Learn Italian: Questo profumo è puro e non contiene alcun ingrediente sintetico. - This perfume is pure and does not contain any synthetic ingredient.

Questo profumo è puro e non contiene alcun ingrediente sintetico.

This perfume is pure and does not contain any synthetic ingredient.

Breakdown of Questo profumo è puro e non contiene alcun ingrediente sintetico.

Questions & Answers about Questo profumo è puro e non contiene alcun ingrediente sintetico.

Why use alcun instead of nessun here?

In negative sentences, alcuno can replace nessuno in the singular to mean "not any" or "no". Using alcun instead of nessun doesn't change the meaning, but it sounds slightly more elegant and provides stylistic variety.

Why is the word shortened to alcun instead of being written as alcuno?

The adjective alcuno follows the exact same spelling rules as the indefinite article un or uno. Because ingrediente is a masculine noun starting with a vowel, it would take un, meaning alcuno drops its final vowel to become alcun.

Could I drop the non and just rely on alcun to make the sentence negative?

No. Unlike nessuno, which can sometimes stand on its own to create a negative meaning (such as when it is the subject of a sentence), alcuno must always be accompanied by a negative word like non or senza to mean "not any".

Does sintetico always mean "synthetic"?

In the context of chemicals, materials, or ingredients like in this sentence, yes. However, if you see sintetico used to describe a person's speech or a piece of writing, it means "concise" or "to the point".