-небудзь

Anyone with -небудзь

Level 3Sounds Like nebudzʹ

Хто-небудзь званіў? (Did anyone call?) Раскажы што-небудзь. (Tell me something.) Паедзем куды-небудзь! (Let's go somewhere!)

How It Works

Forms. Put a hyphen between the question word and -небудзь:

  • хто-небудзь: anyone, someone (any)
  • што-небудзь: anything, something (any)
  • дзе-небудзь, куды-небудзь: anywhere, somewhere
  • калі-небудзь: ever (in questions), someday
  • які-небудзь: any kind of; як-небудзь: somehow

Only the first part declines; -небудзь never changes: каго-небудзь, чаго-небудзь, з кім-небудзь, у якой-небудзь краме.

Where it is used. -небудзь means it does not matter which one, or we do not know if there is one at all:

  • questions: Хто-небудзь званіў? (Did anyone call?)
  • requests and commands: Раскажы што-небудзь цікавае.
  • plans and the future: Паедзем куды-небудзь летам!
  • if-clauses: Калі хто-небудзь спытае, скажы, што я дома.

-небудзь or нехта? For one real event, such as a knock that really happened, use нехта or хтосьці: Учора нехта пастукаў у дзверы. Use -небудзь when no particular one is meant.

Not in negatives. With не, use ні- words: Я нікога не бачыў. (I did not see anyone.) See double negation.

Related any-words are абы- (just any, carelessly) and the literary -кольвек (any whatsoever).

Examples (6)

  1. Хто-небудзь званіў?

    Did anyone call?

    Word by Word: Who-any called?

  2. Раскажы што-небудзь цікавае.

    Tell me something interesting.

    Word by Word: Tell what-any interesting.

  3. Ты калі-небудзь быў у Брэсце?

    Have you ever been to Brest?

    Word by Word: You when-any were in Brest?

    In questions, калі-небудзь means ever.

  4. Паедзем куды-небудзь летам!

    Let's go somewhere in the summer!

    Word by Word: We-will-go where-any in-summer!

  5. Калі хто-небудзь спытае, скажы, што я дома.

    If anyone asks, say that I'm at home.

    Word by Word: If who-any will-ask, say that I at-home.

  6. Ці ёсць тут які-небудзь банкамат?

    Is there an ATM anywhere here?

    Word by Word: Whether is here which-any ATM?

Common Mistakes

  • Using -небудзь for one real past event.

    Учора хто-небудзь пастукаў у дзверы.
    Учора нехта пастукаў у дзверы.

    Someone really knocked, so it is a particular person. Use нехта or хтосьці.

  • Forgetting to decline the question-word part.

    Ты бачыў хто-небудзь?
    Ты бачыў каго-небудзь?

    The хто part changes for case: after бачыць it is каго-небудзь.

  • Using the Russian ending -нибудь.

    Раскажы што-нибудзь.
    Раскажы што-небудзь.

    The Belarusian ending is -небудзь, with е.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-небудзьLevel 3Anyone with -небудзь

Learn This First

-небудзь follows нехта and -сьці.

Words in This Pattern

-небудзьнебудзьхто-небудзьшто-небудзькалі-небудзь