{"id":60773,"date":"2026-05-27T09:11:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T00:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/?p=60773"},"modified":"2026-05-27T09:11:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T00:11:54","slug":"italian-qualcun-altro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-qualcun-altro\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Qualcun Altro and Qualcos&#8217;altro: A2 Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udd0d <strong>In short.<\/strong> The italian qualcun altro family splits across three small forms: <strong>qualcun altro<\/strong> for a person, <strong>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/strong> for a thing, and <strong>qualche altro<\/strong> when you mean some other one of a kind. English glides over the distinction with <em>someone else<\/em> and <em>something else<\/em>, but italian qualcun altro keeps the workload separate. The tricky part is the spelling: <em>italian qualcun altro<\/em> has no apostrophe (it&#8217;s truncation, not elision), <em>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/em> does (the final -a drops before the vowel), and <em>qualche altro<\/em> stays in two clean words. Native speakers pick the right italian qualcun altro form without thinking. By the end of this A2 guide on italian qualcun altro you will too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The good news about italian qualcun altro: the rule fits on a sticky note. The mistake everyone makes once with italian qualcun altro, then never again, is writing <em>qualcun&#8217;altro<\/em> with an apostrophe in the masculine. We&#8217;ll see why the apostrophe belongs only in the feminine form <em>qualcun&#8217;altra<\/em>, and why <em>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/em> always carries it. The italian qualcun altro pattern, once internalised, becomes automatic.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-toc-qa\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cosa impareremo oggi<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffb Jump to section<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#one-rule\">The one rule for italian qualcun altro<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#qualcun-altro\">Qualcun altro: someone else, a person<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#qualcosaltro\">Qualcos&#8217;altro: something else, a thing<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#qualche-altro\">Qualche altro: some other one of a kind<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#feminine\">The feminine forms with the apostrophe<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#no-plural\">Why there is no plural<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dialogue\">Dialogue at the wine shop in Cremona<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mini-challenge\">Mini-challenge<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#related\">Related guides<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#quiz\">Quiz<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"one-rule\">The one rule for italian qualcun altro<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Imagine you are at a wine shop in Cremona. The owner asks if you&#8217;d like anything else. The italian qualcun altro system lets you answer in three different ways depending on what you mean. If you want another <em>person<\/em> involved, you reach for <em>qualcun altro<\/em>. If you want another <em>thing<\/em>, you say <em>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/em>. If you want some other one of the bottles on the shelf, you say <em>qualche altra<\/em>. Same idea in English, three different italian qualcun altro forms in Italian. Once the italian qualcun altro split clicks, the rest is spelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The core rule of italian qualcun altro is simple: pick the form based on whether you mean a person, a thing, or a category. Then write it correctly. The masculine <em>qualcun altro<\/em> takes no apostrophe; the feminine <em>qualcun&#8217;altra<\/em> does. We&#8217;ll walk through each form with everyday examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"qualcun-altro\">Qualcun altro: someone else, a person<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The italian qualcun altro form comes from <em>qualcuno<\/em> (&#8220;someone&#8221;) plus <em>altro<\/em> (&#8220;other&#8221;). When <em>qualcuno<\/em> sits in front of <em>altro<\/em>, the final <em>-o<\/em> drops away to make the italian qualcun altro phrase easier to pronounce. This is called <strong>troncamento<\/strong>, which means truncation. No apostrophe is needed in italian qualcun altro because Italian truncation, unlike elision, does not require one when the rule is met by certain consonants (l, r, n, m) before the dropped vowel. <em>Qualcuno<\/em> ends in <em>-no<\/em>, so it qualifies for the italian qualcun altro pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Qualcun altro vuole un assaggio?<br><em>Does someone else want a taste?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Hai chiamato qualcun altro per la cena?<br><em>Did you call someone else for dinner?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Forse qualcun altro conosce questa cantina.