Words for the unspecified
Qualcuno ha telefonato, non c'è nessuno, ho qualche domanda: these words say that a person or a thing is involved without saying which one. Italian calls them indefiniti.
English chooses between some-, any- and no- words. Italian has no any- series: qualcuno covers somebody and anybody in a question, and nessuno covers nobody and the anybody after a negative.
The basic grid
| Meaning | Person | Thing |
|---|---|---|
| somebody, something | qualcuno | qualcosa |
| nobody, nothing / not anybody, not anything | nessuno | niente / nulla |
| some, a few | alcuni / qualche | alcuni / qualche |
People on the left, things on the right.
Qualcuno and qualcosa
qualcuno stands for an unspecified person, qualcosa for an unspecified thing. Both are singular, and so is the verb. An adjective is attached with di and stays masculine singular, where English puts it straight after the word. Before an infinitive the link is da, like the English to.
Somebody and something
Qualcuno ha telefonato mentre ero fuori?
Did anybody call while I was out?
Hai una faccia strana. È successo qualcosa?
You look odd. Has something happened?
What goes after qualcosa and niente
| Pattern | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| qualcosa di + adjective | qualcosa di bello | something nice |
| niente di + adjective | niente di grave | nothing serious |
| qualcuno di + adjective | qualcuno di simpatico | somebody nice |
| qualcosa da + infinitive | qualcosa da mangiare | something to eat |
| niente da + infinitive | niente da fare | nothing to be done |
di before an adjective, da before an infinitive.
Nessuno and niente: the double negative
nessuno is nobody, niente and the slightly more formal nulla are nothing. Their position decides: if they come after the verb, Italian also puts non in front of the verb. If they come before the verb, non disappears. English allows only one negative per clause (I didn't see anybody, not I didn't see nobody). Italian has no anybody to switch to, so it marks the negation twice and counts it once. So Non ho visto nessuno, not Ho visto nessuno.
Two positions, one meaning
After the verb or before it
After the verb: non is compulsory
Non c'è nessuno in casa.
There is nobody at home.
Non ho capito niente.
I didn't understand anything.
Non ho detto niente a nessuno.
I haven't said anything to anybody.
Before the verb: no non
Nessuno è venuto alla festa.
Nobody came to the party.
Niente è cambiato in questi anni.
Nothing has changed in these years.
nessuno also works as an adjective before a noun (no, not any) and then has no plural. It has the shapes of the indefinite article: nessun, nessuno, nessuna, nessun'. After the verb, this form needs non too.
Ti disturbo? – Ma no, nessun problema.
Am I disturbing you? – Not at all, no problem.
Non ho nessuna intenzione di andarci.
I have no intention of going there.
Non ho nessun'idea.
I have no idea.
Alcuni and qualche
Both mean some or a few, and in most sentences you can swap one for the other. The difference is number: alcuni and alcune are plural, but qualche demands a noun in the singular although it means several. English a few and some take a plural, so your hand will write qualche libri.
Alcuni against qualche
alcuni / alcune: plural
Agrees in gender and can also stand alone, like English some.
Alcuni amici sono arrivati in ritardo.
Some friends arrived late.
Alcuni dicono di sì, altri di no.
Some say yes, others say no.
qualche: singular, invariable
Always needs a singular noun and a singular verb. It cannot stand alone: instead of I saw some, say alcuni or qualcuno.
Qualche amico è arrivato in ritardo.
A few friends arrived late.
Ci vediamo tra qualche giorno.
See you in a few days.
