The construction n'importe quel — and its broader family n'importe qui, n'importe quoi, n'importe où, n'importe quand, n'importe comment — expresses what English captures with "any" in its free-choice sense: any book at all, anyone, anywhere. It is one of the most useful and one of the most idiomatic constructions in French, indispensable in everyday conversation. Yet it is also the construction that English speakers consistently underuse, because English maps "any" to several distinct French structures (n'importe quel, aucun, quelconque, du/de) depending on context, and choosing the wrong one shifts the meaning entirely.
This page covers the full n'importe family, the agreement of n'importe quel, the contrast with negation (aucun), the contrast with the existential indefinite (un/du in questions), the colloquial idiomatic uses (tu dis n'importe quoi), and the register considerations.
What n'importe literally means
The phrase n'importe is a fossilized form of the verb importer in the negative — etymologically "(it) doesn't matter." The construction n'importe quel + noun therefore means literally "no-matter-which (noun)" — exactly what English captures with "any (whatever)" or "whichever you like."
This etymology helps clarify when to use n'importe quel vs other "any" translations:
- n'importe quel = it doesn't matter which — speaker is indifferent or generalizing
- aucun = none, no — used in negation with ne
- un / du = an unspecified one — in questions or affirmative statements
- tout / chaque = every / each — universal quantifiers
If you can substitute "any X at all" or "whichever X you prefer" into the English sentence and it makes sense, French uses n'importe quel.
N'importe quel: the four forms
N'importe quel contains the same quel as the interrogative determiner, and it agrees the same way — in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
| Gender / Number | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | n'importe quel | n'importe quel livre |
| Feminine singular | n'importe quelle | n'importe quelle chanson |
| Masculine plural | n'importe quels | n'importe quels enfants |
| Feminine plural | n'importe quelles | n'importe quelles couleurs |
The n'importe part never changes — it is invariable. Only quel agrees.
Tu peux choisir n'importe quel livre dans la bibliothèque.
You can choose any book at all in the library.
Mets n'importe quelle chanson, je m'en fiche.
Put on whatever song, I don't care.
N'importe quels enfants pourraient résoudre ce problème.
Any children could solve this problem.
Achète n'importe quelles fleurs ; ce qui compte, c'est l'intention.
Buy whichever flowers; what matters is the gesture.
The four forms sound nearly identical in speech (the l of quel/quelle is pronounced /l/, but the singular and plural are aurally indistinguishable), so as with the interrogative quel, the agreement is mostly an orthographic concern.
The full n'importe family
The pattern n'importe + interrogative extends across all the major question words. Each compound conveys "any (corresponding category)" with free-choice meaning.
| Compound | Category | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| n'importe quel + noun | thing/category | any (whichever) X |
| n'importe qui | person | anyone, just anybody |
| n'importe quoi | thing | anything, whatever |
| n'importe où | place | anywhere |
| n'importe quand | time | anytime, whenever |
| n'importe comment | manner | any way, however |
| n'importe lequel | one of a known set | any one (of them) |
Examples for each:
n'importe qui
N'importe qui peut le faire.
Anyone can do it.
Ne fais pas confiance à n'importe qui.
Don't trust just anyone.
n'importe quoi
Tu peux acheter n'importe quoi avec cette carte.
You can buy anything with this card.
Il est prêt à dire n'importe quoi pour gagner.
He's ready to say anything to win.
The expression n'importe quoi has a famous idiomatic dismissive use: tu dis n'importe quoi literally means "you're saying anything," but in everyday French it means "you're talking nonsense" or "you're talking rubbish." This use is everywhere in spoken French. (informal)
— Les chats peuvent voler. — Tu dis n'importe quoi !
— Cats can fly. — You're talking nonsense!
C'est n'importe quoi, ce film.
This movie is rubbish. (informal)
n'importe où
On peut camper n'importe où en France ?
Can we camp anywhere in France?
Il dort n'importe où, c'est impressionnant.
He sleeps anywhere, it's impressive.
n'importe quand
Appelle-moi n'importe quand.
Call me anytime.
Tu peux passer n'importe quand cette semaine.
You can drop by whenever this week.
n'importe comment
Il a fait son travail n'importe comment.
He did his work any old way (carelessly).
On peut s'habiller n'importe comment ce soir.
We can dress however we want tonight.
The expression n'importe comment often carries a slightly pejorative tone — "in any old way," meaning carelessly or sloppily. Il s'habille n'importe comment means he dresses badly, not just casually.
n'importe lequel
This is the pronoun version, choosing one from a known set — exactly as lequel relates to quel:
— Quel livre veux-tu ? — N'importe lequel.
— Which book do you want? — Any one (of them).
N'importe laquelle de ces robes te va bien.
Any one of these dresses suits you well.
N'importe lesquels feront l'affaire.
Any of them will do.
N'importe lequel has the same four agreement forms as lequel (n'importe lequel, n'importe laquelle, n'importe lesquels, n'importe lesquelles).
Position and syntax
N'importe quel + noun sits in the determiner slot — it cannot be combined with another determiner (*le n'importe quel livre, *mon n'importe quel livre).
❌ Le n'importe quel livre.
Incorrect — *n'importe quel* fills the determiner slot itself.
✅ N'importe quel livre.
Any book.
The pronominal forms (n'importe qui, quoi, où, quand, comment, lequel) function like nouns or adverbs and can take subject, object, or adverbial roles freely:
N'importe qui pourrait te le dire.
Anyone could tell you. (subject)
Je ferais n'importe quoi pour toi.
I'd do anything for you. (direct object)
Va n'importe où mais pars !
Go anywhere, but leave! (adverb)
N'importe quel vs aucun: the polarity contrast
This is the key distinction English speakers must master. English uses "any" in two contradictory senses:
- Free choice / positive: Take any book. (= you may take whichever you wish)
- Negative polarity: I don't have any book. (= I have zero books)
French splits these into two completely different constructions:
- Free choice → n'importe quel
- Negative → aucun (with ne)
| English | French (free choice) | French (negative) |
|---|---|---|
| Take any book | Prends n'importe quel livre | — |
| I don't have any book | — | Je n'ai aucun livre |
| Anyone can come | N'importe qui peut venir | — |
| Nobody is here | — | Il n'y a personne |
Tu peux prendre n'importe quel livre.
You can take any book. (free choice)
Je n'ai aucun livre sur ce sujet.
I don't have any book on this topic. (negative)
The mistake is to map English "any" to n'importe quel in negative contexts — *Je n'ai pas n'importe quel livre is ungrammatical and means something different even if forced ("I don't have just any book — I have a special one", contrastive emphasis).
N'importe quel vs un quelconque vs un / une
When English "any" or "some" indicates an unspecified one, French has several options that differ in nuance:
- n'importe quel X — emphatic free choice ("whichever, it doesn't matter")
- un quelconque X / un X quelconque — formal/literary "some X or other"
- un X — neutral indefinite, unspecified
Donne-moi n'importe quel livre — je veux juste lire.
Give me any book — I just want to read. (free choice)
Il a inventé un prétexte quelconque pour partir.
He invented some pretext or other to leave. (formal)
Donne-moi un livre, s'il te plaît.
Give me a book, please. (neutral)
Quelconque is more literary and slightly dismissive — it suggests "some unimportant X" or "any old X with no particular merit." It is less colloquial than n'importe quel.
In affirmative vs interrogative vs negative
Free-choice n'importe quel generally appears in affirmative contexts where the speaker grants permission, makes a generalization, or expresses indifference. In direct questions and negations, it works only with specific shadings of meaning:
Affirmative (typical use):
Tu peux prendre n'importe quel chemin.
You can take any path.
Interrogative (rhetorical or insistent):
Est-ce que n'importe qui peut entrer ici ?
Can just anyone come in here? (rhetorical, slightly indignant)
Negative (with contrastive force):
Ce n'est pas n'importe quel livre — c'est le manuscrit original.
It's not just any book — it's the original manuscript. (contrastive)
The negative use carries contrastive emphasis: not just any, but a specific one. This is distinct from the negation of existence, which uses aucun.
