When indefinite pronouns function as quantifiers, they cooccur in partitive structures:
None of the food is left.
None of the guests are here.
The accompanying verb is singular with mass nouns, plural with count nouns. However, this alternation occurs only in English. In all other mIE languages, the verb agrees with the pronoun, i.e., singular. The Goidelic languages are unique in using a determiner instead of a pronoun in these sentences. And the Indo-Aryan languages simply use syntax to indicate partitive sense. Finally, we note that Armenian uses the ablative case to mark partitive, the only mIE language to do so.
Dutch Geen van de gasten is hier. [none of the guests is here]
Italian Non c’è nessuno degli invitati qui. [not it+is none of+the guests here]
Irish Níl aon duine de na haíonna anseo. [is+not any person of the guests here]
Welsh Does neb o’r gwesteion yma. [is+not no one of+the guests here]
Lithuanian Niekas iš svečių čia nėra. [no+one of guests here is not]
Slovenian Nihče od gostov ni tukaj. [no one of guests not+is here]
Armenian Hyureritsabl/pl voch mekə ch’ekav. [by+guests not one not+arrive]
Persian hich kas az mehmānān inja nist. [no one of guests+the here not+is]
Hindi koi bhi mehman yahan nahin hai [any even guests here not is]
Thinking it over.
What’s the story with indefinite pronouns? Most of them double as quantifiers: all, both, each, none, few, many, several, some, most. As such they are hardly indefinite; the context suggests the referent: Most of the students came. Only someone, everyone, no one, somebody, nobody, nothing are strictly pronominal and indefinite. But even these occur in partitive phrases: Nothing of the car remained.
English has become adept in having one word fufll many functions. My 1966 Webster’s New World Dictionary does not list text as a verb but it is certainly used as a verb today. Indefinite pronouns act as quantifiers; just about any noun can be a verb: She chaired the meeting., I’ll pencil it in.; adjectives serve as nouns and verbs: How the rich get richer. She finally warmed to the idea.
If someone suggested that indefinite pronouns are actually just indefinite quantifiers, I would be willing to think it over.
An English learner wondered about the verbal agreement with ‘everyone’:
This question is about “everyone”, “someone” and “somebody”. But when it comes to verbs or be, we must treat them like a singular noun only?
Everyone here is tall. They are all basketball players. (the only correct way?)
Everyone here are tall. They are all basketball players. (is it wrong?)
Answer: “Everyone” is always taken as singular, so the verb is “is”.1
GRAMMAR
Ablative case is a way of expressing the cause or source of a thing or the means by which something happens. This is accomplished by the use of an ending on a noun or adjective. The Armenian example is something like ‘No one came by means of being a guest.’
Count nouns express concepts which can be counted: book, guest, concept.
Determiners are words that describe nouns but are not adjectives. They include articles, demonstrative pronouns, etc.: the new boss.
Mass nouns express a collective entity and so normally does not occur in the plural and is not preceded by a number: food, money.
Partitive is a category indicating that a thing is part of a larger set: piece of bread, some of the news.
Quantifiers express a specific or vague amount of an object: three apples, many ideas, certain people.