Notice that here we use l’un rather than l’uno as the masculine singular form!
Italian Articles
Italian indefinite pronouns: What are they and how to use them?
By: Miriam Muccione Mon Sep 23 2024
ItalianPronouns
In Italian, indefinite pronouns are words like qualcuno(someone), niente(nothing), poco(a little), or troppi(too many). We use indefinite pronouns to refer to a group of nounsNo definition set for nounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or to an individual noun while also providing some rough identifying information about the group or individual. For example, an indefinite pronoun might provide information about the number of individuals in a group (many vs. a few) or about whether an individual is human or non-human (someone vs. something).
In this post, we’ll introduce you to the difference between indefinite pronouns and indefinite adjectives, talk about how indefinite pronouns can give information both about quantity and the identity of the members of a group, and talk about how you can give more information about the internal makeup of a group described by an indefinite pronoun. Let’s have a look!
Table of Contents
Indefinite pronouns vs. indefinite adjectives
Some of the indefinite pronouns we are going to talk about in this post can function also as indefinite adjectives. The difference is that an indefinite adjective qualifies (or works with) a noun while an indefinite pronoun stands alone, without a noun.
indefinite adjectivenoun
Oggi non c’era nessuno studente.
Today there were no students.
lit. Today there was no student.
indefinite pronoun
Oggi non c’era nessuno in piazza.
There was no one in the square today.
In this post we focus on Italian indefinite pronouns, but if you are interested in having a comprehensive list of both indefinite adjectives and pronouns, follow the link.
How to use Italian indefinite pronouns to label individuals?
Italian indefinite pronouns can be used to label individuals or members of a group as animate (human / animal) or inanimate (not human / not animal). This is like the difference between “someone” and “something” in English. Let’s look first at indefinite pronouns that can be applied to animate and inanimate nouns, then we’ll look at some that are just for animate nouns and some for just inanimate objects.
Which indefinite pronouns can apply to humans or to things?
The following indefinite pronouns can apply either to animate beings (i.e. people and animals) or to things:
Masculine | Feminine | Translation |
|---|---|---|
uno | una | one, a person |
gli uni | le une | some |
l’altro | l’altra | the other |
gli altri | le altre | the others |
ognuno | ognuna | each one, each person |
ciascuno | ciascuna | |
qualcuno | qualcuna | someone, some of (x) |
Let’s look at some of the most common ways these indefinite pronouns are used in Italian:
How to use ‘uno’ and ‘una’ alone
Uno and una are the masculine and feminine versions of the word “one.” Here’s how they’re used:
To talk about a single person without specifying their identity.
Ho incontrato uno della tua città.
I met a man from your town.
Ho conosciuto una che vive nel tuo quartiere.
I met a woman who lives in your neighborhood.
To talk about a generic someone, hence, as an impersonal pronounNo definition set for impersonal pronounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
Per vivere bene, uno deve mangiare sano e fare sport.
To live well, one must eat healthy and exercise.
How to use ‘l’uno’ with ‘l’altro’?
We often use the singular and plural forms of uno in combination with the singular and plural forms of altro to create phrases that roughly mean “one vs. the other,” “some vs. the others” or “each other.” Here’s how to do it:
To talk about “one vs. the other,” combine the singular forms l’uno / l’una(the one) with the singular forms l’altro / l’altra(the other). Here, the article before uno/una is optional:
(L’)uno dormiva e l’altro giocava.
(The) one was sleeping and the other was playing.
Ha comprato due borse, (l’)una blu e l’altra verde.
S/He bought two bags, (the) one blue and the other green.
To talk about “some vs. (the) others,” combine the plural forms gli uni / le une(some) and with the plural forms gli altri / le altre(the others). In this case the article before uni/une is not optional:
Gli uni facevano domande, gli altri rispondevano.
Some asked questions, others answered.
Le une dormono, mentre le altre sono sveglie.
Some are asleep, while the others are awake.
To create a phrase meaning “each other” we combine a l’uno form meaning “each” with a l’altro form, meaning “other”! The definite articles are required again, here. For example:
Bobby e Cicci si aiutano l’un l’altro.
Bobby and Cicci help each other.
Important
When the relationship is between a masculine and feminine noun, the masculine one comes first and is represented by l’un rather than by l’altro:
masculinefeminineCarlo e Barbara si rispettano l’un l’altra.
