Understanding Indefinite Adjectives and Pronouns in French – Explained for Hindi Speakers

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Are you learning French and feeling confused by words like quelqu’un, chaque, aucun, or tout? Don’t worry—indefinite adjectives and pronouns may seem tricky at first, but once you understand the patterns and rules, you’ll be able to use them with confidence.

This guide will explain what indefinite adjectives and pronouns are, how to use them correctly, and how they relate to Hindi sentence structures. Whether you’re describing “something”, “someone”, “each person”, or “nothing”, this lesson is your key to mastering an essential part of French grammar.

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What Are Indefinite Adjectives and Pronouns?

Indefinite adjectives and pronouns refer to non-specific people or things. They are useful when you don’t want or need to be exact.

Let’s divide them into two types:

• Indefinite Adjectives: Describe a noun that is not specific (e.g., chaque étudiant – each student).
• Indefinite Pronouns: Replace a noun that is not specific (e.g., chacun est venu – each one came).

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Common French Indefinite Adjectives and Pronouns

Here are some of the most commonly used ones:

French	Type	Meaning	Hindi Equivalent	Example
quelqu’un	pronoun	someone	koi vyakti	Quelqu’un a frappé.
quelque chose	pronoun	something	kuch	J’ai entendu quelque chose.
chaque	adjective	each/every	har	Chaque élève est intelligent.
chacun/chacune	pronoun	each one	har ek	Chacun a reçu un cadeau.
tout/toute/tous/toutes	both	all/everything	sab / har	Tout est prêt.
aucun(e)	both	none/not any	koi bhi nahi	Aucun élève n’est venu.
plusieurs	both	several	kai	Plusieurs personnes sont venues.

Let’s go deeper into each with examples.

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1. Quelqu’un (Someone)

➤ Usage: Replaces a non-specific person.

• French: Quelqu’un a frappé à la porte.
• English (word-by-word): Someone has knocked at the door.
• Pronunciation (Hinglish): Kel-kun aa fra-pay a la port.

Hindi comparison: जैसे हम कहते हैं – “Koi darwaze par aaya tha.”

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2. Quelque chose (Something)

➤ Usage: Refers to an unknown thing.

• French: J’ai vu quelque chose d’étrange.
• English: I saw something strange.
• Pronunciation: J’ai vu kel-kuh shoz day-tranj.
• Hindi: “Maine kuch ajeeb dekha.”

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3. Chaque (Each/Every)

➤ Usage: Always an adjective, used before a singular noun.

• French: Chaque étudiant a un livre.
• English: Each student has a book.
• Pronunciation: Shaak ay-too-dee-ya a uh leevr.
• Hindi: “Har chhatra ke paas ek kitaab hai.”

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4. Chacun / Chacune (Each one)

➤ Usage: Used as a pronoun. Chacun is masculine; chacune is feminine.

• French: Chacun a donné son avis.
• English: Each one gave their opinion.
• Pronunciation: Shaa-kun a do-nay son a-vee.
• Hindi: “Har ek ne apni rai di.”

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5. Tout / Toute / Tous / Toutes (All / Every / Everything)

These forms change based on gender and number:

• Tout – masculine singular
• Toute – feminine singular
• Tous – masculine plural
• Toutes – feminine plural

➤ Usage: Can be both adjective or pronoun.

• French: Tout est prêt.
• English: Everything is ready.
• Pronunciation: Too eh preh.
• Hindi: “Sab kuch tayar hai.”
• French: Tous les garçons sont là.
• English: All the boys are there.
• Pronunciation: Too lay gar-son son la.
• Hindi: “Sab ladke wahan hain.”

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6. Aucun / Aucune (None / Not any)

Used in negative sentences.

• French: Aucun élève n’est venu.
• English: No student came.
• Pronunciation: O-kun ay-lehv nay ve-nu.
• Hindi: “Koi bhi chhatra nahi aaya.”

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7. Plusieurs (Several)

Refers to more than one, but not a specific number.

• French: Plusieurs personnes sont arrivées.
• English: Several people arrived.
• Pronunciation: Plu-syer per-son son ta-ree-vay.
• Hindi: “Kai log aaye.”

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Summary Chart: Indefinite Adjectives and Pronouns

French Word	Type	English	Hindi	Used With
quelqu’un	Pronoun	someone	koi vyakti	verb
quelque chose	Pronoun	something	kuch	verb
chaque	Adjective	each	har	noun
chacun / chacune	Pronoun	each one	har ek	verb
tout / toute / tous / toutes	Both	all / everything	sab	noun or verb
aucun / aucune	Both	none / not any	koi bhi nahi	noun/verb
plusieurs	Both	several	kai	noun/verb

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Bonus: Grammar Tip for Hindi Speakers

In Hindi, we often use generalizing words like:

• “koi” (someone/anyone) – matched by quelqu’un
• “kuch” (something) – matched by quelque chose
• “sab” (all) – matched by tout / tous / toutes
• “har” (each) – matched by chaque / chacun
• “koi bhi nahi” (none) – matched by aucun

Understanding these parallels makes it easier to choose the right French word in conversation or writing.

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