Hi Diego,
Great question! You're asking about "indefinite pronouns."
There are 12 indefinite pronouns. Note that there are four prefixes (some, any, no, every) and 3 suffixes (-body, -one, -thing):
somebody, someone, something
anybody, anyone, anything
nobody, *no one (the only one written as two words), nothing
everybody, everyone, everything
We use the prefix EVERY- to talk about ALL members of a group or ALL items in a collection:
- Everyone at the party had a great time.
- It only took us half an hour to clean everything up because everybody helped out.
We use the prefix NO- to talk about the absence of something or the fact that none of the people in a group or items in a collection apply:
- The party was so much fun that no one wanted to leave! There was nothing I could do. Nobody wanted it to end!
Your question is about the two prefixes used to talk about an unknown or uncertain quantity or part - SOME- and ANY-. The question is: how do we know when to use ANY- and when to use SOME- ?
SOME- : Use for positive statements.
ANY- : Use for negative statements and questions.
Although "Bring something to the party" and "Bring anything to the party" look similar, there is a slight difference. If you're using this statement to prompt people to bring items, you must use SOMEthing: “Bring something to the party!”
You would use ANYthing to tell people NOT to bring things to the party: "You don't need to bring anything - we've got it all covered!"
Your friends might use it to ask you if you want them to help out by bringing items: "Would you like us to bring anything?"
Exception to the rule: SOME- can be used in questions when offering something or asking for something, but usually there will be some specification:
- Would you like us to bring something to the party, like maybe some chips or a few bottles of wine?
- Would you like something to drink?
I hope this helps! Happy learning : )