  • . - Each one has a book. (pronoun alone)

Someone and something: quelqu'un, quelque chose

is someone, and in a question it is also anyone. It does not change for a woman.

  • . - Someone called this morning.
  • ? - Did you see anyone?

is something. Although on its own is feminine, is masculine, so a past participle after it stays masculine.

  • . - Something has happened.

To add an adjective, put in between and keep the adjective masculine singular. The same goes for and .

Pronoun + deExampleEnglish
.He or she is a decent person.
chose .He said something funny.
.It's nothing serious.
.There's nobody else.

is right even when the person is a woman: the adjective agrees with the pronoun, not with whoever it turns out to be.

Each one: chacun, chacune

is each one, and replaces a feminine noun. Both are singular, so the verb is singular too, even after or .

  • . - Everyone has their own opinion.
  • . - Each of my sisters has her own room.
  • . - Each of us has our faults.

English slips into their or our here; French keeps the singular possessive, because is the subject and it is singular. When comes after or instead, the possessive follows them:

  • . - We each have our faults.

Two set phrases are worth keeping:

PhraseEnglish
everyone in turn
every man for himself

Some and several: quelques-uns, certains, plusieurs

These three count part of a set. and are about quantity, and sit roughly on a scale between none and all (they overlap: more than one, a small number):

NoneAll
  1. aucun
  2. quelques-uns
  3. plusieurs
  4. beaucoup
  5. tous
feminine formplural formen, of themWhat do the colours mean?
PronounStressesExample
, -unesa few, a small number .
, some, as against others .
several, more than one .

is about contrast rather than number: some, as against the rest. It usually sets up :

  • , . - Some like coffee, others prefer tea.

never changes. and agree with the noun they replace: gives and .

The en you cannot leave out

When one of these pronouns is the object of the verb, French needs (of them) in front of the verb. English can say "I've read a few"; French must say "I've read a few of them".

the noun goes, en takes its place, plusieurs stays
QuestionAnswerEnglish
? .I've seen several of them.
? .I've read a few of them.
? .I know some of them.

As the subject, no : . - Several have left. More on in the pronouns y and en.

Anyone at all: the n'importe family

means "no matter". Put a question word after it and you get "any at all, it does not matter which".

FormEnglishExample
anyone at all .
anything at all .
any one (of them) .
anywhere- .
any time .
commentany old how .

agrees with the noun it picks from, as it does in questions with lequel:

  • ? . - Which shirt? Any one.
  • ? lesquels. - These books? Any of them.

Strictly, , and make adverbs, not pronouns, but they work the same way. Two of the forms carry a judgement:

  • ! - You're talking nonsense!
  • . - That's not just anybody.

Three ways to say anyone

English anyone covers three different French pronouns. The sentence decides which one you need.

SentenceFrenchEnglish
a question ?Did you see anyone?
a negative .I didn't see anyone.
it doesn't matter .Anyone can come in.

The same split works for anything: in a question, after a negative, for anything at all.

  • ? - Do you want anything?
  • . - I don't want anything.
  • . - I'll eat anything.

Nobody, nothing, not one: personne, rien, aucun

As subjects, , and open the sentence and take before the verb. Never add : the pronoun already is the negative.

feminine formen, of themne, with no pasWhat do the colours mean?
PronounExampleEnglish
.Nobody came.
.Nothing has changed.
.Not one of my friends came.
.None of these ideas works.

As objects they follow the verb, and brings with it when the noun has gone:

  • . - I can't see anybody.
  • ? . - Tickets? I haven't got a single one.

The pronoun is masculine singular, even though the noun is feminine: . - Nobody is perfect. Where these words go in the is covered on advanced negation.

Each other: l'un l'autre, les uns les autres

A reflexive verb in the plural can mean "each other": . - They help each other (or themselves). Add to make "each other" clear, and let both halves agree.

WhoFormExample
two men, or mixed .
two women .
a group uns uns .

When the verb takes a preposition, it goes in the middle:

  • . - They talk to each other.
  • uns . - They talk about each other.

The same pair also splits a set in two: , . - One sings, the other dances. And is neither: . - Neither of them came.

Everything and all: tout, tous, toutes

As a pronoun, means everything, and it is singular:

  • . - Everything is fine.

In a compound tense, or before an infinitive, sits in front of the verb form it belongs to, exactly where would go:

  • . - I understood everything.
  • . - He wants to know everything.

and mean all of them. They often float after the verb, and the pronoun sounds its final s, unlike the adjective in .

feminine formplural formWhat do the colours mean?
  • . - They all came. ( with a spoken s)
  • . - They have all left.
  • . - All of them agree.

Other people and one: autrui, on

Autrui means other people in general. It is formal, it never changes, and it is found after a verb or a preposition, hardly ever as a subject.

  • autrui. - You must respect other people.
  • autrui . - Don't do to others what you wouldn't want done to you.

is the most common indefinite pronoun of all. It means one, people, they or, in speech, we, and it always takes a third-person singular verb.

  • . - You never know.
  • France, . - In France, people eat late.
  • ? - Shall we go?

When means we, a participle or adjective after it may agree with the people meant, and in modern French it usually does: . - We arrived late. Subject pronouns has the full picture.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
. is singular
.an object needs
.no with
. before the adjective
. needs a noun
.all of them:
.after ,

What to do next

  1. Say what you see in a room with , , and .
  2. Answer five questions such as ? with and a quantity pronoun.
  3. Read advanced negation for where and go in the past.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/7

Does each pronoun stand for a person or a thing?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/5

Tap the mistake.

Complete the story

0/5

Choose the right word for each gap.

The party

Samedi, j'ai fait une fête. À huit heures, n'était là. Puis mes amis sont arrivés, et a apporté quelque chose. ont apporté des gâteaux, d'autres du fromage. Mes deux voisines se connaissent, mais elles ne se parlent jamais . À minuit, ils dansaient , même le chien !

Gap 1 of 5

Put the words in order

0/4

Put the words in order.

  1. Films? I've seen several of them.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. I understood everything.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. Nobody saw anything.

    Your sentence is empty.

  4. They help each other.

    Your sentence is empty.

Pick the right one

0/4

Choose the n'importe form that fits.

  1. Assieds-toi . (anywhere)

  2. Arrête de dire ! (nonsense)

  3. Quelle chemise je prends ? . (any one, la chemise)

  4. Ce n'est pas : c'est le président ! (just anybody)

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between and in French?
is an adjective and always has a noun after it: (each pupil). is a pronoun and stands alone, replacing the noun: a (each one has his or her book). has a feminine, , and both take a singular verb, even in (each of us).
How do you say 'anyone' in French?
It depends on the sentence. In a question, : as ? (did you see anyone?). After a negative, : (I didn't see anyone). For 'anyone at all, it doesn't matter who', : (anyone can do it).
Why do you say and not ?
Because , , , and count a set, and when that set is the object of the verb, French names it with , which means 'of them'. So ? (films? I've seen several of them). As the subject of the verb, no is needed: (several have left).
What does mean?
Literally 'no matter what', so anything at all: (I eat anything). It also has a second, very common meaning: nonsense. means you're talking rubbish, and is 'that's ridiculous'. The same pattern gives (anyone), (anywhere) and (any time).
Is masculine or feminine in French?
As a noun, is feminine: . As the pronoun meaning nobody, is masculine singular: (nobody is perfect), and an adjective after it takes and the masculine: (nobody else). The verb is singular and is required, with no .