niemand wie du
/ˈniːmant viː duː/word by word
The German phrase for "nobody like you" is niemand wie du.
This phrase is used to say that a person is unique or unlike anyone else.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of niemand (nobody), wie (like/as) and du (you, informal nominative).
Which one should you use?
Keiner ist wie du and Niemand ist so wie du are informal ways to say "nobody is like you". Niemand ist wie Sie and Es gibt niemanden wie Sie are formal ways to say "nobody is like you" and "there is nobody like you" respectively.
How does it change in a sentence?
While niemand wie du is the standard way to express the comparison, niemand wie dich can be used if the phrase is part of a sentence where the person being compared is the direct object of a verb. You can substitute the pronoun du with other pronouns like er (he), sie (she) or sie (they) to change the subject of the comparison, such as niemand wie er (nobody like him).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈniːmant viː duː/
Did you know?
- In German poetry and song lyrics, the phrase niemand wie du often appears in the context of 'Sehnsucht', a deep longing for an idealized person who cannot be replaced.
- The word niemand literally breaks down into 'never' and 'man', tracing back to the Old High German roots for 'never' and 'man'.
- While niemand wie du is affectionate, using the formal Sie in niemand wie Sie can sound unexpectedly poetic or courtly in a modern professional setting.
Examples in context
- Es gibt niemanden wie Sie, wenn ich an Ihre Erfolge denke.When I think of your accomplishments, I can confidently say that nobody is like you.
- Du hast eine besondere Art, die Menschen glücklich zu machen. Keiner ist wie du!You have a special way of making people happy, nobody is like you!
