Jeder, Alle, Alles: How to Say Every, All, and Everyone in German
If you're learning German, you may need these words sooner than you expect. Perhaps you have a new flat and a new job in a German city. You want to say that the bus comes every ten minutes, every flat has a balcony, and all your colleagues are nice.
The main rule is simple: jed- (every, each) goes with one thing, so it uses a singular noun. Alle (all) goes with many things, so it uses a plural noun.
Very often you can say the same thing both ways. What changes is the grammar around it, including the verb, and that is where most mistakes happen.
Try it first
In each sentence, one word is missing. The wrong options are forms that learners often choose, so read the short reason after each answer.
If a few of those were guesses, the rest of this post explains each choice.
One thing or many things
Use jeder, jede, or jedes (every, each) when you mean every single person or thing in a group. The noun is singular, and the verb is singular too.
Jede Wohnung im Haus hat einen Balkon. (Every flat in the building has a balcony.)
Use alle (all) when you mean the whole group. The noun is plural, and the verb is plural.
Alle Wohnungen im Haus haben einen Balkon. (All the flats in the building have a balcony.)
Both sentences give a very similar message. The first sentence looks at each flat one by one. The second sentence looks at all the flats as a group.
Here are three more pairs:
| One thing at a time | Many things as a group |
|---|---|
| Jeder Kollege hat einen Laptop. | Alle Kollegen haben einen Laptop. |
| Every colleague has a laptop. | All the colleagues have a laptop. |
| Jedes Büro hat ein Fenster. | Alle Büros haben ein Fenster. |
| Every office has a window. | All the offices have a window. |
| Jeder Nachbar grüßt mich. | Alle Nachbarn grüßen mich. |
| Every neighbour says hello to me. | All the neighbours say hello to me. |
Notice the verbs: hat (has) and grüßt (says hello) are singular. Haben (have) and grüßen (say hello) are plural.
There is no plural form of jed-. You cannot use jede Wohnungen. When the noun is plural, use alle Wohnungen (all flats).
The endings of jeder
Jed- changes its ending in the same way as der, die, and das (the). You choose the ending from the gender of the noun and the case in the sentence.
| Case | Masculine: der Zug (the train) | Feminine: die Straße (the street) | Neuter: das Büro (the office) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | jeder Zug | jede Straße | jedes Büro |
| Akkusativ | jeden Zug | jede Straße | jedes Büro |
| Dativ | jedem Zug | jeder Straße | jedem Büro |
If Akkusativ and Dativ still feel unclear, read our guide to German cases. For this topic, you mainly need to notice which ending appears after a verb or preposition.
In the Nominativ, Jeder Zug hält hier. (Every train stops here.) The train is doing the action, so it is the subject.
In the Akkusativ, Ich nehme jeden Morgen den gleichen Zug. (I take the same train every morning.) The train is the direct object. The masculine form changes from jeder to jeden.
That masculine change is the one you will see most often:
- jeder Tag (every day), when it is the subject
- jeden Tag (every day), in a time expression
- jeder Montag (every Monday), when it is the subject
- jeden Montag (every Monday), as a time expression
Feminine and neuter forms do not change between Nominativ and Akkusativ:
- Sie kennt jede Straße in der Stadt. (She knows every street in the city.)
- Jedes Büro hat ein Fenster. (Every office has a window.)
The Dativ forms appear after certain prepositions. In jedem Büro gibt es eine Kaffeemaschine. (There is a coffee machine in every office.) Ich spreche mit jedem Kollegen. (I talk with every colleague.) An jeder Haltestelle steht ein Fahrplan. (There is a timetable at every stop.)
Location in (in), an (at), and mit (with) take the Dativ in these examples. Our guide to Dativ prepositions explains this pattern in more detail.
The endings of alle
Alle takes the endings of plural die (the). Since it always goes with a plural noun, there are fewer forms to learn.
| Case | Plural |
|---|---|
| Nominativ | alle Züge |
| Akkusativ | alle Züge |
| Dativ | allen Zügen |
In the Nominativ, Alle Züge fahren heute pünktlich. (All the trains are on time today.) The plural subject needs the plural verb fahren (go, travel).
In the Akkusativ, Ich kenne alle Nachbarn. (I know all the neighbours.) The form stays alle.
