誰か
Someone, Somewhere, Not anyone, Not anywhere
Structure
WH-Word(1) + Particle(2) + も
(1) どこ、誰
(2) へ、に、と
Explanation
To talk about an unspecified person or place, you can use the words 誰か ('someone') and どこか ('somewhere'), which appear in affirmative sentences and questions. In contrast, 誰も ('no one') and どこも ('nowhere') are used with negative verbs to express the absence of a person or place. The use of the interrogative word 誰 was touched upon in the 誰 grammar point.
- 誰かがそこにいますか。Is anyone there?
- 週末はどこかへ出かけますか。Are you going out somewhere this weekend?
- その質問の答えは誰も知りませんでした。No one knew the answer to that question.
- 町は小さいからどこも開いていなかった。The town is small, so nowhere was open.
These question words are not restricted to being followed only by か or も. Other particles such as へ, に, and と can also be combined with them to add more specific detail to the meaning.
- 夏休みにどこかへ旅行に行きましたか。Did you go on a trip somewhere for summer vacation?
- このプレゼントは誰かにあげますか。Are you going to give this present to someone?
- 彼女はいつも誰かと楽しそうに話している。She's always happily talking with someone.
- 昨日は雨だったのでどこへも出かけなかった。I didn't go out anywhere yesterday because it was raining. (Not even anywhere)
- この話は誰にも言わないで下さい。Please don't tell anyone about this. (Not even anyone)
- 彼女は誰にも優しくします。She is kind to anyone. (Even anyone, but less common than でも)
Notice the word order in the sentences above. When used with another particle, か will always come first. The reverse is true for も, which will always come after other particles. The reason for this difference is that か modifies the question word directly, while も applies to the entire phrase that contains the question word.
It is important to remember, though, that も is not exclusively used in negative sentences. As the last example demonstrates, it can occasionally appear in an affirmative context.
Examples
「どこかに猫が隠れているのですか。」
「どこにもいません。」
'Is a cat hiding somewhere?'
'It's not anywhere.'
「誰かに道を聞きましたか。」
「いいえ、誰にも聞いていません。」
'Did you ask someone for directions?'
'No, I didn't ask anyone.'
「どこかに間違いがあるでしょう。」
「どこにも見当たりませんよ。」
'There is probably a mistake somewhere.'
'It is not to be found anywhere.'
「この写真を誰かに見せましたか。」
「誰にも見せていません。」
'Did you show this photo to someone?'
'I have not shown it to anyone.'
「夏休みはどこかへ旅行しますか。」
「どこへも行くつもりはないよ。」
'Are you traveling somewhere for summer vacation?'
'I'm not planning on going anywhere.'
「駅で誰かと会うのですか？」
「いいえ、誰とも会いません。」
'Are you meeting with someone at the station?'
'No, I'm not meeting with anyone.'
「どこかに座りたい。」
「でも、どこにも空いている席がないよ。」
'I want to sit down somewhere.'
'But there aren't any empty seats anywhere.'
誰かにこの仕事を頼みたいけど、まだ誰にも頼んでいない。
I want to ask someone to do this job, but I haven't asked anyone yet.
「週末、どこかへ遊びに行きませんか。」
「すみません、どこへも遊びに行けないんです。」
'Would you like to go somewhere for fun this weekend?'
'Sorry, I can't go out for fun anywhere.'
「誰かに相談する？」
「誰にも相談しないでください。」
'Should we consult someone?'
'Please do not consult anyone.'
「どこかに涼しい場所を探しに行こうよ。」
「もう遅いから帰りたい。」
'Let's go look for somewhere cool.'
'It's already late, so I want to go home.'
「この本、誰かに貸すの？」
「誰にも貸すつもりはないよ。」
'Are you going to lend this book to someone?'
'I have no intention of lending it to anyone.'