誰も・何も・どこも～ない
Nobody, nothing, nowhere
You’ll be able to make complete denials, saying nobody, nothing, or nowhere at all.
教室には誰もいません。
kyoushitsu ni wa dare mo imasen.
What do you think this sentence means?
There is nobody in the classroom.
Say “nobody,” “nothing,” or “nowhere” with a negative predicate
With a negative sentence, 誰も, 何も, and どこも create complete negative meanings such as “nobody,” “nothing,” and “nowhere.”
今日は誰も来ませんでした。
kyou wa dare mo kimasen deshita.
Nobody came today.
Question word + も + negative
Add も to the question word and make the predicate negative.
何も食べませんでした。
nani mo tabemasen deshita.
I did not eat anything.
週末はどこにも行きませんでした。
shuumatsu wa doko ni mo ikimasen deshita.
I did not go anywhere over the weekend.
教室には誰もいません。
kyoushitsu ni wa dare mo imasen.
There is nobody in the classroom.
Keep other particles when needed
Particles such as に can come before も in some phrases, especially with places: どこにも.
どこにも行きたくないです。
doko ni mo ikitakunai desu.
I do not want to go anywhere.
誰にも言いませんでした。
dare ni mo iimasen deshita.
I did not tell anyone.
何にも困っていません。
nan ni mo komatte imasen.
I am not troubled by anything.
誰か vs 誰も
か points at someone unspecified. も with a negative wipes the whole category out — and the predicate must be negative for it to work.
誰も, nobody
今日は誰も来ませんでした。
kyou wa dare mo kimasen deshita.
Nobody came today.
も needs the negative 来ませんでした to mean “nobody”.
誰か, somebody
今日は誰か来ましたか。
kyou wa dareka kimashita ka.
Did somebody come today?
か leaves the person unnamed but real.
教室には誰もいません。
kyoushitsu ni wa dare mo imasen.
There is nobody in the classroom.
今日は誰も来ませんでした。
kyou wa dare mo kimasen deshita.
Nobody came today.
昨日は誰にも会いませんでした。
kinou wa dare ni mo aimasen deshita.
I did not see anyone yesterday.
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