Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that are used to refer to people or things without specifying exactly who or what they are. An indefinite pronoun is used in place of a noun without specifying a particular person or thing that is being represented. ( Les pronoms indéfinis sont des pronoms qui sont utilisés dans une phrase pour désigner des personnes ou des choses sans spécifier exactement ce qu'ils sont. Un pronom indéfini est utilisé à la place d'un nom sans spécifier une personne ou une chose en particulier qui est la représentée. )
The following is a list of the indefinite pronouns: ( Voici une liste des pronoms indéfinis: )
Table of Indefinite Pronouns
| People vs. Things | Singular | Plural | Singular or Plural |
| Either People or Things | Another one (quantifier) each either other | Both, few, fewer, many, others several | All, any, more, most, neither, none, plenty, some |
| People only | Anybody / anyone, everybody / everyone, one ("impersonal" pronoun), nobody/ no, one /no one, somebody / someone, whoever / whosoever, whomever / whomsoever, you (see usage note) | They (see usage note) | |
| Things only | Anything, enough, everything, less, little, much, nothing, something, such, this, whatever, whichever. | such |
In the following sentences the underlined words form an indefinite pronoun:
Is anyone there?
I don’t know anybody here.
I didn’t buy anything.
Does everyone have a drink?
Nothing matters now.
Enough is enough.
She has everything she could ever want.
Thanks, that's plenty.
No one can help me now.
Much was discussed at the meeting.
I have something to tell you.
Nobody understands.
Some pronouns were traditionally known as distributive pronouns but are now also variously known as indefinite pronouns (see above) or universal pronouns. Often such pronouns are followed by an ‘of’ construction.
The following is a list of such pronouns:
all, both, each, either, neither, more, most, some.
The underlined words are distributive/indefinite/universal pronouns:
We thought a few workers would be declared redundant, but, in the end, all kept their jobs.
All of the victims of the crash survived.
The three boys were involved in the crime and each deserves to be punished.
Each of the girls stands a chance of winning the competition.
I am very impressed by these two projects and think that either of them would suit our purpose well.
Neither of the candidates seemed suitable for the job.
There are too many student applicants for the college positions available and some will be disappointed.
