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Grammar / Level 1 / Lesson 31

아무, 모든, 누구나: anybody, everybody, nobody

By Daniel Buckley · 8 minute read · TOPIK 1

Vocabulary

  1. 아무 - any, anyone
  2. 아무것 - anything
  3. 데 - place
  4. 모든 - every, all
  5. 모두 - everyone, all
  6. 누구나 - anyone, everyone
  7. 언제나 - always
  8. 항상 - always
  9. 실수 - a mistake

"Nobody came" puts the negative on "nobody". Korean puts it on the verb, 아무도 안 왔어요, literally "anybody didn't come". English teachers would object. In Korean it's the only way to say it.

Most of these words come from one root, 아무, which points at no one in particular. Add 도 and the verb has to go negative. Add (이)나 and it means any at all.

아무도: nobody

아무도 and its relatives need a negative verb: 안, 못, 없다 or 모르다. Think of the 도 as "even": not even anyone came.

Nobody, nothing, nowhere

  • Nobody: 아무도아무도 안 왔어요
  • Nothing: 아무것도아무것도 안 먹었어요
  • Nowhere: 아무 데도아무 데도 안 갔어요
  • No (noun) at all: 아무 + noun + 도아무 말도 안 했어요

  1. 아무도 안 왔어요.

    Anybody didn't come.

  2. 교실에 아무도 없어요.

    In classroom anybody doesn't exist.

  3. 오늘은 아무것도 안 먹었어요.

    Today (I) didn't eat anything.

  4. 저는 아무것도 몰라요.

    I don't know anything.

  5. 주말에 아무 데도 안 갔어요.

    On the weekend (I) didn't go anywhere.

  6. 친구는 아무 말도 안 했어요.

    Friend didn't say any word.

  7. 아무한테도 말하지 마세요.

    To anybody please don't speak.

도 takes the place of 이/가 and 을/를 completely. A particle like 한테 stays and goes before the 도, as in example 7.

아무나 and 아무거나: any at all

Swap 도 for (이)나 and the sentence goes positive. This 나 means "any of them, I'm not choosing". It's what you say when the decision doesn't matter to you.

Any at all

  • Anyone: 아무나
  • Anything: 아무거나
  • Anywhere: 아무 데나
  • Any time: 아무 때나

  1. 아무거나 주세요.

    Anything please give.

  2. 아무거나 좋아요.

    Anything is good.

  3. 아무 데나 앉으세요.

    Anywhere please sit.

  4. 아무 때나 오세요.

    Any time please come.

  5. 아무나 들어올 수 있어요.

    Anyone at all can come in.

※ With a negative verb, 아무나 usually means "not just anyone": 이 일은 아무나 할 수 없어요, not just anyone can do this job.

누구나 and 언제나

Question words take 나 as well. 누구나 is 누구, who, plus 나: whoever you pick, it's true of them. That makes it "everyone" or "anyone", and it usually goes with a positive verb.

누구나 is neutral where 아무나 isn't. 누구나 할 수 있어요 is encouraging, anyone can do it. 아무나 할 수 있어요 can sound like a put-down of the task: any old person could do it.

언제나 is 언제, when, plus 나: whenever you pick, it's true. That's "always", and it means much the same as 항상, which is the everyday word.

  1. 누구나 실수를 해요.

    Everyone makes a mistake.

  2. 한국어는 누구나 배울 수 있어요.

    Korean anyone can learn.

  3. 이 노래는 누구나 알아요.

    This song everyone knows.

  4. 어머니는 언제나 바쁘세요.

    Mother is always busy.

  5. 버스는 언제나 늦어요.

    Bus is always late.

※ 언제나 can mean "any time" too, but "always" is what most people will hear. If you mean any time, 아무 때나 is clearer.

모든: every

모든 means "every" or "all", and it works differently from the rest: it only ever goes in front of a noun. It can't stand alone or take a particle. For "everyone" by itself use 모두, and for "all" after the noun use 다.

  1. 모든 사람이 왔어요.

    Every person came.

  2. 모든 학생이 시험을 봤어요.

    Every student took exam.

  3. 모두 왔어요.

    Everyone came.

  4. 친구들이 다 왔어요.

    Friends all came.

  1. ___ 안 왔어요.

    Nobody came.

  2. ___ 먹을 수 있어요.

    I can eat anything.

  3. ___ 사람이 웃었어요.

    Everyone laughed.

  4. 저는 ___ 일찍 일어나요.

    I always get up early.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

In a conversation

A

주말에 뭐 했어요?

On the weekend what did?

B

아무것도 안 했어요. 집에 있었어요.

Anything didn't do. At home was.

A

아무도 안 만났어요?

Anybody didn't meet?

B

네, 아무도 안 만났어요.

Yes, anybody didn't meet.

A

그럼 오늘 같이 밥 먹을까요? 뭐 먹을래요?

Then today together meal shall we eat? What want to eat?

B

아무거나 좋아요.

Anything is good.

Common mistakes

  1. 아무도 왔어요.

    아무도 안 왔어요.

    아무도 only works with a negative verb.

  2. 아무것도를 안 먹었어요.

    아무것도 안 먹었어요.

    도 takes the place of 을/를. They can't sit together.

  3. 모든이 왔어요.

    모두 왔어요.

    모든 needs a noun after it. On its own, use 모두.

One sentence in each group is wrong. Tap it.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

___ 안 왔어요. Nobody came.

아무 plus a particle that needs a negative verb.

Summary

The whole family

  • Nobody, nothing, nowhere, with a negative verb:아무도, 아무것도, 아무 데도
  • Any at all, with a positive verb:아무나, 아무거나, 아무 데나, 아무 때나
  • Everyone, always:누구나, 언제나
  • Every, before a noun:모든 사람

Now you can say

  1. 저는 아무것도 몰라요.

    I don't know anything.

  2. 아무거나 주세요.

    Anything please give.

  3. 누구나 할 수 있어요.

    Anyone can do (it).

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