Learn Spanish (Latin America): ¿Algún vendedor tiene el recibo?

¿Algún vendedor tiene el recibo?

Does any salesperson have the receipt?

Breakdown of ¿Algún vendedor tiene el recibo?

Questions & Answers about ¿Algún vendedor tiene el recibo?

Why do we use algún here instead of alguno?

Because vendedor is a masculine, singular noun. When alguno comes directly before a masculine, singular noun, it drops the final -o and becomes algún.

Why does algún have an accent mark when alguno does not?

Dropping the -o changes how the word is spelled, but we still want the spoken stress to fall on the same syllable. Spanish spelling rules require an accent mark on words ending in -n if the stress is on the final syllable, so algún gets a written accent to keep the pronunciation correct.

What if we were asking about a female salesperson?

You would use the feminine form alguna, which never drops its ending. The sentence would become: ¿Alguna vendedora tiene el recibo? The shortening rule only applies to masculine singular nouns.

The English translation says "any", but could I use the plural algunos vendedores?

Using the plural changes the meaning. ¿Algún vendedor tiene el recibo? means "Does any (single) salesperson have the receipt?". If you use the plural ¿Algunos vendedores tienen el recibo?, it translates more closely to "Do some salespeople have the receipt?". To ask "any" in this type of question, Spanish typically prefers the singular.