Indefinite Pronouns - Someone, Somehow, Something, Somewhere, Someday, Anyone,…

Indefinite pronouns such as someone, somehow, anybody, anywhere are called “부정대명사” in Korean. Let’s have a look at the list.

누군가 means “somebody” and 아무나 means “anybody” or “anyone.” You can stack on 누군가 and 아무나. When stacking on 아무나, place the particles between 무 and 나.

누군가 말을 걸었어요. (Somebody talked to me.)

누군가 있나요? (Is somebody there?)

누군가가 훔쳐 갔어요. (Somebody stole it and left.)

아무나 들어오는 곳이 아니에요. (This isn’t a place where just anybody can enter.)

아무에게나 주면 안돼요. (You mustn’t give it to just anybody.)

아무한테서나 사탕을 받으면 안돼요. (You mustn’t accept candy from just anybody.)

어떻게든 means “somehow,” “by any means,” or “no matter what.” It is not stacked.

어떻게든 내일까지 끝낼게요. (I will finish it by tomorrow somehow/ no matter what.)

어떻게든 방법을 찾아볼게요. (I will find a way no matter what.)

무언가 means “something,” and 아무거나 means “anything.”

어디 means “where.” 어디 is often used with other particles.

어디에서 왔어요? ( Where did you come from?)

어딜 가려고요? (Where do you think you’re going?)

Remember that 어딜 is the shortened form of 어디를.

어디가 마음에 들어? (What do you like about it?)

어딘 잘 됐는데, 어딘 망가졌어요. (Some parts are well done, but some parts are ruined.)

어딘 come from 어디는

어떻게 means “how.” This one is not stacked with particles and neither shortened.

어떻게 지내요? (How have you been/ How are you these days?)

어떻게 할지 모르겠어요. (I don’t know what to do.)

어떻게 왔어요? (How did you get here?)

In casual texting, people often says 어떠케 or 어뜨케 for ease of use.

왜 means “why.” This one is also not stacked.

왜 일찍 일어났어요? (Why did you wake up early?)

왜 물어봐요? (Why do you ask?)

왜인지 모르겠어요. (I don’t know why.)

왜인지 is often shortened to 왠지.

무슨 means “what kind of.” There are many fixed expressions with 무슨.

The shortened version of 무슨 is 뭔.

뭔 말이에요? (What do you mean?)

무슨 일이든 열심히 할 거예요. (I will work hard, no matter what kind of work it is.)

무슨 말을 해야 할지 모르겠어요. (I don’t know what to say.)

무슨 뜻이에요? (What does it mean?)

Remember that saying 뭔 is very informal and can sound rude as if saying the subject is ridiculous or unworthy.

얼마 means “how much.”

얼마예요? (How much is it?)

얼마 냈어요? (How much did you pay?)

얼마가 됐던지 살 거예요. (No matter how much it is, I will buy it.)

얼마나 is used to ask the degree or extent of something. It is also used to emphasize how intense something is.

얼마나 예쁜지 몰라요. (You have no idea how pretty it is.)

얼마나 샀어요? (How many did you buy?)

얼마나 자주 운동해요? (How often do you work out?)

여기에서부터 얼마나 걸려요? (How long does it take from here?)

어떤

어떤 means “which.”

어떤 아이스크림을 좋아해요? (Which ice cream do you like?)

그사람은 어떤 사람이에요? (What kind of person is he?)

No, you cannot use 무슨 instead of 어떤 here. 무슨 indicates some type of object, but we are talking about a person, so using 어떤 is more appropriate.

어떤 기분이에요? (What does it feel like?/ What mood are you in?)

* For more practice exercises, visit the ‘Practice Hub’.