Introduction
Alguém is one of the most useful words in Portuguese for talking about people in a general, unknown, or indefinite way. English speakers often translate it as someone, anybody, or anyone, but its use depends on context, negation, and formal vs informal registers. This article explains when and how to use alguém in Brazilian Portuguese with clear examples and helpful notes.
What does alguém mean?
Alguém is an indefinite pronoun that refers to a person without specifying who. It can be translated as someone, somebody, anyone, or anybody depending on the sentence and whether it is affirmative, negative, or interrogative. Unlike names or specific nouns, alguém keeps the person indefinite.
Basic examples
Use alguém in affirmative sentences when you want to say that at least one person exists or did something.
Example:
Alguém me ligou ontem.
Translation: Someone called me yesterday.
Affirmative sentences with alguém
In positive statements, alguém indicates that there is at least one person involved. The verb usually agrees in third person singular, because alguém functions as a singular pronoun.
Examples:
Alguém sabe a resposta?
Alguém trouxe café para a reunião.
Notice the verbs sabe and trouxe are in third person singular. Even if we imagine many people, grammatically we treat alguém as singular.
Using alguém with prepositions
Alguém can be combined with prepositions to indicate direction, possession, or other relations. The structure remains simple: preposition + alguém or alguém + preposition depending on the sentence.
Examples:
Você conhece alguém no Brasil?
Falei com alguém sobre o projeto.
Portuguese places the preposition before the pronoun in most cases. With verbs that require prepositions, keep the normal verb + preposition order.
Questions with alguém
In questions, alguém asks whether some person exists or did something. Use it when you expect or hope for a positive answer, or when you are searching for information.
Examples:
Alguém pode me ajudar?
Alguém viu minhas chaves?
In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, intonation often signals the question; in writing, standard question marks apply. Note that alguém keeps the verb in third person singular even in questions.
Polite requests and offers
Use alguém to make polite requests or offers when you do not address a specific person. It is common in workplaces, shops, or public situations.
Examples:
Alguém pode me dar uma informação?
Há alguém que possa explicar este formulário?
Adding por favor or com licença makes the request even more polite: Alguém pode me ajudar, por favor? or Com licença, alguém pode me informar onde fica o banheiro?
Negative sentences: ninguém vs alguém
When you negate a sentence with no one or nobody, do not use alguém. Instead use ninguém. The negative form changes the meaning and the grammar: ninguém also takes third person singular verbs.
Examples:
Ninguém veio à festa.
Não há ninguém na sala.
Important: In Portuguese double negatives are common and grammatically correct. When you use negative words like ninguém, you typically keep other negatives like não or nunca. For example: Não vi ninguém ontem means I did not see anyone yesterday, while *Não vi alguém is incorrect.
Negative questions and emphasis
To ask a negative question in Portuguese, you can use ninguém or structure the question with não and alguém. Both forms are possible but have different nuances.
Examples:
Você não viu ninguém? (Didn’t you see anyone?)
Não há alguém que possa me ajudar? (Isn’t there someone who can help me?)
The first example uses ninguém and sounds like surprise that no one was seen. The second uses alguém in a negative construction with não and can sound more like a hopeful question asking for at least one person.
Using alguém vs quem and other pronouns
Alguém vs quem: Use alguém when the person is indefinite. Use quem for who in direct questions when asking for the identity of a person.
Examples:
Quem é o professor? (Who is the teacher?)
Alguém é o novo professor. (Someone is the new teacher.)
Comparing with todo mundo and todos: Alguém means one or some person; todo mundo means everyone; todos refers to all people in a group and agrees in plural with the verb.
Examples:
Todo mundo participou da reunião.
Todos os alunos passaram no teste.
Alguém passou no teste? (Did someone pass the test?)
Possessives and gender
Alguém itself has no gender or plural form. To show possession or describe the person, use possessive adjectives or descriptive nouns that agree in gender and number.
Examples:
Alguém trouxe seu livro? (Did someone bring your book?)
Alguém interessante estava na festa. (Someone interesting was at the party.)
If you need to specify plural people, use words like algumas pessoas, algumas pessoas instead of alguém, because alguém is singular.
Subordinate clauses and indefinite subjects
Alguém can appear in subordinate clauses as the subject or object. In these cases, the main clause may determine tense and mood. Use the subjunctive mood when the clause expresses doubt, desire, or condition.
Examples:
Espero que alguém me explique isso. (I hope someone explains this to me.)
Se alguém chegar cedo, avise-me. (If someone arrives early, let me know.)
Notice the verb in the subordinate clause can be in the subjunctive after verbs of hoping or wanting: Espero que alguém venha amanhã. (I hope someone comes tomorrow.)
Using alguém with subjunctive
When the context expresses uncertainty, desire, necessity, or emotion, Portuguese often uses the subjunctive in the clause that contains alguém.
Examples:
Quero que alguém me acompanhe ao médico. (I want someone to accompany me to the doctor.)
É importante que alguém responda a essa pergunta. (It is important that someone answers this question.)
Stylistic and cultural notes
Brazilian Portuguese speakers often prefer simpler, direct constructions in everyday speech. In informal contexts, you may hear alternative phrases or reduced forms, but alguém remains common and natural.
Examples in conversation:
Alguém aí viu o João?
Tem alguém pra me ajudar?
Note the use of aí and pra, common colloquial forms. In formal writing or speech, use ali, para, or more complete syntax: Há alguém que possa me ajudar? is formal and polite.
Register: formal vs informal
In formal writing and official documents, avoid overly colloquial contractions. Use proper prepositions and full verb forms. In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, contractions and colloquial words are acceptable and frequent.
Examples:
Formal: Alguém pode fornecer mais informações?
Informal: Tem alguém que saiba disso?
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
1. Confusing alguém with ninguém: Remember alguém is positive (someone), ninguém is negative (no one). Use não with alguém only when constructing negative questions or clauses carefully.
2. Verb agreement errors: Always use third person singular with alguém, even when thinking of more than one person. Incorrect: Alguém trouxeram. Correct: Alguém trouxe.
3. Misusing for plural meanings: If you mean multiple people, use algumas pessoas, algumas pessoas, or todos. Incorrect: Alguém chegaram tarde. Correct: Algumas pessoas chegaram tarde.
Extra examples with varied contexts
Requests and offers:
Alguém me empresta uma caneta?
Alguém quer um pedaço de bolo?
Uncertainty and possibility:
Pode ser que alguém tenha deixado aqui.
Talvez alguém saiba a resposta.
Instructions and signs:
Se alguém estiver procurando a recepção, suba ao segundo andar.
Conclusion
Alguém is a flexible and essential indefinite pronoun in Brazilian Portuguese used to refer to an unspecified person. Use it in affirmative sentences, questions, and subordinate clauses, always with third person singular verbs. For negatives, switch to ninguém, and remember cultural differences between formal and informal registers. With the simple patterns and examples shown here, you can start using alguém naturally in everyday Portuguese conversation.
