Common mistakes
Some or any: quantities, offers, questions, and negatives
You open the cupboard and ask whether there is anything to eat. A friend then offers you some soup. The two words point to quantity, but the speaker's purpose changes which one sounds right.
Choose some or any by checking whether a sentence is a statement, a negative, a question, an offer, or a request.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Shall I make some tea? /ʃæl aɪ meɪk səm tiː/
The short answer
Use some in positive statements and often in offers or requests. Use any in negative statements and neutral questions. Both can go with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
We bought some oranges for the picnic.
Why it works: This positive statement about a plural countable noun uses some.
4 more examples
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There is some paint left in the shed.
Paint is treated as an uncountable amount here, and the positive statement uses some.
Not this:There is not
any paintleft in the shed. What changes: Not makes the sentence negative, so any is the usual choice. -
Do you have any change for the bus?
This is a neutral question. The speaker does not know whether change is available.
Not this:Could I borrow
some changefor the bus? What changes: This is a request for an amount the speaker hopes to receive, so some is natural. -
Shall I make some tea after dinner?
The speaker is offering tea and expects that accepting it is possible, so the offer uses some.
Not this:Is there
any teain the kitchen? What changes: This question only asks whether tea exists, so any is the neutral choice. -
If you have any concerns, speak to the receptionist.
Any means that even one concern is enough in this open condition.
Not this:The receptionist gave us
some useful advice. What changes: The advice is already present in this positive statement, so some introduces it.
Read the full guide
Do not choose some or any only by looking for a question mark. First ask what the speaker is doing. Are they giving information, saying that something is absent, looking for information, offering something, or asking for something? That purpose gives you the usual pattern.
Start with the speaker's purpose
Some and any are determiners. They come before a noun and describe an amount or number that is not exact. The most useful first check is the sentence purpose: a positive statement usually takes some, while a negative statement or neutral question usually takes any.
I found some notes on the desk. I did not find any notes on the desk.
The first sentence says that notes exist. The second says that none exist, so the word changes with the sentence meaning.
Which word completes this negative sentence: We do not have ___ tickets left?
Use any: We do not have any tickets left. The sentence has a negative meaning.
Use some in positive statements
Use some when you state that an unspecified amount or number exists. It works with plural countable nouns, such as books and messages, and with uncountable nouns, such as bread and information.
Mina brought some sandwiches for lunch.
The guide gave us some information about the route.
Sandwiches can be counted as separate items. Information is treated as an amount. Some can introduce both noun types.
Some does not tell the reader exactly how many sandwiches or how much information there is. If the number matters, use a number or a quantity phrase instead.
Use any in negatives and neutral questions
Use any after a negative verb form or a word with negative meaning. It is also usual in a question that simply asks whether something exists or is available. A neutral question does not suggest that the answer will be yes.
I cannot see any empty seats.
Did you receive any emails this morning?
Cannot makes the first sentence negative. The second question asks for information without expecting a particular answer.
Choose the natural question: Do you have some questions, or Do you have any questions?
Use Do you have any questions? when you are checking whether questions exist. It is a neutral information question.
Use some in offers and requests
Questions can use some when the speaker offers something, asks for something, or expects a positive reply. The grammar is still a question, but the purpose is different from a neutral search for information.
Shall I carry some of those boxes for you?
Could I have some water, please?
The first sentence offers help. The second asks for water. In both cases, some makes the request or offer sound natural because the speaker treats the thing as available or wanted.
Compare Is there any water in the bottle? That question checks whether water is there at all, so any is a better fit.
Choose the noun form carefully
For this quantity meaning, some and any normally come before a plural countable noun or an uncountable noun. Use some friends, any friends, some rice, and any rice. A singular countable noun needs another determiner, such as a, one, or this.
Are there any buses after ten o'clock?
We need some rice for the recipe.
Buses is plural and countable. Rice is uncountable. Both noun patterns work after some or any.
Which phrase is correct when you mean several books: any books or any book?
Use any books. The quantity use of any takes a plural countable noun when you mean more than one item.
Before you go
Remember this
Use some for positive statements and for many offers or requests. Use any for negatives and neutral questions. When a question is an invitation or a request for something you expect to get, some usually sounds more natural.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Some or any: quantities, offers, questions, and negatives"
What is the main difference between some and any?
Some usually appears in positive statements, as in We bought some oranges for the picnic. Any usually appears in negatives and neutral questions, as in We did not buy any oranges or Is there any tea in the kitchen?
We bought some oranges for the picnic.
Why do offers often use some?
An offer treats the thing as available and invites a positive response, so some sounds natural. Shall I make some tea after dinner? offers tea. A neutral question about whether tea exists uses any instead.
We did not buy any oranges for the picnic.
Can I use some in a request?
Yes. Use some when you ask for an amount you hope to receive, as in Could I borrow some change for the bus? The same word is common in polite requests for water, help, or information.
There is some paint left in the shed.
Do some and any work with countable and uncountable nouns?
Yes. Use them with plural countable nouns, such as some oranges or any concerns, and with uncountable nouns, such as some paint or any change. Check whether the sentence is positive, negative, neutral, or an offer or request.
There is not any paint left in the shed.
What does any mean in an if sentence?
In an open condition, any can mean that even one item is enough. If you have any concerns means that the instruction applies whether there is one concern or several. This differs from a positive statement that introduces known advice or information with some.
Do you have any change for the bus?
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