Carlo and Barbara respect each other.
But “each other” comes after a prepositionNo definition set for prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. like con(with), either the masculine noun or the feminine can come first.
femininemasculineNadia e Michele sono sinceri l’una con l’altro.
Nadia and Michele are sincere with each other.
How to use ‘ognuno/a’ vs. ‘ciascuno/a’?
Ognuno / ognuna and ciascuno / ciascuna are interchangeable and both mean “each one” or “each person.” They refer to a totality of a group of people/things that are considered a unit.
Both of these indefinite pronouns only have singular forms, but they do need to match the gender (masculine / feminine) of the noun they refer back to:
- feminine
Le ragazze sono venute a cena ieri sera e ognuna ha portato qualcosa.
The girls came to dinner last night and each of them brought something.
- masculine
Rosanna ha impacchettato i regali e ognuno ha un fiocco di colore diverso.
Rosanna has wrapped the gifts and each one has a different colored bow.
The masculine forms ognuno and ciascuno are often used to mean “everyone” without gender distinction.
Ognuno ha il diritto di esprimere le proprie opinioni.
Everyone has the right to express their opinions.
Ciascuno ha le proprie responsabilità.
Everyone has their own responsibilities.
How to use ‘qualcuno’ in Italian?
In its masculine form, qualcuno(someone, somebody) is often used to indicate a single person (male or female) in a loose way, note that it’s not used this way to refer to animals or things:
Qualcuno ha bussato alla porta.
Someone knocked at the door.
Ho visto qualcuno che prendeva l’ascensore.
I saw someone taking the elevator.
Qualcuno can also indicate a small, indeterminate amount of people or things and, therefore, is used in partitive constructions as well. In a partitive construction like, qualcuno dei(some of the…) can also be the feminine, qualcuna delle…(some of the…). The gender of qualcuno depends on the gender of the thing you are quantifying:
Vi presento qualcuno dei miei progetti.
I present to you some of my projects.
Ci ha mostrato qualcuna delle sue foto.
He showed us some of his photos.
Note that qualcuno/a remains singular even when it means “some” and not “someone.”
Qualcuno also has an idiomatic use, in which it assumes almost the opposite meaning! In fact, in expressions like diventare qualcuno(to make something of yourself) or essere qualcuno(to be important), qualcuno no longer means a generic “someone,” but rather “someone important” and it stays in the masculine form even when we talk about a woman.
Rita Levi-Montalcini è subito diventata qualcuno nel campo della medicina.
Rita Levi-Montalcini immediately became someone important in the field of medicine.
Which indefinite pronouns can apply only to people or animals?
There are a few indefinite pronouns that only apply to people or animals (a.k.a. “animate” nouns).
Masculine | Feminine | Translation |
|---|---|---|
nessuno | nessuna | nobody, no one, none |
chiunque | - | whoever, whomever |
Nessuno and nessuna mean “nobody, none” and apply only to people and animals:
Ho scritto alle mie amiche e nessuna sapeva a che ora partisse il treno.
I asked my girlfriends and nobody knew at what time the train left.
Nessuno dei cuccioli aveva fame.
None of the puppies were hungry.
You can also use the masculine nessuno(nobody) can be used as an impersonal pronounNo definition set for impersonal pronounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., to refer to nobody in general, rather than none out of a particular group:
Nessuno lo ha visto uscire.
Nobody saw him go out.
Important
Unlike the English “nobody,” when nessuno/nessuna is the objectNo definition set for objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the sentence it requires a negative verb. There are lots of double negatives in Italian.
Ieri sera non ho visto nessuno.
I didn't see anyone last night.
lit. I didn’t see nobody last night.
Non ho visto nessuna delle mie amiche.
I haven't seen any of my friends.
lit. I haven’t seen none of my friends.
Chiunque(anybody, whoever, whomever) only applies to people and it has a fixed form, that is, it doesn’t change in gender and number.
È sempre simpatico ed educato con chiunque.
He is always nice and polite to anyone.
→ Notice that this is a positive sentence.
Which indefinite pronouns apply only to things, and not people?
The following Italian indefinite pronouns can apply only to things, not to people or animals. They are all always singular and always masculine, regardless of the gender of the thing they represent.
Pronoun | Translation |
|---|---|
niente | nothing |
nulla | |
alcunché | anything |
qualcosa | something |
Niente and nulla mean “nothing” and are interchangeable.
