English “Any” vs Italian
One of the trickiest words for English speakers learning Italian is any. The problem? Italian doesn’t always use a direct equivalent. Depending on the context, any may:
- disappear completely,
- turn into a partitive article (del, della, dei, degli, delle),
- or be replaced with another construction (like qualsiasi).
Let’s break it down.
Any in Questions
In English:
- Do you have any friends in Italy?
- Is there any milk in the fridge?
In Italian:
- Hai degli amici in Italia?
- C’è del latte in frigo.
So, in questions, any usually becomes a partitive article (del, della, dei, degli, delle).
More examples:
- Do you have any books in Italian? → Hai dei libri in italiano?
- Is there any wine left? → C’è del vino rimasto?
Any in Negative Sentences
In negatives, Italian usually drops any altogether.
- I don’t have any money. → Non ho soldi. (literally: “I don’t have money.”)
- There isn’t any time left. → Non c’è più tempo. (literally: “There is no more time.”)
- There isn’t any room in the car. → Non c’è posto in macchina. (literally: “There is no room in the car.”)
Notice how Italian expresses the idea without translating any word-for-word.
Any as Qualsiasi
Sometimes any means “whichever” or “whatever.” In this case, Italian uses qualsiasi.
Key difference: qualsiasi comes after the noun, unlike English.
- You can choose any book you like. → Puoi scegliere un libro qualsiasi.
- Call me any time. → Chiamami a qualsiasi ora.
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