In the Dativ, Die Chefin spricht mit allen Kollegen. (The boss talks with all the colleagues.) You need allen, not alle.
The noun also adds -n in the Dativ plural: die Züge becomes mit allen Zügen (with all the trains).
If the plural already ends in -n or -s, nothing is added. That is why you say mit allen Kollegen (with all the colleagues), in allen Wohnungen (in all the flats), and in allen Büros (in all the offices).
You can also put alle before a possessive word: alle meine Kollegen (all my colleagues).
Every day, every week: time expressions
German uses jed- for regular time expressions such as jeden Tag (every day), jede Woche (every week), and jedes Jahr (every year). These expressions have no preposition, and they use the Akkusativ.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| jeden Tag | every day |
| jeden Morgen | every morning |
| jeden Abend | every evening |
| jeden Montag | every Monday |
| jede Woche | every week |
| jedes Jahr | every year |
For example:
- Ich fahre jeden Tag mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit. (I cycle to work every day.)
- Ich rufe meine Eltern jede Woche an. (I call my parents every week.)
- Wir fahren jedes Jahr in die Berge. (We go to the mountains every year.)
This explains a very common question: is it jeder Tag or jeden Tag? In the time expression, it is jeden Tag, because der Tag (the day) is masculine and the expression uses Akkusativ.
Use alle with a number and a plural time word when you mean every X minutes, weeks, or years:
- alle zehn Minuten (every ten minutes)
- alle zwei Wochen (every two weeks)
- alle drei Jahre (every three years)
Der Bus kommt alle zehn Minuten. (The bus comes every ten minutes.) Ich gehe alle zwei Wochen zum Friseur. (I go to the hairdresser every two weeks.)
For times such as um (at), am (on), and im (in), see our German time expressions post.
One separate phrase is useful here. “All day” is den ganzen Tag (all day), not alle Tag.
Ich war den ganzen Tag im Büro. (I was in the office all day.)
You can also say die ganze Woche (all week).
Everyone and everything: jeder, alle, alles
These words can stand alone without a noun. When they do, the verb helps you see the difference.
Jeder (everyone) means every person, one by one. It takes a singular verb.
Jeder kennt diesen Park. (Everyone knows this park.)
Alle (everyone, all of them) means all the people in a group. It takes a plural verb.
Alle sind schon da. (Everyone is already here.)
Alles (everything) means every thing or the whole situation. It takes a singular verb.
Alles ist teuer in dieser Stadt. (Everything is expensive in this city.) Ich habe alles verstanden. (I understood everything.)
This is the difference between alle and alles: alle usually refers to people or plural things, while alles means everything as one whole idea.
You will hear Alles klar? (All good? / Is everything clear?) and Alles gut. (Everything's fine.) often. To greet a group, you can say Hallo, alle zusammen! (Hello, everyone!)
Mistakes English speakers make
These mistakes are normal because English uses “every” and “all” in ways that do not always show singular, plural, or case.
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ich arbeite jeder Tag. | Ich arbeite jeden Tag. | Time expressions use Akkusativ. Der Tag becomes jeden Tag. |
| Jede Wohnungen haben einen Balkon. | Alle Wohnungen haben einen Balkon. | Jed- has no plural form. |
| Alle Kollege hat einen Laptop. | Alle Kollegen haben einen Laptop. | Alle needs a plural noun and a plural verb. |
| Jeder sind hier. | Jeder ist hier. | Jeder takes a singular verb. |
| Alle ist teuer. | Alles ist teuer. | “Everything” is alles. |
| Ich war alle Tag im Büro. | Ich war den ganzen Tag im Büro. | “All day” is den ganzen Tag. |
| Ich spreche mit alle Kollegen. | Ich spreche mit allen Kollegen. | Mit takes the Dativ, and Dativ plural is allen. |
Practise it in your own week
Write five sentences about your own week. Write two sentences with jeden, jede, or jedes. Then write one sentence with alle plus a number, one with alle plus a plural noun, and one with alles.
For example, your sentences can describe how often you travel to work, what happens in your office, or what is expensive in your city. Check the gender of each noun before you choose jeder, jede, or jedes. If you need a reminder, use our German articles post.