<br><em>Maybe someone else knows this winery.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Aspettiamo qualcun altro o cominciamo?<br><em>Are we waiting for someone else or shall we start?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Giorgio ha venduto la bottiglia a qualcun altro.<br><em>Giorgio sold the bottle to someone else.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use italian qualcun altro whenever the &#8220;else&#8221; refers to a human being. It works as a subject (<em>qualcun altro vuole<\/em>), as a direct object (<em>chiama qualcun altro<\/em>), and after prepositions (<em>a qualcun altro, per qualcun altro, con qualcun altro<\/em>). The italian qualcun altro form never changes for case or number. It is always singular.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-qa-1\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-task:<\/strong> Fill in with <em>qualcun altro<\/em> where the meaning is &#8220;another person&#8221;.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Non posso aiutarti, devi chiedere a ___ .<\/li>\n<li>C&#8217;\u00e8 ___ in cucina o sei da solo?<\/li>\n<li>Veronica preferisce parlare con ___ del prezzo.<\/li>\n<li>Vorrei sentire l&#8217;opinione di ___ prima di decidere.<\/li>\n<li>Se non vieni tu, invito ___ al concerto.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>\ud83d\udc49 Show answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. qualcun altro, 2. qualcun altro, 3. qualcun altro, 4. qualcun altro, 5. qualcun altro<\/p>\n<p>Notice how the form never changes: it works after <em>a<\/em>, after <em>con<\/em>, and as a subject or object alike.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"qualcosaltro\">Qualcos&#8217;altro: something else, a thing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The thing-version of italian qualcun altro is <em>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/em>, from <em>qualcosa<\/em> (&#8220;something&#8221;) plus <em>altro<\/em> (&#8220;other&#8221;). Here the final <em>-a<\/em> of <em>qualcosa<\/em> drops in front of the initial <em>a-<\/em> of <em>altro<\/em>. This is <strong>elisione<\/strong>, which means elision, and elision always takes an apostrophe in Italian. So you write <em>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/em>, with the apostrophe glued to the s, the sister form of italian qualcun altro.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Vorrei qualcos&#8217;altro da bere, grazie.<br><em>I&#8217;d like something else to drink, thanks.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Mi consigli qualcos&#8217;altro per il regalo?<br><em>Can you suggest something else for the gift?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Cerco qualcos&#8217;altro, un rosso pi\u00f9 morbido.<br><em>I&#8217;m looking for something else, a softer red.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>C&#8217;\u00e8 qualcos&#8217;altro che devo sapere?<br><em>Is there something else I should know?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Veronica ha visto qualcos&#8217;altro nel catalogo.<br><em>Veronica saw something else in the catalog.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use <em>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/em> whenever the &#8220;else&#8221; refers to a thing, an object, an idea, an action, anything that is not a person. Like italian qualcun altro, it has no plural and no feminine form: <em>qualcosa<\/em> is treated as grammatically masculine when followed by an adjective (<em>qualcos&#8217;altro di buono<\/em>, not <em>buona<\/em>). The qualcos&#8217;altro counterpart of italian qualcun altro works in every position: subject, object, after a preposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A point of curiosity: an older, separated form <em>qualche cosa<\/em> still exists in writing, and it can pair with a feminine past participle (<em>qualche cosa di strano \u00e8 capitata<\/em>). In contemporary speech, however, <em>qualcosa<\/em> + masculine agreement is the standard, and the contracted <em>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/em> is everywhere. The Treccani vocabolario tracks the shift from the older feminine concord to the modern masculine default in its entry on the word, available at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/vocabolario\/qualcosa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Treccani&#8217;s qualcosa entry<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"qualche-altro\">Qualche altro: some other one of a kind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The third member of the italian qualcun altro family, <em>qualche altro<\/em>, behaves differently. <em>Qualche<\/em> is an adjective, not a pronoun. It always stands in front of a noun, and the noun stays singular even though the meaning is plural. <em>Qualche altro consiglio<\/em> means &#8220;some other piece of advice&#8221; (literally &#8220;some other advice&#8221;, singular form). Nothing contracts here, unlike in italian qualcun altro: <em>qualche<\/em> stays as it is and <em>altro<\/em> agrees with the noun.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hai qualche altro consiglio per il regalo?<br><em>Do you have any other advice for the gift?