/kɛl.kœ̃/

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Translation

somebody, someone

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Word origin

A compound of quelque ('some') and un ('one'), literally 'some one'. Quelque descends from Latin qualis ('of what kind'), un from Latin unus ('one').

Origin
Latin
Root
qualis + unus
English cognates
quality, unit

Examples

, ?

There's somebody at the door, can you open it?

.

I need somebody to help me move house on Saturday.

.

Somebody left their umbrella on the train.

Don't confuse (someone, a person) with chose (something, a thing): the first always refers to a person, the second always to a thing, and swapping them is a very common beginner slip. The feminine exists but is rare outside partitive phrases like "quelqu'une d'entre elles" (one of them, feminine); the plural is a separate word, .

Where this fits

Used in

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French · Free printables

quelqu'un: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the French word "quelqu'un" (somebody, someone): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.