quelqu'un
French
Etymology
quelque + un
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kɛl.k‿œ̃/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -œ̃
Pronoun
quelqu'un m (feminine (rare) quelqu'une, masculine plural quelques-uns, feminine plural (rare) quelques-unes)
- (dated) one (out of several)
- Synonyms: un, l'un
- (in the masculine singular) someone, somebody, anyone, anybody
- Il y a quelqu'un ici qui parle français ?
- Is there anybody here who speaks French?
- Je voudrais parler avec quelqu'un d'autre.
- I would like to speak with someone else.
- (in the masculine singular) (colloquial) (a) somebody (someone singular or notable, i.e., who stands apart from most others in importance, skill, merit, etc.)
- (in the plural; used with de, en or an antecedent) some
- J'ai lu quelques-uns de ces livres. ― I have read some of these books.
- (in the masculine plural) some people, certain
Usage notes
- The feminine singular is uncommon.
- To qualify with an adjective, the preposition de must be used:
- C'est quelqu'un de gentil.
- He is a nice person. (He is someone nice).
Abbreviations
- qqn, qqns
See also
- l'on
- on
Further reading
- “quelqu'un”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.