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Conosci qualche altra cantina in zona?<br><em>Do you know any other winery in the area?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Veronica ha qualche altro impegno stasera.<br><em>Veronica has some other engagement tonight.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>C&#8217;\u00e8 qualche altra bottiglia sotto i venti euro?<br><em>Is there any other bottle under twenty euros?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Giorgio aspetta qualche altro cliente prima di chiudere.<br><em>Giorgio is waiting for some other customer before closing.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice the agreement: <em>qualche altro consiglio<\/em> (masculine), <em>qualche altra cantina<\/em> (feminine), <em>qualche altro impegno<\/em> (masculine). <em>Qualche<\/em> never changes, but <em>altro<\/em> follows the noun. Notice also that the noun stays singular: never <em>qualche altri consigli<\/em>. If you want a plural noun, switch to <em>altri<\/em> alone: <em>altri consigli<\/em>, <em>altre cantine<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-qa-2\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-task:<\/strong> Choose between <em>qualcun altro<\/em>, <em>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/em>, and <em>qualche altro\/a<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Vorrei ___ da mangiare, ho ancora fame.<\/li>\n<li>Hai ___ libro di Calvino in casa?<\/li>\n<li>Conosci ___ che parla inglese qui dentro?<\/li>\n<li>Ti serve ___ dal supermercato?<\/li>\n<li>Veronica ha ___ idea per il fine settimana.<\/li>\n<li>Posso parlare con ___, per favore?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>\ud83d\udc49 Show answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. <strong>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/strong> (thing to eat)<\/p>\n<p>2. <strong>qualche altro<\/strong> (some other book, noun follows)<\/p>\n<p>3. <strong>qualcun altro<\/strong> (another person)<\/p>\n<p>4. <strong>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/strong> (another thing from the shop)<\/p>\n<p>5. <strong>qualche altra<\/strong> (some other idea, feminine noun)<\/p>\n<p>6. <strong>qualcun altro<\/strong> (another person)<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"feminine\">The feminine forms with the apostrophe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is where the italian qualcun altro apostrophe question finally finds its home. The masculine <em>qualcun altro<\/em> takes no apostrophe (truncation). The feminine version of italian qualcun altro is <em>qualcun&#8217;altra<\/em>, and here the apostrophe is mandatory. The reason: in the feminine, the form behaves like the feminine indefinite article <em>una<\/em>, which always elides before a vowel (<em>un&#8217;amica<\/em>, not <em>una amica<\/em>). So <em>qualcuna<\/em> + <em>altra<\/em> becomes <em>qualcun&#8217;altra<\/em>, with the apostrophe, exactly as <em>una altra<\/em> would become <em>un&#8217;altra<\/em>. The italian qualcun altro masculine and feminine forms mirror this article logic precisely.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Conosci qualcun&#8217;altra che venga al corso?<br><em>Do you know any other woman who&#8217;s coming to the course?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Veronica ha invitato qualcun&#8217;altra al matrimonio.<br><em>Veronica invited some other woman to the wedding.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Non c&#8217;\u00e8 qualcun&#8217;altra che possa aiutarci?<br><em>Isn&#8217;t there some other woman who can help us?<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Hanno preso qualcun&#8217;altra al posto suo.<br><em>They hired some other woman in her place.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Quick rule of thumb. If you can replace the form with &#8220;some other man&#8221; or just &#8220;someone else (man)&#8221;, write <em>qualcun altro<\/em> with no apostrophe. If you mean &#8220;some other woman&#8221;, write <em>qualcun&#8217;altra<\/em> with the apostrophe. Same logic applies to <em>nessun altro<\/em> (no one else, masculine, no apostrophe) and <em>nessun&#8217;altra<\/em> (no other woman, with apostrophe), which work in mirror image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For things, <em>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/em> is invariable: there is no feminine <em>qualcos&#8217;altra<\/em> in standard contemporary Italian. The word <em>qualcosa<\/em> is treated as grammatically masculine when paired with an adjective: <em>qualcos&#8217;altro di nuovo<\/em>, <em>qualcos&#8217;altro di interessante<\/em>. The Treccani Q&amp;A on <em>qualcun altro<\/em>, viewable at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/magazine\/lingua_italiana\/domande_e_risposte\/grammatica\/grammatica_095.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Treccani&#8217;s qualcun altro answer<\/a>, lays out the troncamento vs elisione split in plain language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"no-plural\">Why there is no plural<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pronouns <em>qualcuno<\/em> and <em>qualcosa<\/em> are singular only. There is no <em>qualcuni<\/em>, no <em>qualcose<\/em>. To say &#8220;some other people&#8221; or &#8220;some other things&#8221; in Italian, you don&#8217;t pluralize these pronouns. You use different words: <em>altre persone<\/em>, <em>altri<\/em>, <em>altre cose<\/em>, <em>alcuni altri<\/em>, or simply <em>altri<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Vengono anche altre persone alla degustazione.