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Thread: Something vs. anything

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    Something vs. anything

    My dictionaries are giving me the same answer for both "something and anything". So I am confused. When does one use "что-нибудъ" vs. кое-что??? Thanks........
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    Re: Something vs. anything

    Quote Originally Posted by Haksaw
    My dictionaries are giving me the same answer for both "something and anything". So I am confused. When does one use "что-нибудъ" vs. кое-что??? Thanks........
    Что-то - something
    Что-нибудь - anything

    kinda... It's important to realize that you can't translate between English and Russian one-to-one. How you translate "something" and "anything" depends VERY much on context.

    There's probably a thread... search around...
    Corrupting young minds since May 6, 2004.

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    I thought that кое-что was used when you had something in particular in mind that you were speaking of. ....Or was it the other way around......
    Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself. - Chief Joseph, Nez Perce

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    Quote Originally Posted by DDT
    I thought that кое-что was used when you had something in particular in mind that you were speaking of. ....Or was it the other way around......
    Like in the sense of, "I think it was a pony or something"
    Corrupting young minds since May 6, 2004.

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    Что-то, "something," implies something definite. Что-нибудь, "something," implies that several choices may exist, and thus can sometimes be translated "anything."

    Вы хотите Что-то? Do you want something? (For example, the person addressed has been eyeing your pen)
    Вы хотите Что-нибудь? Do you want something? (You show someone a platter of hors d'oeuvres)

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    Quote Originally Posted by challenger
    Что-то, "something," implies something definite. Что-нибудь, "something," implies that several choices may exist, and thus can sometimes be translated "anything."

    Вы хотите что-то? Do you want something? (For example, the person addressed has been eyeing your pen)
    Вы хотите что-нибудь? Do you want something? (You show someone a platter of hors d'oeuvres)

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    Quote Originally Posted by challenger
    Что-то, "something," implies something definite. Что-нибудь, "something," implies that several choices may exist, and thus can sometimes be translated "anything."

    Вы хотите Что-то? Do you want something? (For example, the person addressed has been eyeing your pen)
    Вы хотите Что-нибудь? Do you want something? (You show someone a platter of hors d'oeuvres)
    "Вы хотите что-то" sounds a little strange. I would say "Вы хотите что-нибудь"
    Что-нибудь - may be translated as "something" and "anything"
    FAI: Bring me something I want to see (Принеси ме что-нибудь, что я хочу видеть)
    Is there anything you want? (Тебе что-нибудь нужно?)

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    Вы что-то хотите мне сказать?
    Скажите хоть что-нибудь!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dimitri
    Quote Originally Posted by challenger
    Что-то, "something," implies something definite. Что-нибудь, "something," implies that several choices may exist, and thus can sometimes be translated "anything."

    Вы хотите что-то? Do you want something? (For example, the person addressed has been eyeing your pen)
    Вы хотите что-нибудь? Do you want something? (You show someone a platter of hors d'oeuvres)
    I know, I was too lazy to change the capital letters I cut & pasted from a previous post...

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    I thought of another one:

    Я забыл что-нибудь? Did I forget something?
    Да, Вы забыли что-то. Yes, you forgot something.

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    Quote Originally Posted by challenger
    Да, Вы забыли что-то. Yes, you forgot something.
    This "что-то" will mean
    "you forgot something, I don't know what is it"

    Да, вы кое-что забыли
    This one would be more common.

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    Shto-to is more specific than shto-nibud'.

    "Ty mne skazal shto-to sevodnya, no ya zabyl, shto eto bylo" - You told me something today, but I forgot what it was. (I think this is more Koe-shto)

    Shto-nibud on the other hand, translates to 'something' that, in reality, means 'anything', so:

    "Skazhi shto-nibud" would mean "Say something!". You can see that that 'something' in that sentence actually means 'anything.
    "С чий очи сънувам, чий е този лик обречен?
    Смъртен глас ми се причува и отеква с вик далечен
    Как да зърна да погледна, чуждий образ да прегърна,
    на лицето ми студено грях в надежда да превърна.."

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