誰も〜ない details
no one + write + not
dare mo kakanai
no one; not anyone — 誰 plus も under a negative predicate
meaning: not write anyone
玄関のチャイム鳴らしたけど、誰も出てこなかった。
genkan no chaimu narashita kedo, dare mo dete konakatta.
I rang the doorbell, but no one came to the door. casual
この話は、まだ誰にも言っていません。
kono hanashi wa, mada dare ni mo itte imasen.
I haven't told anyone about this yet. neutral
- formal
Examples
no one; not anyone — 誰 under a negative predicate empties the set of people, standing bare wherever が or を would have stood (誰も来ない, 誰も責めない) and keeping any other case particle before も (誰にも言わない)
玄関のチャイム鳴らしたけど、誰も出てこなかった。
genkan no chaimu narashita kedo, dare mo dete konakatta.
I rang the doorbell, but no one came to the door. casual
この話は、まだ誰にも言っていません。
kono hanashi wa, mada dare ni mo itte imasen.
I haven't told anyone about this yet. neutral
あの事故について、私は誰も責めていません。
ano jiko ni tsuite, watashi wa dare mo semete imasen.
I'm not blaming anyone for that accident. neutral
週末は事務所に誰もおりませんので、月曜日にご連絡ください。
shuumatsu wa jimusho ni dare mo orimasen node, getsuyoubi ni go renraku kudasai.
There is no one in the office on weekends, so please contact us on Monday. formal
Formation
誰も{V-nai}attaches to ない-form
Variant notes
- どなたも — the honorific question word takes the same frame — どなたもいらっしゃいませんでした.
Notes
誰からも).
Related patterns
Similar
Same frame, different question word — 誰も empties a set of people and どこにも a set of places; both drop が and を before も (誰も来ない, どこも空いていない), but どこ is usually locative, and there に survives も — which is why the headword is どこにも and not bare どこも.
Both need a negative predicate, but 誰も leaves the set empty while しか names the one member that survives it — 誰も来なかった reports an empty room, 田中さんしか来なかった reports a room with Tanaka in it.
The same frame over a different question word, and they divide the world rather than compete — 何も ranges over things and 誰も over people, so 何も見えない reports a view with nothing in it where 誰も見えない reports one with nobody in it; neither takes the other's referent.