Jeder vs. jemand vs. jedermann
While the German words jeder, jemand, and jedermann can all be translated as everyone or someone, they are not interchangeable. They differ in their scope, specificity, and grammatical use, distinguishing between each individual, an unspecified person, and the general public.
Jeder
A1The word jeder means each or every. It singles out every individual member of a defined group, emphasizing that the statement applies to all of them one by one. It is a pronoun that must be declined to match the gender (jeder/jede/jedes) and case of the noun it refers to.
Jeder Student muss dieses Buch lesen.
(Every student must read this book.)
Sie gab jedem Kind einen Apfel.
(She gave an apple to each child.)
Jede Antwort auf die Frage war anders.
(Every answer to the question was different.)
Ich kenne fast jeden hier auf der Party.
(I know almost everyone here at the party.)
Jedes Haus in dieser Straße hat einen Garten.
(Every house on this street has a garden.)
Jemand
A1The word jemand means someone, somebody, or anyone. It refers to a single, unspecified or unknown person. The identity of the person is either not known or not important. It is the opposite of niemand (no one).
Ist jemand an der Tür?
(Is someone at the door?)
Ich habe jemanden um Hilfe gebeten.
(I asked someone for help.)
Hat jemand mein Handy gesehen?
(Has anyone seen my phone?)
Wenn du eine Frage hast, frag einfach jemanden.
(If you have a question, just ask somebody.)
Das ist jemandes Schirm, er wurde hier vergessen.
(This is someone's umbrella; it was forgotten here.)
Jedermann
B1The word jedermann means everyone or everybody in a very broad and general sense. It refers to the general public, all people collectively, without exception. It functions as a single, masculine noun and is often used in formal contexts or fixed expressions.
Der Zugang zum Festival ist für jedermann offen.
(Access to the festival is open to everyone.)
Klassische Musik ist nicht jedermanns Sache.
(Classical music is not everyone's cup of tea.)
Es ist eine Tatsache, die jedermann bekannt sein sollte.
(It is a fact that should be known to everybody.)
Die neuen Regeln gelten für jedermann.
(The new rules apply to everyone.)
Er versucht, jedermanns Freund zu sein.
(He tries to be everybody's friend.)
Summary
In short: use jeder for each individual within a group (e.g., each student). Use jemand for an unknown someone (e.g., someone is at the door). Use jedermann for everyone as a whole, meaning the general public (e.g., a rule that applies to everyone).