irgendein
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Determiner
irgendein
- (indefinite) some; any
- Synonym: beliebig
Usage notes
- The German word is used only with countable singulars. For plurals and uncountable singulars, use irgendwelcher.
- The distinction between some and any is alien to German. On the other hand, irgendein is not freely usable for “any” where this word is similar in meaning to “every”, as in You can choose any of my books. Any student can apply. This sense can usually be covered by the somewhat formal jeder beliebige: Du kannst jedes beliebige von meinen Büchern auswählen. Jeder beliebige Student kann sich bewerben. In more idiomatic German, jeder, welcher auch immer, or even irgendein are more common, but the right choice between them requires some experience as they are not always interchangeable.
Declension
| Declension of irgendein | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | plural | |
| nominative | irgendein | irgendeine | irgendein | – |
| genitive | irgendeines | irgendeiner | irgendeines | – |
| dative | irgendeinem | irgendeiner | irgendeinem | – |
| accusative | irgendeinen | irgendeine | irgendein | – |
Derived terms
- irgendeiner (pronoun)
- irgendeins (pronoun)
- irgendeinmal
Further reading
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