Some and any

When you use it

Some and any both mean a quantity that is not exact: not none, but not a number either. You use them before plural nouns (some apples) and before uncountable nouns (some milk). Which one you choose depends on the kind of sentence: some in statements, any in negatives and most questions. Ukrainian and Russian usually leave this slot empty (у мене є яблука, у меня есть яблоки), or fill it with words like кілька, немного, какой-нибудь only when the speaker wants to. English can leave it empty too (there is milk in the fridge), but it very often fills the slot with some or any, and learners need to hear where each one belongs.

How it is formed

A question takes some when the speaker expects the answer yes or is offering something. Would you like some tea? is an offer; Is there any tea? is a real question about the cupboard.

Any in an affirmative statement has a different meaning: it does not describe a quantity, it says that the choice is free. Any bus goes to the centre means every bus does.

The same rule works for the compound words.

With a singular countable noun you do not need some or any; use a or an instead: I have a car, Do you have a pen?

A negative sentence can also be built with no instead of not any: There is no milk means the same as There isn't any milk. Use one negative word, never two. This is the point where Ukrainian and Russian pull in the opposite direction, because ніхто не and никто не need two negatives in the same clause.

Examples

• There are some apples in the bowl.
• We don't have any eggs.
• Is there any sugar in this tea?
• Would you like some coffee?
• Tom bought some bread and some cheese.
• Anna didn't say anything at the meeting.
• Can I have some water, please?
• You can sit anywhere you like.

Common mistakes

• ✗ I don't have some money.
  ✓ I don't have any money.
  У мене немає грошей and у меня нет денег have no word in this position, so learners pick the word they learned first. After not the word is any.
• ✗ I have any questions.
  ✓ I have some questions.
  Learners hear Any questions? at the end of every lesson and start using any as the normal word. In a plain statement about a quantity it must be some.
• ✗ There isn't some milk in the fridge.
  ✓ There isn't any milk in the fridge. / There is no milk in the fridge.
  Some cannot follow a negative verb. Choose either not any or no, not both and not some.
• ✗ I didn't see nobody.
  ✓ I didn't see anybody. / I saw nobody.
  Я нікого не бачив and я никого не видел require two negative words. English allows only one per clause; the second one becomes an any- word.
• ✗ Would you like any tea?
  ✓ Would you like some tea?
  An offer expects yes, so it takes some. Any here sounds as if you doubt the person wants anything at all.

Try it