Italian has two main ways to express "some" or "a few": qualche and alcuni/e.
Qualche: Always Singular
Qualche means "some" or "a few," but it is always followed by a singular noun. It never changes its form for masculine or feminine nouns.
| Some lemons are missing in the fridge. | Manca qualche limone nel frigorifero. |
| I am taking some onions for dinner. | Prendo qualche cipolla per la cena. |
(Notice that when the noun is the subject, the verb is also singular, like *manca).*
Alcuni and Alcune: Always Plural
If you use a plural noun to say "some," you must use alcuni or alcune. These must match the gender of the noun:
- alcuni for masculine plural nouns (e.g., alcuni limoni)
- alcune for feminine plural nouns (e.g., alcune cipolle)
| There are some lemons in the bag. | Ci sono alcuni limoni nel sacchetto. |
| I add some onions to my list. | Aggiungo alcune cipolle alla mia lista. |
Mixing and Matching
Because qualche (+ singular) and alcuni/e (+ plural) mean the same thing, you can use them interchangeably.
| I bought some lemons and some carrots. | Ho comprato qualche limone e alcune carote. |
| I put some products and the receipt in the bag. | Metto alcuni prodotti e lo scontrino nel sacchetto. |
| We added some apples to the list. | Abbiamo aggiunto qualche mela alla lista. |
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