某 + 名词
a certain; some (one that is not named)
Structure
某 （一／量词） 名词
What it means
“A certain, some”: points to a particular person, place or time without naming it.
How it is built
某 + (一／measure word) + noun: 某人, 某天, 某个地方, 某一年: 我总觉得在某个地方见过他 (I keep feeling I’ve seen him somewhere before).
When to use it
For when you don’t know, needn’t say or prefer not to. More formal than 有一个…. After a surname, 王某 is how news reports withhold someone’s full name.
Watch out
某 is not an amount: “some (a few) books” is 一些书, while 某些书 means “certain books”.
Examples
5月底的某天晚上，象群走进了一座县城。
One evening at the end of May the herd walked into a county town.
某公司的一位负责人说，新产品下个月上市。
A manager at a certain company said the new product would go on sale next month.
我总觉得在某个地方见过他。
I keep feeling I have seen him somewhere before.
Learn this in Lesson 25 · HSK 5: 一路向北的象群 (The elephants that walked north)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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