irgendwelchen

Irgendwelchen is a form of the German indefinite determiner irgend- used before a plural noun in the dative case. It conveys an unspecified or non-specific set of items or people, similar to “any” or “some” in English, depending on context. It is common in everyday language and often signals vagueness rather than a concrete reference.

Grammatically, irgend- words decline like other indefinite determiners. The base form before a plural noun is:

- Nominative/Accusative plural: irgendwelche

- Dative plural: irgendwelchen

- Genitive plural: irgendwelcher

Irgendwelchen appears specifically in the dative plural, for example with a plural noun in the dative: mit irgendwelchen Problemen, bei irgendwelchen Leuten. The corresponding nominative or accusative plural form is irgendwelche.

Usage and nuance:

Irgendwelchen emphasizes that the exact items are not identified or do not matter for the statement. It often appears in informal speech to express vagueness or a broad, unspecific selection. It contrasts with more precise terms like bestimmte (certain/specific) or einige (some), and with beliebig, which can carry a stronger sense of arbitrariness.

Examples:

- Ich kenne irgendwelche Leute. (I know some people.)

- Wir kämpfen mit irgendwelchen Problemen. (We’re dealing with some problems.)

- Hast du irgendwelche Ideen? (Do you have any ideas?)

Relation to related forms:

Some contexts use the plural form without a following noun, especially in questions or exclamations (irgendwelche?), but in standard use the form before a noun is irgendeine/irgendwelche for singular or plural, with the dative plural specifically being irgendwelchen.

See also: irgen- forms, indefinite determiners, and related expressions for vagueness in German.