A2-28 · Talk about callers without naming them
Calls at work
Use man for people in general, jemand for someone and niemand for no one in simple workplace calls.
About 5 minutes to read · 13 quiz questions
01
Man means people in general
Man describes what people generally do or can do. It takes a singular verb: Man erreicht das Büro telefonisch. Man does not mean a particular man; that noun is der Mann.
Man erreicht das Büro telefonisch.
You can reach the office by phone.
Man kann eine Nachricht hinterlassen.
You can leave a message.
Man muss die Nummer wählen.
You have to dial the number.
Man kann später zurückrufen.
You can call back later.
Erreichen means to reach someone. Verbinden means to put a caller through. Zurückrufen means to call back. With a modal, the infinitive stays at the end.
02
Someone is calling
Jemand means someone, a person whose identity is not given. As a subject, it also takes a singular verb. The caller can ask whether anyone is available.
Jemand ruft an.
Someone is calling.
Ist jemand im Büro?
Is anyone in the office?
Jemand möchte Frau Weber sprechen.
Someone would like to speak to Ms Weber.
Jemand hat eine Nachricht hinterlassen.
Someone has left a message.
Jemand and man are not interchangeable in meaning. Jemand ruft an describes a particular unknown caller. Man ruft an describes a general action.
03
Nobody answers
Niemand means nobody. It takes a singular verb and already makes the sentence negative. Do not add nicht to express the same simple negative idea.
Niemand ist da.
Nobody is there.
Niemand antwortet.
Nobody answers.
Niemand kann mich verbinden.
Nobody can put me through.
Niemand hat zurückgerufen.
Nobody has called back.
Niemand ist da means nobody is there. Eine Nachricht hinterlassen means to leave a message. These examples use jemand and niemand only as subjects.
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