<br><em>Other people are coming to the tasting too.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Veronica ha provato altre cantine in Lombardia.<br><em>Veronica has tried other wineries in Lombardia.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Vorrei vedere altre bottiglie prima di scegliere.<br><em>I&#8217;d like to see other bottles before choosing.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Giorgio ha consigliato altri vini per stasera.<br><em>Giorgio recommended other wines for tonight.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Common italian qualcun altro learner mistake: trying to say <em>qualcuni altri<\/em> when you mean &#8220;some others&#8221;. The correct version is <em>alcuni altri<\/em> or simply <em>altri<\/em>. Save italian qualcun altro for one specific person at a time, and switch to <em>altri<\/em> or <em>alcuni<\/em> when the count goes up. The italian qualcun altro form is strictly singular by design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One table, all the forms. Pin it next to your desk for the first month of practice with italian qualcun altro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table>\n<thead><tr><th>Meaning<\/th><th>Form<\/th><th>Apostrophe<\/th><th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Someone else (man or generic)<\/td><td>qualcun altro<\/td><td>No (truncation)<\/td><td>Aspettiamo qualcun altro.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Some other woman<\/td><td>qualcun&#8217;altra<\/td><td>Yes (elision)<\/td><td>Conosci qualcun&#8217;altra?<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Something else<\/td><td>qualcos&#8217;altro<\/td><td>Yes (elision)<\/td><td>Vorrei qualcos&#8217;altro.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Some other masculine noun<\/td><td>qualche altro + noun<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>Qualche altro consiglio?<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Some other feminine noun<\/td><td>qualche altra + noun<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>Qualche altra idea?<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>No one else (man)<\/td><td>nessun altro<\/td><td>No (truncation)<\/td><td>Non c&#8217;\u00e8 nessun altro.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>No other woman<\/td><td>nessun&#8217;altra<\/td><td>Yes (elision)<\/td><td>Nessun&#8217;altra \u00e8 venuta.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Other people (plural)<\/td><td>altre persone or altri<\/td><td>none<\/td><td>Altre persone aspettano.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Other things (plural)<\/td><td>altre cose or altri<\/td><td>none<\/td><td>Vorrei altre cose dal banco.<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dialogue\">Dialogue at the wine shop in Cremona<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veronica walks into Giorgio&#8217;s wine shop in Cremona on a Friday afternoon, looking for a couple of bottles to bring to a dinner with her cousins. Watch how naturally the three forms appear in real conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-dialog-qa\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Veronica:<\/strong> Buongiorno Giorgio. Cerco un rosso per stasera, qualcosa di morbido.<br><em>Good morning Giorgio. I&#8217;m looking for a red for tonight, something soft.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Giorgio:<\/strong> Bentornata. Allora, ti propongo questo Bonarda dell&#8217;Oltrep\u00f2. Vuoi assaggiarlo o preferisci qualcos&#8217;altro di pi\u00f9 strutturato?<br><em>Welcome back. So, I&#8217;d suggest this Bonarda from Oltrep\u00f2. Want to taste it, or do you prefer something else more structured?<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Veronica:<\/strong> Il Bonarda va benissimo per me. Ma forse qualcun altro a tavola preferisce un bianco.<br><em>The Bonarda is perfect for me. But maybe someone else at the table would prefer a white.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Giorgio:<\/strong> Se vuoi, abbiamo un Lugana fresco arrivato stamattina. Lo metti in frigo due ore prima e va che \u00e8 una meraviglia.<br><em>If you like, we have a fresh Lugana that arrived this morning. Put it in the fridge two hours before and it&#8217;s wonderful.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Veronica:<\/strong> Perfetto, prendo una bottiglia. Hai qualche altro consiglio per accompagnare il formaggio?<br><em>Perfect, I&#8217;ll take a bottle. Do you have any other advice for the cheese course?<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Giorgio:<\/strong> Dipende dal formaggio. Per un Grana stagionato, un passito. Per qualcosa di pi\u00f9 fresco, basta il Lugana.<br><em>It depends on the cheese. For an aged Grana, a passito. For something fresher, the Lugana is enough.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Veronica:<\/strong> Buono a sapersi. Senti, una mia cugina mi ha parlato di una cantina vicino a Mantova. Conosci qualcun&#8217;altra che ne fa di buoni?<br><em>Good to know. Listen, a cousin of mine mentioned a winery near Mantova. Do you know any other one that makes good ones?<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Giorgio:<\/strong> Da quelle parti ne conosco un paio. Ti scrivo i nomi su un foglietto, cos\u00ec la prossima volta vai diretta.<br><em>I know a couple in that area. I&#8217;ll write the names on a slip of paper, so next time you can go straight there.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Veronica:<\/strong> Grazie davvero. Ah, c&#8217;\u00e8 qualcos&#8217;altro che dovrei sapere prima di portare il Bonarda a casa? Va decantato?<br><em>Thanks so much. Oh, is there something else I should know before bringing the Bonarda home? Should it be decanted?<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Giorgio:<\/strong> Apri la bottiglia mezz&#8217;ora prima e basta. Niente decanter, \u00e8 un vino diretto.<br><em>Open the bottle half an hour before, that&#8217;s all. No decanter, it&#8217;s a direct wine.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Veronica:<\/strong> Perfetto. Allora pago e scappo, ho ancora qualche altro giro da fare in centro.<br><em>Perfect. I&#8217;ll pay then and run, I still have some other errands to do in the center.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Giorgio:<\/strong> A presto, e fammi sapere come \u00e8 andata la cena.<br><em>See you soon, and let me know how the dinner went.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to notice in the dialogue<\/h3>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Qualcos&#8217;altro di pi\u00f9 strutturato<\/strong>: a thing (a different wine), elision with apostrophe.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Qualcun altro a tavola<\/strong>: a person (a guest), truncation without apostrophe.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Qualche altro consiglio<\/strong>: noun phrase, no contraction.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Qualcun&#8217;altra che ne fa<\/strong>: a feminine noun (cantina), elision with apostrophe.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Qualcos&#8217;altro che dovrei sapere<\/strong>: a thing (a piece of information), elision with apostrophe.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Qualche altro giro<\/strong>: noun phrase again, masculine singular noun, no contraction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mini-challenge\">Mini-challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-qa-final\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Final challenge:<\/strong> Translate into natural Italian, paying attention to the apostrophe.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Is there something else you need from the shop?<\/li>\n<li>I called someone else to help with the move.<\/li>\n<li>Do you know any other restaurant in Cremona?<\/li>\n<li>We need some other woman in the team.<\/li>\n<li>Veronica wants something else for dessert.<\/li>\n<li>Nobody else came to the meeting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>\ud83d\udc49 Show answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>C&#8217;\u00e8 qualcos&#8217;altro che ti serve dal negozio?<\/em> (thing, elision)<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Ho chiamato qualcun altro per aiutare con il trasloco.<\/em> (person, truncation)<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>Conosci qualche altro ristorante a Cremona?<\/em> (noun follows, no contraction)<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>Ci serve qualcun&#8217;altra in squadra.<\/em> (woman, elision with apostrophe)<\/p>\n<p>5. <em>Veronica vuole qualcos&#8217;altro per dessert.<\/em> (thing, elision)<\/p>\n<p>6. <em>Non \u00e8 venuto nessun altro alla riunione.<\/em> (person, truncation)<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mastering italian qualcun altro takes a week of attention and then it sticks. Read the cheat sheet once a day for a few days, write three sentences with each form, and listen for them in podcasts or films. Italians use these forms constantly, so the input is everywhere. Once your eye and ear get used to the apostrophe pattern, you stop hesitating, and your written Italian looks immediately more polished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quiz\">Test your understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take the quiz below to test what you&#8217;ve learned about italian qualcun altro.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-quiz-qa60773\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n(Quiz coming soon)\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These questions about italian qualcun altro come from conversations among Italian learners and from native-speaker doubt entries. The official answer on the apostrophe rule is documented in the Treccani Q&amp;A at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/magazine\/lingua_italiana\/domande_e_risposte\/grammatica\/grammatica_095.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Treccani&#8217;s qualcun altro answer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-qa-q1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Why is it &#8216;qualcun altro&#8217; without an apostrophe?