--- title: "Iemand, niemand, iets, niets, alles, iedereen" level: A2 chapter: "Pronouns" canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/someone-nothing-everyone updated: 2026-10-09 author: Dutch Fluency license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) --- # Iemand, niemand, iets, niets, alles, iedereen Dutch has six handy words for people and things you do not name: _iemand_ (someone), _niemand_ (no one), _iedereen_ (everyone), _iets_ (something), _niets_ or _niks_ (nothing) and _alles_ (everything). As a subject, _iedereen_ and _alles_ take a singular verb, just like English everyone and everything: _Iedereen is er._ And after _iets_ or _niets_, an adjective usually gets an extra _-s_: _iets leuks_ means something nice. ## The pattern > _Iemand_, _niemand_ and _iedereen_ are about people; _iets_, _niets_ and _alles_ are about things. As a subject, all six take a singular verb, and an adjective after _iets_ or _niets_ usually gets an extra _-s_. - Grammar calls these indefinite pronouns: words that stand for a person or thing without saying exactly who or what. - People: _iemand_ (someone, or anyone in a question), _niemand_ (no one, not anyone), _iedereen_ (everyone). - Things: _iets_ (something, or anything in a question), _niets_ (nothing, not anything), _alles_ (everything). - _Niks_ means the same as _niets_. It is everyday speech; in a formal email, write _niets_. - The verb is singular, the form you use for one person or thing: _Iedereen is moe._ _Alles is klaar._ - English "not ... anything" and "not ... anyone" usually become one Dutch word, with no extra _niet_: _Ik heb niets gegeten_ (I haven't eaten anything), _Ik zie niemand_ (I don't see anyone). Spanish speakers, take care: _Ik zie niet niemand_ means something else, namely "it is not true that I see no one". - _Iets_ or _niets_ plus adjective plus _-s_: _iets leuks_, _niets nieuws_. An adjective that already ends in _-s_ stays as it is: _iets fris_ (something fresh or refreshing). Informal _wat_ (something) works the same way: _wat lekkers_. More in Iets leuks, niets nieuws. ## Examples | Er staat **iemand** voor de deur. | Someone is standing at the door. | | Heeft **iemand** mijn paraplu gezien? | Has anyone seen my umbrella? | | Er zit **niemand** in de wachtkamer. | There is no one in the waiting room. | | Wil je **iets** drinken? | Would you like something to drink? | | Ik heb vandaag nog **niets** gegeten. | I haven't eaten anything yet today. | | Fatima heeft **niks** gezegd. | Fatima didn't say anything. | | **Iedereen is** welkom op mijn verjaardag. | Everyone is welcome at my birthday party. | | **Alles is** zo duur in de supermarkt. | Everything is so expensive at the supermarket. | | Daan heeft **iets leuks** voor Sanne gekocht. | Daan has bought something nice for Sanne. | | De huisarts heeft **niets ernstigs** gevonden. | The GP didn't find anything serious. | ## Why it works this way Look inside the words and they explain themselves. _Iedereen_ is _ieder_ (every) plus _een_ (one): every single one. Like English everyone, it counts people one at a time, so the verb stays singular even when forty colleagues are at the Friday _borrel_ (drinks). _Alles_ packs everything into one big bundle, so it is singular too. If you really want a plural, use _allemaal_ (all of us, all of them): _We zijn er allemaal._ The _-s_ after _iets_ and _niets_ is left over from an old ending that meant roughly "of". _Iets leuks_ is a bit like "something of the nice kind". English has a similar idea in "something of interest"; Dutch just fits the "of" into one letter. Remember: _iets_ and _niets_ end in _-s_, and they lend that _-s_ to the adjective after them, unless it already has one: _iets leuks_, _niets nieuws_, but _iets fris_. ## Watch out - Not: _Iedereen zijn er._ Say: _Iedereen is er._ (_iedereen_ means every single person, so the verb is singular) - Not: _Ik heb iets leuk gekocht._ Say: _Ik heb iets leuks gekocht._ (an adjective after _iets_ gets _-s_) - Not: _Ik heb gezien niemand._ Say: _Ik heb niemand gezien._ (the participle _gezien_ goes to the end, after _niemand_; see [The verb bracket](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/verb-bracket)) - Not: _Alle is goed._ Say: _Alles is goed._ (on its own it is _alles_; _alle_ needs a noun after it, as in _alle kinderen_) ## Quick check 1. Fill in the present tense of _zijn_: _Iedereen ... blij met het mooie weer._ 2. Fill in the right form of _lekker_: _Mei heeft iets ... gekookt._ 3. Choose: _Lotte heeft (alles / iedereen) uitgenodigd voor haar verjaardag._ 4. Remove one word so the sentence means "I don't know anyone in this street": _Ik ken niet niemand in deze straat._ ## Answers 1. _is_ (_iedereen_ takes a singular verb) 2. _lekkers_ (an adjective after _iets_ gets _-s_) 3. _iedereen_ (you invite people, and _iedereen_ is about people) 4. _Ik ken niemand in deze straat._ (remove _niet_: _niemand_ already means no one) ## Use it today Tonight, tell someone at home or at work about your day with _iets_ or _niets_ plus an adjective: _Ik heb vandaag iets leuks gedaan_ or _Ik heb vandaag niets bijzonders gedaan_. Then ask back: _En jij? Heb jij iets leuks gedaan?_ ## Questions learners ask **Is it "iedereen is" or "iedereen zijn" in Dutch?** It is "iedereen is". Iedereen means every single person, so as a subject it takes a singular verb, just like English "everyone is". The same goes for alles: "Alles is klaar." **Why do you say "iets leuks" instead of "iets leuk"?** After iets and niets, an adjective usually gets an extra -s: iets leuks (something nice), niets nieuws (nothing new). Adjectives that already end in -s, such as fris, stay the same: iets fris. **What is the difference between niets and niks in Dutch?** They mean exactly the same: nothing. Niks is the everyday spoken form, common in conversation and chat messages, while niets is the safer choice in formal writing and emails. From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.