One of the trickiest words for English speakers learning Italian is any. The problem? Italian doesn’t have one single word for it. Depending on the context, any can:
- disappear completely,
- become a partitive article (del, della, dei, degli, delle) or qualche
- become nessuno or ne in negative sentences,
- or become qualsiasi when it means “whichever.”
Let’s break it down.
In short
- Questions: drop it or use a partitive: Hai (degli) amici in Italia?
- Any + singular countable: qualche: Hai qualche domanda?
- Negatives: drop it, or use nessun/nessuna: Non ho soldi. Non ho nessuna idea.
- “Any of it/them”: ne: Ne hai? Non ne ho.
- Any = whichever: qualsiasi: Chiamami a qualsiasi ora.
Any in questions
In questions, Italian often simply drops “any,” or uses a partitive article (del, della, dei, degli, delle):
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Do you have any friends in Italy? | Hai amici in Italia? / Hai degli amici in Italia? |
| Is there any milk in the fridge? | C’è latte in frigo? / C’è del latte in frigo? |
| Do you have any books in Italian? | Hai dei libri in italiano? |
| Is there any wine left? | È rimasto del vino? / C’è ancora del vino? |
With a singular countable noun, you can also use qualche. It always takes a singular noun, even though the meaning is plural:
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Do you have any questions? | Hai qualche domanda? |
| Are there any good restaurants around here? | C’è qualche buon ristorante qui vicino? |
Any in negative sentences
In negative sentences, Italian usually drops “any” altogether:
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| I don’t have any money. | Non ho soldi. |
| There isn’t any time left. | Non c’è più tempo. |
| There isn’t any room in the car. | Non c’è posto in macchina. |
To make it stronger (“not any at all,” “no”), use nessun / nessuno / nessuna + a singular noun:
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| I don’t have any idea. | Non ho nessuna idea. |
| There isn’t any problem. | Non c’è nessun problema. |
Any = ne: “Do you have any?”
When “any” replaces a noun you’ve already mentioned (“any of it,” “any of them”), Italian uses the particle ne:
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| I need some eggs. Do you have any? | Mi servono delle uova. Ne hai? |
| No, I don’t have any. | No, non ne ho. |
| How many do you want? I don’t want any! | Quante ne vuoi? Non ne voglio! |
Any = qualsiasi: whichever, whatever
When “any” means “whichever,” “whatever” or “no matter which,” Italian uses qualsiasi (or its synonym qualunque). It never changes and takes a singular noun.
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Call me any time. | Chiamami a qualsiasi ora. |
| You can choose any book you like. | Puoi scegliere qualsiasi libro. |
| Any child knows that! | Qualsiasi bambino lo sa! |
Qualsiasi usually goes before the noun. After the noun, it often sounds a bit dismissive, like “any old…” or “just a random…”: Non è un libro qualsiasi! (It’s not just any book!)
Exercise: how would you say it in Italian?
- Do you have any brothers or sisters?
- I don’t have any time today.
- Any questions?
- I wanted chocolate, but there isn’t any.
- You can come any day.
- I don’t have any problem with that.
Show the answers
- Hai fratelli o sorelle?
- Oggi non ho tempo.
- Qualche domanda?
- Volevo il cioccolato, ma non ce n’è.
- Puoi venire qualsiasi giorno.
- Non ho nessun problema.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “any” in Italian?
There is no single word. In questions, drop it or use a partitive (Hai degli amici?) or qualche (Hai qualche domanda?). In negatives, drop it (Non ho soldi) or use nessun. When it means “whichever,” use qualsiasi.
How do you say “I don’t have any” in Italian?
Non ne ho. The particle ne replaces the thing you are talking about: Hai delle uova? No, non ne ho.
What is the difference between qualsiasi and qualche?
Qualche means “some, any” in a small, indefinite quantity (Hai qualche domanda?). Qualsiasi means “any, whichever” with no limits (Chiamami a qualsiasi ora).
Little words like any, some and ne are much easier to learn in context. Here are three of my graded readers, with vocabulary support and audio:
Due Amiche e un Album di Fotografie
Level A1
Two friends, an old photo album and a trip through southern Italy.
Read more:
