कुछ / कोई / सब

Some, Someone and All

Level 2Sounds Like kucha, kō'ī aura saba

कुछ (something, some), कोई (someone, any one) and सब (all, everyone) work alone or before a noun.

How It Works

WordAloneBefore a noun
कुछsomething: कुछ खाओ।some, a few: कुछ लोग
कोईsomeone: बाहर कोई है।some, any (one): कोई किताब
सबeveryone, everything: सब ठीक है।all: सब बच्चे

Use कुछ with plural nouns for a few: कुछ पैसे, कुछ दिन. Use कोई for one unknown person or thing. With a number, कोई means about: कोई दस लोग (about ten people).

Before a postposition, कोई changes to किसी: किसी को (to someone), किसी से (from someone). सब does not change and is usually written together with the postposition: सबको (to everyone), सबके लिए (for everyone).

The verb follows the meaning: सब तैयार हैं (everyone is ready) is plural, but सब ठीक है (everything is fine) is singular.

With नहीं, these words mean nobody and nothing: कोई नहीं, कुछ नहीं. That has its own entry.

Examples (5)

  1. क्या आपको कुछ चाहिए?

    Do you need anything?

    कुछ alone means something or anything.

  2. कुछ लोग बाहर खड़े हैं।

    Some people are standing outside.

    कुछ before a plural noun means some.

  3. दरवाज़े पर कोई है।

    There's someone at the door.

    कोई alone means someone.

  4. कोई अच्छी फ़िल्म बताइए।

    Suggest a good film.

    कोई before a noun means some or any one.

  5. सब तैयार हैं।

    Everyone is ready.

    सब for people takes a plural verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping कोई before a postposition.

    कोई से पूछो।
    किसी से पूछो।

    Before से, को, का and other postpositions, कोई becomes किसी.

How It Connects

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

कुछ / कोई / सबLevel 2Some, Someone and All

Learn This First

Someone and something are the indefinite partners of who and what.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

कुछकुछकोईकोईसबसब