In estate, niente / nulla è più rinfrescante di un tè freddo al limone.
In the summer, nothing is more refreshing than an iced lemon tea.
When they’re the objectNo definition set for objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the verb, the verb must also be negative:
Oggi non mi va di fare niente.
I don't feel like doing anything today.
Non mi hai ancora detto nulla della tua gita in montagna.
You haven't told me anything about your trip to the mountains yet.
Qualcosa(something) and alcunché(anything) are similar in meaning, but qualcosa, like the English “something,” is used in affirmative sentencesNo definition set for affirmative sentencesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., while alcunché, like the English “anything,” is used in negative sentencesNo definition set for negative sentencesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. In more formal contexts you can also use alcunché and in more formal contexts instead of niente/nulla(nothing).
Martina ha comprato qualcosa per la festa di stasera.
Martina bought something for tonight's party.
Non hanno proposto alcunché di costruttivo.
They did not propose anything constructive.
Important
Note that even if nulla(nothing) and qualcosa(something) end in “a,” they are masculine words.
How to use Italian indefinite pronouns to give a quantity?
Like the English “little,” “few,” “many,” “everything/everyone,” indefinite pronouns are also used to express an indeterminate quantity of people and things.
Here are some of the most used indefinite pronouns related to quantity:
Masculine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine singular | Feminine plural | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
poco | pochi | poca | poche | little, few |
molto | molti | molta | molte | many |
parecchio | parecchi | parecchia | parecchie | |
tanto | tanti | tanta | tante | |
troppo | troppi | troppa | troppe | too many |
tutto | tutti | tutta | tutte | every(thing), every(one) |
The masculine plural forms of these pronouns are used as impersonal pronounsNo definition set for impersonal pronounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. to talk about a generic number or group of people without gender distinction.
Pochi ricordano questo film.
Few remember this movie.
Parecchi sono andati oggi al mare.
Many went to the beach today.
Troppi comprano ancora piatti di plastica monouso.
Too many still buy single-use plastic plates.
Tutti hanno bisogno di una vacanza.
Everyone needs a vacation.
However, when you use them to refer to a quantity of something specific, they always agree in gender and number with the noun they quantify. This means that they have a masculine/feminine as well as singular/plural forms. Here are some examples:
Example 1:
Vuoi del pane?
Do you want some bread?
Sì, ma poco (pane).
Yes, but a little (bread).
Example 2:
Quante persone hai invitato alla festa?
How many people did you invite to the party?
Troppe (persone)!
Too many (people)!
Example 3:
Mi puoi prestare una penna?
Can you lend me a pen?
Sì certo, ne ho molte.
Yes sure, I have many of them.
Important
In a complete sentence, it’s obligatory to pair indefinite pronouns expressing quantity with the partitive particle ne which, in this use, roughly translates to “of it” or “of them.” This reminds our audience that we are talking about an indeterminate quantity of something previously mentioned.
Guardi la televisione?
Do you watch tv?
Sì, ma ne guardo poca.
Yes, but I watch a little of it.
Click the link for more Italian indefinite pronouns!
Indefinite pronouns and partitive constructions
The majority of indefinite pronouns that express quantity can be used in partitive constructions to refer to part of a whole, including part of a group of people or things. In this case, indefinite pronouns are followed by the Italian partitive article, that is, the preposition di(of) and its articulated variants, such as dei (di + i) / degli (di+gli) for masculine plural nouns or delle (di+le), for feminine plural nouns.
Uno di voi parla spagnolo, per caso?
Does one of you speak Spanish, by any chance?
Hanno mandato un regalo a ognuno dei ragazzi.
They sent a gift to each of the boys.
Nessuna delle mele era ancora matura.
None of the apples were ripe yet.
To summarize
We use indefinite pronouns to talk about identity and quantity in a loose way.
Some indefinite pronouns apply to both animate beings and things, others only refer to animate beings, finally, some indefinite pronouns are only used to talk about things.
Remember that, differently from the English “nobody” and “nothing,” when nessuno/nessuna or niente/nulla is the object of a sentence, it requires double negation.
Indefinite pronouns that refer to the quantity of people and things agree in gender and number with the noun they replace.
Indefinite pronouns + the preposition di(of) are also used to form partitives.
Ready to practice Italian indefinite pronouns? 💪🧠Click the link!
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