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A Few Words About “Some” (Qualche and Alcuni)

Let's talk about two different ways to say "some" in Italian. While they can mean the same thing, they are used in different ways, so let's dig in.

 

Qualche

Master chef Gualtiero Marchesi is talking about one of the most famous northern Italian recipes, risotto alla milanese, and the symbolic meaning of the saffron that gives it a special color and taste:

 

Il giallo dello zafferano era, in qualche modo, il giallo dell'oro.

The yellow of saffron was, in some way, the yellow of gold.

Caption 21, L'arte della cucina - Terre d'Acqua

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In qualche modo (in some way) could also have been translated as “in a way” or “in some ways.” Qualche is purposely ambiguous and implies a small, unspecified quantity that could even be just one.

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Despite its often plural meaning, qualche must always be followed by a noun in the singular. Let’s see this word in context as we put the finishing touches on a fancy dish. Goccia (drop) is singular but the meaning is plural, by just a little bit.

 

Condiremo con un pochino di sale fino,

We'll season with a little fine salt,

del pepe nero,

some black pepper,

qualche goccia di succo di limone,

a few drops of lemon juice,

dell'olio di oliva extravergine delicato.

some delicate extra virgin olive oil.

Captions 12-15, Battuta di Fassone - in Insalata Chef

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Qualche is very user friendly.

You don’t need to know the plural or even the gender of the word you are modifying. You just need to remember to use a singular noun following it!

 

Alcuni/Alcune

Now let’s look at another way to say “some” or “a few”: alcuni and alcune. Unlike qualche, which is quite close to a singular quantity, alcuni and alcune, although not specific, are clearly plural. In fact, the nouns they modify appear in the plural, and, like articles and other adjectives, these modifiers change their endings according to the gender. Alcuni modifies masculine nouns and alcune modifies feminine nouns. 

 

Alessio Berti has a few dishes to show us: 

 

Adesso vi farò vedere alcuni piatti di semplice realizzazione

Now I'm going to show you some dishes that are simple to make,

eh de'... della nostra carta.

um from... from our menu.

Captions 3-4, Ricette dolci - Crème brûlée alla banana

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And where can we find the milk for this delicious crème brûlée? 

 

Spesso, in alcune fattorie, puoi trovare dei prodotti caseari.

Often, on some farms, you can find dairy products.

Caption 18, Marika spiega - Gli animali della fattoria

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Note that while qualche is always followed by the word it modifies, alcuni/alcune can stand alone as a kind of pronoun, much like its English counterparts (some, a few). To determine which ending to employ, we refer to the gender of the modified noun, even if it's absent. We see this in the following example, where sculptor Claudio Capotondi is talking about his studio full of marble, drawings, models, and whatnot.

 

Ci sono vari bozzetti, progetti,

There are many small-scale models, projects,

che sono sedimentati nel tempo, alcuni realizzati, altri...

that have been accumulated over time, some completed, others...

Captions 9-11, Claudio Capotondi - Scultore

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Qualche and alcuni/alcune can only be used with countable nouns in Italian. We’ll work with uncountable nouns in a future lesson. For now, follow these rules: To be vague, use qualche, which always goes with a singular noun even when its meaning is plural. To be more clearly plural, use alcuni or alcune alone or with a plural noun whose gender tells us which to use. 

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Learning suggestion:

To practice using these modifiers, try swapping qualche and alcuni/alcune wherever they occur. There are situations where one is more common than the other, and you’ll gradually get a feel for it. Visit wordreference.com to get some input on phrases with qualche, and don’t forget to have a look at the long list of forum threads about this word. See this blog about alcuni and qualche.

Making It Happen

Fare (to make) is a verb for getting things done. It’s about as universal in Italian as “get” (or “have”) is in English and frequently means about the same thing. 

Here, fare really does mean “to make”:

 

Eccolo. Questo è il vino che faccio con mio nonno.

Here it is. This is the wine I make with my grandfather.

Captions 7-8, Escursione - Un picnic in campagna

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Fare used simply, as in the above example, indicates you are doing the work. If, instead of doing something yourself, you have it done by someone else, you’ll generally use fare plus the verb in the infinitive:

 

Se vuole, La faccio accompagnare da uno dei miei ragazzi.

If you'd like, I'll have one of my guys accompany you.

Caption 19, Una gita - al lago

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When you need to borrow something, fare loans itself to you because there’s no single word in Italian that means “to borrow.” You need to “get something lent to you,” so you use the verb prestare (to lend) but you turn it around using fare, plus, depending on whom you are talking about, the appropriate reflexive personal pronoun.

 

La mia dolce Ninetta riceve anche la visita di Pippo,

My sweet Ninetta also gets a visit from Pippo,

un altro servitore di Casa Vingradito,

another servant from the Vingradito home,

e riesce a farsi prestare da Pippo alcune monete.

and is able to borrow a few coins from Pippo.

Captions 11-13, Anna e Marika - in La Gazza Ladra

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The same idea holds for showing something to someone: you need to “make them see it.”

 

Adesso vi farò vedere alcuni piatti di semplice realizzazione

Now I'm going to show you some dishes that are simple to make

Caption 3, Ricette dolci - Crème brûlée alla banana

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Fare can also be intended as “get,” “have,” or “let,” depending on the context. Here, fare is used in a command:

 

Fammi uscire! Ehi, fammi uscire!

Let me out! Hey, let me out!

Captions 52-53, Acqua in bocca - Mp3 Marino

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There’s lots more to say about fare, but for now, when you tune into Yabla, try to start noticing how people talk about getting things done using this catch-all word. To get more acquainted with fare, have a look here and here.

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Learning suggestion:

Think about some things you would like to get done (or have already had done). Here are some ideas to work with. Try turning them into questions or changing the person, tense, subject, object, or verb, or you can make up your own sentences from scratch.

Faccio sempre pulire la casa da professionisti.

I always have the house cleaned by professionals.

Facciamo riparare la nostra macchina dal meccanico in paese.

We get our car repaired by the mechanic in town.

Mi sono fatta fare un tatuaggio.

I got a tattoo. (This is a woman speaking. A man would say, Mi sono fatto fare un tatuaggio.)

Vorrei farmi fare un vestito da una sarta.

I’d like to get a dress made for me by a seamstress.

Non mi lavo i capelli da sola.  Li faccio lavare dalla parrucchiera.

I don’t wash my own hair. I get it washed at the hairdresser’s.

Ti voglio fare conoscere un amico.

I want to introduce you to a friend.

Voglio farti conoscere un amico.

I want to introduce you to a friend.

Mi fai vedere le tue foto?

Will you show me your pictures?

Joining a language forum such as WordReference can be helpful for getting feedback on your attempts.

 

Vocabulary