Explanation
Use these pronouns when you mean an unknown person or people in general. Common forms are "someone," "anyone," "everyone," and "nobody."
In "Someone is waiting outside," "Someone" means one unknown person, "is waiting" shows the action now, and "outside" tells the place. This pronoun is singular in English, so we say "is," not "are." In Japanese, you can say "だれかが外で待っています," and the verb does not change for singular or plural.
知らない人や、一般の人を言うときにこの代名詞を使います。よく使う形は "someone," "anyone," "everyone," "nobody" です。
たとえば "Someone is waiting outside." では、"Someone" は特定されていない1人、"is waiting" は今まさに待っていること、"outside" は場所を表します。英語ではこの代名詞は単数なので、"are" ではなく "is" を使います。日本語なら「だれかが外で待っています」と言えますが、英語では単数・複数を動詞で区別します。
Examples
- Someone is waiting outside. だれかが外で待っています。
- Is anyone in the kitchen? キッチンにだれかいますか。
- Nobody called me last night. 昨夜はだれも私に電話しませんでした。
- Everyone likes a day off. みんな休みの日は好きです。
- I need somebody to help me. 手伝ってくれる人が必要です。
- Did you see anybody at the station? 駅でだれか見かけましたか。
Common Mistakes
Japanese learners often say "Everyone are here." because "everyone" feels plural. The correct sentence is "Everyone is here." These pronouns are singular in English, so use "is," "was," or "has," not "are" or "have."
日本語話者は「everyone は複数っぽい」と感じて、"Everyone are here." と言いがちです。正しくは "Everyone is here." です。これらの代名詞は英語では単数扱いなので、"are" や "have" ではなく "is" や "has" を使います。