Questions & Answers about Hat irgendwer heute irgendwen im Flur gesehen?
Why are there two different words for 'anyone' (irgendwer and irgendwen) in this sentence?
These pronouns change their endings based on their grammatical case, just like wer (who) and wen (whom). Irgendwer is in the nominative case because it is the subject (the person doing the seeing). Irgendwen is in the accusative case because it is the direct object (the person being seen).
Could I use jemand and jemanden instead of irgendwer and irgendwen here?
Yes, you could say Hat jemand heute jemanden... and it would mean essentially the same thing. Adding the prefix irgend- just gives it a stronger sense of randomness or vagueness, emphasizing "absolutely anyone at all."
Does irgendwer always take a singular verb like hat, even if the speaker might be asking about multiple people?
Yes! Just like "anyone" or "someone" in English, irgendwer is always grammatically singular. Therefore, it requires the 3rd-person singular verb conjugation (hat), regardless of how many people might actually be involved in reality.
Why is the time adverb heute placed right between the two pronouns?