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Because the form involves truncation (troncamento), not elision (elisione). In Italian, truncation drops the final vowel of a word ending in -no, -lo, -ro, -mo before another word. When the final consonant before the dropped vowel is l, r, n, or m, no apostrophe is written. Qualcuno ends in -no, qualifies for truncation, and so loses the final -o cleanly without an apostrophe. Compare bel ragazzo (from bello), gran piacere (from grande), nessun problema (from nessuno): all truncations, all written without an apostrophe.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-qa-q2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is the difference between qualcun altro and qualcos&#8217;altro?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Qualcun altro refers to a person (someone else); qualcos&#8217;altro refers to a thing (something else). The split mirrors the difference between qualcuno (someone) and qualcosa (something). If you are talking about a human being, use qualcun altro: aspettiamo qualcun altro, lo dico a qualcun altro. If you are talking about an object, an idea, or anything non-human, use qualcos&#8217;altro: vorrei qualcos&#8217;altro da bere, c&#8217;e qualcos&#8217;altro da fare. Native speakers never confuse the two because the semantic distinction is automatic.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-qa-q3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Can I say &#8216;qualche altro&#8217; instead of &#8216;qualcun altro&#8217;?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Only when a noun follows. Qualche is an adjective and must precede a noun: qualche altro consiglio, qualche altra cantina, qualche altro libro. You cannot use qualche altro on its own as a standalone pronoun. If you want a standalone pronoun meaning someone else, you need qualcun altro. So &#8216;is there someone else?&#8217; is c&#8217;e qualcun altro?, not c&#8217;e qualche altro?. The noun-vs-pronoun distinction is the key.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-qa-q4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is the feminine form of qualcun altro?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>The feminine is qualcun&#8217;altra, written with an apostrophe. This is elision, not truncation: the final -a of qualcuna drops before the initial a- of altra, and elision in Italian always carries an apostrophe. The same pattern applies to nessun&#8217;altra (no other woman). Compare with the masculine qualcun altro and nessun altro, which take no apostrophe. The rule of thumb: feminine plus apostrophe, masculine plus no apostrophe, in this specific family of forms.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-qa-q5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How do I make qualcun altro plural?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>You cannot. Qualcuno and qualcosa are grammatically singular in Italian and have no plural forms. To express the meaning of &#8216;some other people&#8217; or &#8216;some other things&#8217;, use different words: altre persone (other people), altri or alcuni altri (others, some others), altre cose (other things). For example, vengono anche altre persone alla festa (other people are coming to the party too), not vengono qualcuni altri. Pluralizing qualcuno is one of the most reliable signs of a learner mistake.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-qa-q6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is &#8216;qualcosa d&#8217;altro&#8217; wrong?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>It exists but it is much rarer than qualcos&#8217;altro in contemporary written and spoken Italian. The contracted form qualcos&#8217;altro has been the standard since the mid-twentieth century and is what natives write and say without hesitation. The longer qualcosa d&#8217;altro can occasionally appear in formal or literary registers, but for an A2 learner the safe choice is always qualcos&#8217;altro. Save qualcosa d&#8217;altro for the rare case when you want a slightly old-fashioned or emphatic ring.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related\">Related guides<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-each-every-ogni-ognuno-ciascuno\/\">Italian Each and Every: Ogni, Ognuno, Ciascuno<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-modal-verbs\/\">Italian Modal Verbs: Dovere, Potere, Volere, Sapere<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-posso-vs-riesco\/\">Posso vs Riesco: Italian&#8217;s Two Ways to Say &#8216;I Can&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/vocabolario\/qualcuno\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Treccani vocabolario: qualcuno<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Italian qualcun altro, qualcos&#8217;altro and qualche altro: when to use each, the apostrophe rule, and the feminine forms. A2 guide with cheat sheet, dialogue and quiz.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1864,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a2","category-lingua","no-featured-image-padding","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60773"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61302,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60773\/revisions\/61302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}