Italian grammar
Some, few, and none
Talk about amounts you don't count exactly with qualche, alcuni, del, poco, nessuno and niente.
When you don’t want to give an exact number, you need words like "some", "a few", "few" and "none". Italian has several ways to say each, and some of them follow surprising rules: qualche takes a singular noun, and nessuno usually needs non in front of the verb.
Qualche: Some, A Few
Qualche means "some" or "a few", but it is always followed by a singular noun and a singular verb. It never changes.
- Ho qualche domanda. - I have a few questions.
- Qualche amico viene stasera. - Some friends are coming tonight.
- Ci vediamo tra qualche giorno. - See you in a few days.
- Ho fatto qualche errore. - I made a few mistakes.
Use it only with things you can count. For things you can’t count, like water or time, use del or un po' di: del pane - some bread.
Alcuni, Alcune: Some, A Few
Alcuni (masculine) and alcune (feminine) mean the same as qualche, but they take a plural noun.
- Ho alcune domande. - I have a few questions.
- Ci sono alcuni posti interessanti. - There are some interesting places.
- Alcuni amici vengono stasera. - Some friends are coming tonight.
On their own, they mean "some people" or "some of them": Alcuni dicono di sì. - Some say yes. Alcune delle foto sono belle. - Some of the photos are nice.
Del, Della: Some
Di plus the article (del, dello, della, dei, degli, delle) can also mean "some" or "any".
- Vuoi del caffè? - Would you like some coffee?
- Compro del pane. - I’m buying some bread.
- Ho degli amici a Roma. - I have some friends in Rome.
- Ci sono delle persone fuori. - There are some people outside.
It is often optional, just like "some" in English: Compro pane is also fine. In negative sentences, leave it out: Non ho amici a Roma. - I don’t have any friends in Rome.
Un Po' Di: A Little
Un po' di (short for un poco di) means "a little" or "a bit of". It is the everyday way to say "some" with things you don’t count.
- Vuoi un po' d’acqua? - Do you want a little water?
- Ho bisogno di un po' di tempo. - I need a little time.
- Parlo un po' d’italiano. - I speak a little Italian.
On its own, un po' means "a bit": Aspetta un po'. - Wait a bit. Note the apostrophe, not an accent: po', never pò.
Poco, Pochi: Little, Few
Poco means "not much" and pochi means "not many". It matches the noun like an adjective ending in -o, but the plural is spelled pochi and poche, with an h.
| Singular (little) | Plural (few) | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | poco | pochi |
| Feminine | poca | poche |
- Ho poco tempo. - I don’t have much time.
- C’è poca gente. - There aren’t many people.
- Ci sono poche persone qui. - There are few people here.
- Ha fatto pochi errori. - He made very few mistakes.
Few or A Few?
"Few" stresses that the number is small: pochi errori. "A few" is more positive and uses qualche or alcuni: qualche errore, alcuni errori.
Nessuno: No One, Nobody
On its own, nessuno means "no one" or "nobody". It doesn’t change.
- Nessuno lo sa. - Nobody knows.
- Ho chiesto, ma nessuno ha risposto. - I asked, but no one answered.
When nessuno comes after the verb, the verb also needs non. This double negative is correct in Italian:
- Non c’è nessuno a casa. - There’s no one at home.
- Non ho visto nessuno. - I didn’t see anyone.
With di, it means "none of": Nessuno dei miei amici è venuto. - None of my friends came.
Nessun, Nessuna: No, Not Any
Before a noun, nessuno means "no" or "not any". It is always singular, and it changes its ending like the article un:
| Like | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| un | nessun | nessun problema - no problem |
| uno | nessuno | nessuno spazio - no room |
| una | nessuna | nessuna idea - no idea |
| un' | nessun' | nessun’altra - no other (feminine) |
- Non c’è nessuna sedia libera. - There aren’t any free chairs.
- Non ho nessun dubbio. - I don’t have any doubts.
English often uses a plural here ("any chairs"), but Italian never does. Often you can simply leave it out: Non ci sono sedie libere also means "There aren’t any free chairs."
Qualcuno, Qualcosa, Niente
These words work like "someone", "something" and "nothing".
- qualcuno - someone, anyone: C’è qualcuno? - Is anyone there?
- qualcosa - something, anything: Vuoi qualcosa da bere? - Do you want something to drink?
- niente or nulla - nothing, anything: Non ho detto niente. - I didn’t say anything.
Like nessuno, niente needs non when it comes after the verb (Non voglio niente. - I don’t want anything) but not when it comes first (Niente è impossibile. - Nothing is impossible).