einhvern

Einhvern is the accusative singular form of the Icelandic indefinite pronoun einhver, which means someone or some. The word einhver refers to an unspecified person or thing, functioning like the English "someone" or "anyone" depending on context. Einhver declines for case in Icelandic, and einhvern specifically appears when the pronoun is the direct object of a verb or follows a preposition that governs the accusative.

Usage and meaning

Einhvern is used when the speaker does not identify the person and wants to convey an unspecific individual. It can appear in affirmative, interrogative, and conditional sentences. For example: Ég sá einhvern í borginni. I saw someone in the city. Hvað gerðir þú við einhvern í þessu máli? What did you do to someone about this matter?

Relationship to related words

Einhver contrasts with enginn (no one) and with nokkur (a few, several) in terms of specificity and number. The base form einhver is the indefinite pronoun; other case forms are used according to Icelandic grammar rules for pronouns, with einhvern marking the accusative singular.

Grammar notes

As an indefinite pronoun, einhver behaves like other personal pronouns in Icelandic grammar, agreeing with gender and number through its various forms. The accusative form einhvern indicates a direct object role. In different syntactic contexts, other cases of einhver would be used, but regarding the direct object, einhvern is the standard form.

Etymology

The word einhver derives from a combination of einn (one) and hver (who/which), reflecting its sense of “one who” or “someone.” The form einhvern is a result of Icelandic case inflection for a masculine singular accusative pronoun.

See also

Indefinite pronouns in Icelandic, enginn, nokkur, hver.

References

Icelandic grammar references and Icelandic dictionaries provide additional details on the declension and usage of einhver and its forms.