Breakdown of Ich habe das Geheimnis irgendwem erzählt, aber ich sage nicht, wem.
ich
I
haben
to have
aber
but
sagen
to say
nicht
not
wem
whom
erzählen
to tell
das Geheimnis
the secret
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
irgendwem
someone (anyone, dative)
Questions & Answers about Ich habe das Geheimnis irgendwem erzählt, aber ich sage nicht, wem.
Why is it irgendwem and not irgendwen here?
The verb erzählen (to tell) requires a dative object for the person receiving the information. You tell a secret to someone. Therefore, the indefinite pronoun irgendwer (someone) must change to its dative form, irgendwem.
Could I use jemandem instead of irgendwem?
Grammatically, yes. Both mean someone. However, the prefix irgend- adds a sense of vagueness, randomness, or indifference. While jemandem simply means someone, irgendwem emphasizes somebody or other, making the identity of the person sound even more mysterious or casually chosen.
Why does the sentence end with wem?
The word wem (to whom) is an interrogative pronoun acting as a placeholder for a full indirect question. It stands in for the complete thought: aber ich sage nicht, wem ich es erzählt habe. It remains in the dative case because it still refers to the indirect object of erzählen.
Is it normal to just drop the rest of the sentence after wem like that?
Yes, this is very natural in both spoken and written German, just as it is in English. As long as the missing information is obvious from the first half of the sentence, you can just end on the question word to avoid sounding repetitive.
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