кто-то

Russian

Etymology

Univerbation of кто́ (któ) +‎ -то (-to).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [ˈkto‿tə]
  • Audio(file)

Pronoun

кто-то • (kto-to) m

  1. (indefinite pronoun) somebody, someone (implies that one has a certain person in mind, but does not know exactly who)
    Кто́-то здесь был? ― Któ-to zdesʹ byl? ― Somebody has been here?
    • 1904, Леонид Андреев, “Отрывок четвёртый”, in Красный смех; English translation from Alexandra Linden, transl., The Red Laugh, London: T. Fisher, 1905:
      Кто-то вздохнул. Кто-то судорожно хрустнул пальцами, кто-то засмеялся, кто-то вскочил и быстро заходил вокруг стола.
      Kto-to vzdoxnul. Kto-to sudorožno xrustnul palʹcami, kto-to zasmejalsja, kto-to vskočil i bystro zaxodil vokrug stola.
      Somebody sighed; somebody convulsively cracked his fingers; somebody laughed; somebody jumped up and began walking quickly round the table.

Usage notes
  • The particle -то (-to) imparts a sense of indefiniteness similar to English some. The forms of кто-то are associated with affirmatives (like somebody), while кто-нибудь is usually associated with questions and negatives (like anybody).

Declension
Declension of кто́-то  
nominative кто́-то
któ-to
genitive кого́-то
kovó-to
dative кому́-то
komú-to
accusative кого́-то
kovó-to
instrumental ке́м-то
kém-to
prepositional ко́м-то
kóm-to

See also
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