qualcuno

Italian

Alternative forms

• qualcun (apocopic)
• qualcheduno (uncommon or Tuscany)

Etymology

Univerbation of qualche (“some”) +‎ uno (“one”). Akin to French quelqu'un.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kwalˈku.no/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uno
• Hyphenation: qual‧cù‧no

Pronoun

qualcuno (feminine qualcuna, no plural)

1. someone, somebody
2. (in a question) anyone, anybody
3. some (of them)

   Synonyms: alcuni m pl, alcune f pl

4. (in a question) any (of us etc.)

Usage notes

• Always masculine in the sense of “someone”. In the sense “some (ones)”, “some (of them)” it varies with gender, but can only refer to objects and human beings.

Further reading

• Patota, Giuseppe (2002), Lineamenti di grammatica storica dell'italiano (in Italian), Bologna: il Mulino, →ISBN, page 140