niemand
/ˈniːmant/
The German phrase for "no one" is niemand. Wiktionary also lists keiner.
Meaning: not even a single person (pron)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| niemand | /ˈniːmant/ | |
| keiner | /ˈkaɪ̯nɐ/ | masculine |
The word niemand is a pronoun used to mean not even a single person.
Which one should you use?
Keiner is often used when referring back to a specific group of people previously mentioned, meaning "no one" or "none".
How does it change in a sentence?
The word niemand is an indeclinable pronoun in many contexts, but it can also take case endings such as niemand, niemanden or niemands depending on its role in the sentence. The form keiner is the masculine nominative singular form of the word used to mean "no one" or "none".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈniːmant/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using a double negative by saying niemand nicht (no one not). Because niemand already carries the negative meaning, a second negative is unnecessary.
Did you know?
- The word niemand is actually a contraction of two words: nie, meaning 'never', and Mann, meaning 'man'.
- In certain regional German dialects, it is common to hear double negatives like niemand nicht, even though this is considered grammatically incorrect in Standard German.
- If you are referring to a group of women, you would not use keiner, but rather the feminine form keine to mean 'no one'.
Examples in context
- Es war niemand da.No one was there.The sentence is useful for describing that no one was present.Tatoeba #724822 by Manfredo, translation #2091103 by CK
- Es ist niemand da.There's no one there.The sentence is useful for stating that there is no one there.Tatoeba #6626198 by Felixjp, translation #3408805 by CK
- Keiner hört mir zu.No one is listening to me.The sentence is useful for saying that no one is listening to the speaker.Tatoeba #6643362 by Felixjp, translation #1546437 by Spamster
- Keiner von ihnen hat die Antwort gewusst.None of them knew the answer.
- Niemand war da, um zu helfen.No one was there to help.
- Es war niemand im Büro.There was no one in the office.
- Keiner weiß, was morgen passiert.No one knows what will happen tomorrow.
- Das hat keiner gesagt!No one said that!
- Da war kein Mensch auf der Straße.There was no one on the street.
- Kein Mensch kann das alleine schaffen.No one can do that alone.
- 1951 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Julia are walking through an empty park.
- MaximilianHier ist heute wirklich niemand.There is really no one here today.
- JuliaDas ist sehr ruhig.That is very quiet.
- MaximilianIch habe niemanden gesehen.I haven't seen anyone.
- JuliaVielleicht haben wir Glück.Maybe we are in luck.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “no one” translations and entries niemand, keiner, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries niemand, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
