Italian

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Etymology

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From qualche (some) +‎ uno (one).[1]

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /kwalˈku.no/[2]
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -uno
  • Hyphenation: qual‧cù‧no

Pronoun

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qualcuno m (feminine qualcuna) (only singular)

  1. someone, somebody
  2. (in a question) anyone, anybody
  3. some (of them)
    Synonyms: alcuno, qualche
  4. (in a question) any (of us etc.)

Usage notes

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  • Always masculine in the sense of “someone”. In the sense “some (ones)”, “some (of them)” it varies with gender, but can only refer to objects and human beings.

References

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  1. ^ Patota, Giuseppe (2002) Lineamenti di grammatica storica dell'italiano (in Italian), Bologna: il Mulino, →ISBN, page 140
  2. ^ qualcuno in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication