Iemand

Iemand is a Dutch indefinite pronoun that designates an unspecified person, equivalent to "someone" or "somebody" in English. It is used to refer to a single, unnamed person and can function as both subject and object in a sentence. The word does not have a standard plural form; to refer to more people Dutch typically uses words like personen, een paar mensen, or andere formuleringen depending on the context. The opposite of iemand is niemand, meaning "no one" or "nobody."

Grammatically, iemand is a head noun that can take different syntactic roles. It can appear in subject position, as in Er is altijd iemand aan de deur (There is always someone at the door), or in object position, as in Ik zie iemand in de gang (I see someone in the hallway). It can also introduce relative clauses: iemand die de waarheid spreekt (someone who tells the truth). In possessive constructions, Dutch often uses de auto van iemand (the car of someone) or, in informal speech, someone’s auto with een possessive marker, though gendered possessive pronouns like zijn/haar are used for the owner when known.

Usage notes and examples: Iemand kan helpen; Ik ontmoet morgen iemand nieuw; Iemand die ik ken, belt vaak. Iemand anders means someone else. In formal or inclusive style, it is common to avoid gender-specific possessives and to rephrase as de auto van iemand or iemand heeft iets gedaan.

See also: nimeap? See also Niemand; anders; iemand anders. Also related: indefinite pronouns in Dutch and the use of relative clauses with indefinite subjects.