Idiomatic and emphatic uses
A handful of n'importe expressions have idiomatic force in everyday French:
C'est n'importe quoi !
The exclamation c'est n'importe quoi is one of the most frequent expressions of frustration or disbelief in spoken French — equivalent to "that's nonsense" or "that's ridiculous." (informal)
Le train est en retard de trois heures. C'est n'importe quoi !
The train is three hours late. That's ridiculous!
Faire / dire n'importe quoi
To do or say "anything" implies doing it badly, recklessly, or nonsensically:
Arrête de dire n'importe quoi.
Stop talking nonsense.
Il fait n'importe quoi avec sa voiture.
He's driving recklessly.
À n'importe quel prix / à n'importe quelle condition
"At any price / on any condition" — set phrases for absolute commitment:
Je veux gagner ce match à n'importe quel prix.
I want to win this match at any price.
Elle accepte le poste à n'importe quelle condition.
She accepts the job on any terms.
Register
N'importe quel and the family are register-neutral to slightly informal — they appear comfortably in everyday conversation, journalism, and most prose. In very formal or literary writing, alternatives such as quelconque, quel(le) qu'il (elle) soit, or tout(e) X sometimes replace it:
- Standard / informal: n'importe quel livre
- Formal / literary: un livre quelconque, quel que soit le livre, tout livre
N'importe quel candidat sera accepté. (standard)
Any candidate will be accepted.
Tout candidat sera accepté. (formal)
Any candidate will be accepted. (formal/legal)
The quel que soit construction (a separate subjunctive structure — see the relevant pages) handles the most formal "whatever / whichever" cases.
Common Mistakes
❌ Je n'ai pas n'importe quel livre.
Incorrect for 'I don't have any book' — use *aucun*.
✅ Je n'ai aucun livre.
I don't have any book. (negative)
❌ N'importe quel les enfants sont là.
Incorrect — *n'importe quel* replaces the article, doesn't combine with one.
✅ N'importe quels enfants sont les bienvenus.
Any children are welcome.
❌ Tu peux dire n'importe quel chose.
Incorrect — *chose* is feminine, so *n'importe quelle*.
✅ Tu peux dire n'importe quelle chose.
You can say any thing.
❌ N'importe que peut le faire.
Incorrect — for 'anyone' use *n'importe qui*, not *n'importe que*.
✅ N'importe qui peut le faire.
Anyone can do it.
❌ Je veux n'importe lequel livre.
Incorrect — *lequel* is a pronoun, doesn't take a noun after it.
✅ Je veux n'importe quel livre.
I want any book.
❌ Mets pas n'importe quoi.
Risky — this can mean 'don't put just anything' (= be careful) but is ambiguous; better to use a specific structure.
✅ Ne mets pas n'importe quoi : choisis bien.
Don't put just any old thing: choose carefully.
❌ Il habite à n'importe où.
Incorrect — *n'importe où* doesn't take *à* (the *où* already implies place).
✅ Il habite n'importe où.
He lives anywhere.
The two most diagnostic errors: (1) using n'importe quel in negation instead of aucun, and (2) failing to agree quel with the noun. Both are hard for English speakers because English doesn't gender nouns and uses one word ("any") for two grammatical functions.
Key takeaways
N'importe quel expresses free-choice "any" — the sense of "whichever you like" or "any old one" — and agrees with its noun in gender and number (quel, quelle, quels, quelles); the n'importe part stays invariable. The full family extends to n'importe qui (anyone), n'importe quoi (anything, often "nonsense" idiomatically), n'importe où (anywhere), n'importe quand (anytime), n'importe comment (any way, often pejoratively), and n'importe lequel (the pronoun version, "any one of them"). The most important contrast for English speakers is with aucun (negative "no, none") — English "any" maps to n'importe quel in free choice, aucun in negation. N'importe quel fills the determiner slot and cannot be combined with an article. Master the family and you gain a hugely useful pattern for everyday French — from appelle-moi n'importe quand to c'est n'importe quoi.
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