alls staðar / hvergi
Everywhere and Nowhere
Það eru ferðamenn alls staðar. (There are tourists everywhere.) staðar is the genitive of staður (place).
How It Works
The set.
- alls staðar everywhere
- annars staðar elsewhere, somewhere else
- einhvers staðar somewhere
- sums staðar in some places
- nokkurs staðar anywhere, in questions: Sástu gleraugun mín nokkurs staðar?
- hvergi nowhere
Why the genitive. staðar is the genitive of staður (place), and the word in front is the matching masculine genitive of allur, annar, einhver, sumur or nokkur. See the genitive case.
Spelling. Write each phrase as two words: alls staðar, annars staðar, einhvers staðar.
Nowhere. hvergi is already negative, so do not add ekki: Ég sé hann hvergi (I can't see him anywhere). With ekki, say ekki neins staðar instead: Ég fann hann ekki neins staðar.
Going somewhere. These phrases mostly say where something is or happens. For movement, the direction words eitthvert (somewhere) and annað (elsewhere) are common: Förum eitthvert annað. (Let's go somewhere else.)
Examples (6)
- Það eru ferðamenn alls staðar á sumrin.
There are tourists everywhere in the summer.
Word by Word: It are tourists of-all place in the-summers.
- Ég hef leitað alls staðar að símanum.
I have looked everywhere for the phone.
Word by Word: I have searched of-all place for the-phone.
- Við getum hist annars staðar.
We can meet somewhere else.
Word by Word: We can meet of-other place.
- Ég hef séð hann einhvers staðar áður.
I have seen him somewhere before.
Word by Word: I have seen him of-some place before.
- Sums staðar er enn snjór í júní.
In some places there is still snow in June.
Word by Word: Of-some place is still snow in June.
The phrase comes first, so the verb er comes right after it.
- Ég sé hann hvergi.
I can't see him anywhere.
Word by Word: I see him nowhere.
Common Mistakes
Writing the phrase as one word.
Það er snjór allstaðar.Það er snjór alls staðar.The official spelling rules write alls staðar as two words. The same goes for annars staðar and einhvers staðar.
Using the nominative instead of the genitive.
Við getum hist annar staðar.Við getum hist annars staðar.The first word must be genitive to match staðar: annars, not annar.
Adding ekki to hvergi.
Ég sé hann ekki hvergi.Ég sé hann hvergi.hvergi already means nowhere. If you want to use ekki, say ekki neins staðar instead.
How It Connects
Learn This First
alls staðar builds on allur, einhver and annar.
Related Patterns
- The Genitive (eignarfall)
staðar and the word before it are both genitive.
Level 2 - nokkur / neinnAny in Questions and Negatives
nokkurs staðar and ekki neins staðar follow the any rules of nokkur and neinn.
Level 4 - enginn / ekkertNo, Nobody and Nothing
hvergi is the place word in the same family as enginn and ekkert.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice alls staðar / hvergi in Bubblegum
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