Indefinite Pronouns and People

An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun (a word that substitutes for a noun) that refers to a non-specific person, place, or thing. Some examples of indefinite pronouns include:

w  all	w  anything	w  few	w  several
w  another	w  each	w  many	w  some
w  any	w  everybody	w  nobody	w  somebody
w  anybody	w  everyone	w  none	w  someone
w  anyone	w  everything	w  one

Indefinite pronouns can be singular, plural, or either singular or plural depending on the context.

A singular pronoun will take a singular verb, and a plural pronoun will take a plural verb. Possessive adjectives (his, her, etc.) will also agree in gender and number.

Examples

Nobody came to my party. = Nadie vino a mi fiesta.

("Nobody" is singular. If it helps, think of it as “not one body.”)

These days, anybody can publish a book. = Hoy en día, cualquiera puede publicar un libro.

("Anybody" is singular. Again, if it helps, think of it as “any one body.”)

Each has his own bed. = Cada uno tiene su propia cama.

("Each" is singular. You can think of it as “each one.” Also notice how "his" agrees in number with "each" – both are singular.)

Few know how to write in cursive. = Pocos saben cómo escribir en cursiva.

("Few" is plural. Think of it as more than one person, definitely making it plural.)

Many were late = Muchos llegaron tarde.

("Many" is plural - more than one person was late.)

As mentioned above, some indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural, depending on the context. These include

w  all	w  most	w  such
w  any	w  none
w  more	w  some

Examples

Is there any left? = ¿Ha quedado algo?

("Any" is singular in this case, referring perhaps to one cake.)

Are any coming? = ¿Vienen algunos?

(In this case, "any" is plural, as it refers to more than one of something . The verb are matches the number.)

Most was eaten. = La mayor parte fue comida.

("Most" is singular here, referring perhaps to a portion of cake.)

Most do not like it. = A la mayoría no le gusta.

("Most" is plural here, referring to more than one person.)

Verb-Subject Agreement

One part of English that can be very confusing is finding the right verbs to agree with certain pronouns. Most of the indefinite pronouns we examined today are usually singular, and will therefore be matched with a singular verb.

Anybody has the chance to win. = Cualquiera tiene la oportunidad de ganar.

("Anybody" is singular, so a singular verb, has, is used. Remember – any one body.)

Has everybody arrived? = ¿Ha llegado todo el mundo?

("Everybody" and "has" are both singular here, too. Think – every single body.)

Nobody knows my name. = Nadie sabe mi nombre.

("Nobody" and "knows" are singular. Think of it as no one body.)

People

In English, the word “people” is generally used as a plural noun. It can often be interchanged with the word “persons.”

Examples

Some people are rude. = Algunas personas son groseras.

Not all rich people have a perfect life. = No todos los ricos tienen una vida perfecta.

There were two persons standing here earlier. = Había dos personas paradas aquí antes.

English does make learning indefinite pronouns difficult at first, but I promise if you give it some time and practice, you will find it a whole lot easier. And as always, leave a comment if you have any questions – we are happy to help.

Good luck!