-то, -нибудь -либо ?

I am a bit confused about these endings and I can't find any good information anywhere. When I try to translate English sentances into Russian (based on existing translations) I often choose the wrong ending because I don't quite understand their meaning.

I want to read a good summary about all this, or I need some very solid "dummies" examples... Any tips?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wiktionary

-нибудь
The particle -нибудь imparts a sense of indefiniteness similar to English any. The forms of что-нибудь are usually associated with questions and negatives (like anything), while что-то is associated with affirmatives (like something).

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wiktionary

-то
The particle -то 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).

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wiktionary

-либо
The particle -либо imparts a stronger sense of indefiniteness than -то or -нибудь.

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But I still get it wrong and make the wrong translation!
I think I need some examples, or how some other tips on how to understand this. :o


"If anybody should find out about this.."

Why is it:

"Если кто-либо об этом узнает" ?
Why not
"Если кто-либудь об этом узнает"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Johanna

Why is it: "Если кто-либо об этом узнает" ? Why not"Если кто-либудь об этом узнает"

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Here it is interchangeable. I think "либо" can always be replaced by "нибудь" (but not vice versa) and I recommend to do it always. "либо" is bookish in style so avoid it.

When making a choice between "то" and "нибудь" just use a general rule of any=нибудь and some=то. Besides there are a number of fixed phrases which are to be got used to each.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Johanna

Why is it:

"Если кто-либо об этом узнает" ?
Why not
"Если кто-нибудь об этом узнает"

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Even "Если кто-то об этом узнает" is correct. :D

Using "-либо" in many cases (like here) sounds just bookish.

Всё у нас какое-то неопределенное :-)

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Originally Posted by «Незримый бой» - песня из телесериала «Следствие ведут знатоки»

Если кто-то кое-где у нас порой
Честно жить не хочет,
Значит, снова нам идти в незримый бой,
Так назначено судьбой для нас с тобой —
Служба дни и ночи!

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In many cases these pronouns are interchangeable. However, there's a stylistic difference. Also, there're overtones.

1)'либо' is a alternative conjuctive. "Ребёнок - это либо мальчик, либо девочка". "A child is either boy or a girl". So using кто/что-либо suits best the cases when there's a choice from a fixed set of options. "Кто-либо из третьей группы". Moreover, it's literary, not spoken style.

2)кто/что-'нибудь' is a shortened form of 'someone whoever he/she is' (something whatever it is). It's a more spoken form. Use it where this overtone is appropriate.

3)кто-то/что-то means "someone, we don't know exactly who", "something, we don't exactly what"

"Она любит кого-то". Having heard this a Russian would think that she loves someone but she doesn't know exactly whom she loves.
"Она любит кого-нибудь" makes no sense. "Она любит кого-либо" makes no sense either.

"Кто-нибудь поможет мне?" is therefore better than "кто-то поможет мне?" because this question is usually asked to a group of people.

Great responses, thank you all so much. It's a lot clearer now, particularly knowing that кто-нибудь is ok to use instead of кто-либо. My examples are using либо quite a lot. Seems like a bad idea then, to use it in material for beginners.

I might have to come back to this thread later with more questions about this, because I am only just starting it...

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Originally Posted by Ленивец

"Она любит кого-то". Having heard this a Russian would think that she loves someone but she doesn't know exactly whom she loves.

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That's a strange idea. A girl can't love someone without knowing exactly who he is. I believe a man can't love someone-he-doesn't-know-who either.
The point is that in this sentence, the speaker doesn't know who the girl loves.

Yes I was a bit confused by that.

So how to say:

She loved someone
She was in love with someone..

(meaning she loved a person, she knows who it is (of course), but it's not relevant exactly who the person is.)

School mnemonic rule:
"То, кое, либо, нибудь -- чёрточку не забудь!"

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She loved someone
She was in love with someone..

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In both cases you need "кого-то".

"Она любит кого-то" means we do not know who it is, we know only, that she is in love.

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The point is that in this sentence, the speaker doesn't know who the girl loves.

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I agree.