кто-нибудь vs никто

kto-nibud' vs nikto — anyone/someone vs nobody

What it really means

Кто-нибудь means anyone or some person in open questions, requests, and conditions. Никто means nobody and normally occurs with negation: никто не пришёл. Russian uses negative concord.

Examples in natural speech

Кто-нибудь поможет?
Will anyone help?
Возьми кого-нибудь с собой.
Take someone with you.
Никто не знает.
Nobody knows.
Я никого не видел.
I saw nobody.
Здесь никого нет.
There is nobody here.

Common mistakes

Do not omit не after никто in a verb sentence: никто не пришёл, not никто пришёл.

Memory tip

Ни- needs the negative verb; -нибудь keeps possibilities open.

Frequently asked questions

Why is не used with никто?

Russian negative concord requires it.

Can кто-нибудь mean anyone?

Yes.

How do I say nobody?

Никто.

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