Something, There, Any

Something, There, Any

  • The French equivalent of ‘something’ is ‘quelque chose’, utilised in the same manner as in English. For instance, in response to the question of what one would like to eat, one might respond, ‘Je voudrais manger quelque chose,’ meaning ‘I would like to eat something.’

  • The French for ‘there is/are’ or ‘there are’ is ‘il y a’. For instance, ‘Il y a un chat dans le jardin’ translates as ‘There is a cat in the garden.’ To use ‘il y a’ in the past tense (there was/were), use ‘il y avait’. For example, ‘Il y avait beaucoup de personnes au parc,’ meaning ‘There were a lot of people at the park.’

  • The French equivalent for the word ‘any’ is ‘n’importe quel’. For instance, ‘Avez-vous n’importe quel pain ?’ translates as ‘Do you have any bread?’ Note that this phrase changes depending on the gender and number of the noun following it; it may become ‘n’importe quelle’ (feminine singular), ‘n’importe quels’ (masculine plural), or ‘n’importe quelles’ (feminine plural).

  • In negative sentences, ‘any’ translates as ‘aucun’ for masculine nouns and ‘aucune’ for feminine nouns. For instance, ‘Je n’ai aucun ami’ translates as ‘I don’t have any friends.’

  • Similarly, in questions, ‘any’ can also be translated as ‘quelconque’, as in ‘Avez-vous une question quelconque ?’ which means ‘Do you have any question?’

  • Be mindful of usage, some phrases do not translate exactly, and context is crucial when implementing these words and phrases. Practice through reading and listening exercises is beneficial.