English — some / any / no and compounds
Use some, any and no to talk about an indefinite quantity. As a rule, some appears in affirmative sentences (I have some money), while any goes with negatives and questions (I don't have any money; Do you have any money?). no replaces not any with an affirmative verb (I have no money). The same pattern controls the compounds someone/anyone/no one, something/anything/nothing and somewhere/anywhere/nowhere.
How it works
some for affirmatives, any for negatives and questions, no (+ affirmative verb) to express a plain negative: There is some milk in the fridge / There isn't any milk / There is no milk. Use some in offers and requests where you expect yes: Would you like some tea? Can I have some water? The compounds follow the same logic: someone called, but I didn't tell anyone and no one answered.
Examples
| Use / compound | Example |
|---|---|
| some — affirmative | I bought some apples. |
| any — negative / question | I didn't buy any apples. Did you buy any? |
| some — offer / request | Would you like some coffee? |
| no — negative meaning, affirmative verb | There are no apples left. |
| someone / anyone / no one (people) | Someone is here, but I can't see anyone. — No one is here. |
| something / anything / nothing (things) | I heard something. I didn't hear anything. — Nothing happened. |
| somewhere / anywhere / nowhere (places) | Let's go somewhere. I can't find it anywhere. — It's nowhere. |
Good to know
Don't stack two negatives: say I don't have any money OR I have no money, never I don't have no money. no-words already contain the negation, so the verb stays affirmative: nobody knows (not nobody doesn't know). any can also mean 'it doesn't matter which' in affirmative sentences: Take any seat you like; Anyone can learn English.