Niemandem

Niemandem is the dative singular form of the German pronoun niemand, which means nobody or no one. As a negative pronoun, niemand refers to the absence of any person, and niemandem is its form used when the action is directed at or experienced by nobody.

Declension and forms

In standard German, the pronoun niemand declines like other pronouns in the singular: nominative niemand, accusative niemand, dative niemandem. The genitive form exists as niemandes, but it is rarely used in everyday language and is often replaced by circumlocutions such as von niemandem or without a genitive construction. Practically, niemandem appears in sentences where the dative is required, for example with verbs that take a dative object or with dative-prepositional phrases.

Usage

Niemandem is used whenever the action or relation involves no person in the dative sense. Examples include: Ich habe es niemandem gesagt (I did not tell anyone). Es schadet niemandem (It harms nobody). Du sollst es niemandem erzählen, or mit niemandem diskutieren (talk to no one / discuss with nobody). For phrases indicating “for no one,” the accusative form niemanden is used after the preposition that governs the accusative, as in für niemanden (for no one).

Relation to related terms

Niemandem centers on the pronoun niemand, whose opposite is jemand (someone). In practice, researchers and writers may choose synonyms like keiner or keine Person in specific contexts, but niemand and its dative form are standard for negative statements about people.