Welcome to an eerily abandoned ghost town. Let's learn how to express "anyone at all" and "anything at all" as we wander through the ghostly mist (la brume fantomatique).
| Most of the streets are hidden in the ghostly mist. | La plupart des rues sont cachées dans la brume fantomatique. |
Anything at all: Quoi que ce soit
The absolute indefinite phrase quoi que ce soit means "anything at all." It is frequently used in negative or restrictive contexts, such as after the preposition sans (without). Let's see it in a gloomy (lugubre) setting.
| He left the gloomy village without touching anything at all. | Il a quitté le village lugubre sans toucher quoi que ce soit. |
It also adds strong emphasis to warnings, rules, or negative commands.
| It is forbidden to touch anything at all here! | Il est interdit de toucher quoi que ce soit ici ! |
Anyone at all: Qui que ce soit
When referring to people, use qui que ce soit, which translates to "anyone at all." Just like its counterpart, it is extremely common after sans. If the eerie atmosphere makes you shiver (frissonner), you might use it like this:
| We shiver without speaking to anyone at all. | Nous frissonnons sans parler à qui que ce soit. |
Notice that qui que ce soit can act as the object of a preposition, such as the à (to) in répondre à (to answer). Let's look at an example set in the half-light (la pénombre).
| I wait in the half-light without answering anyone at all. | J'attends dans la pénombre sans répondre à qui que ce soit. |
Exploring the Shadows
As you continue through the town and listen to the sudden creaking (le grincement) in the darkness, these absolute indefinite phrases perfectly capture the complete isolation of the environment.
| I hear a creak in the gloom without seeing anything at all. | J'entends un grincement dans la pénombre sans voir quoi que ce soit. |
| The place is called the black village, and I wander without meeting anyone at all. | L'endroit s'appelle le village noir, et j'erre sans rencontrer qui que ce soit. |