enige/enigiets/enigiemand

Any: Enige

Level 3

Enige means any: Het jy enige vrae? (Do you have any questions?) With iets and iemand it makes one word: enigiets (anything), enigiemand (anyone).

How It Works

1. Enige before a noun.

  • In questions: Het jy enige vrae? (Do you have any questions?)
  • When it doesn't matter which: Jy kan my enige tyd bel. (You can call me any time.) Enige kind weet dit. (Any child knows that.)

2. Enigiets and enigiemand. With iets and iemand, enige joins up into one word:

  • Ek eet enigiets. (I eat anything.)
  • Enigiemand kan kom. (Anyone can come.)

With other nouns, enige stays a separate word: enige tyd, enige plek.

3. Iets or enigiets? In a question, plain iets can also mean anything: Het jy iets gesien? (Did you see anything?) Enigiets stresses anything at all: Is daar enigiets wat ek kan doen? (Is there anything I can do?)

4. Negatives. For not any, Afrikaans normally uses geen, niks or niemand: Ek het geen vrae nie. (I don't have any questions.) Ek het niks gesien nie. (I didn't see anything.)

5. Some is not enige. For an unstated amount, as in English some water, use 'n bietjie or leave the word out. For some people, use party or sommige.

Examples (6)

  1. Het jy enige vrae?

    Do you have any questions?

    Word by Word: Have you any questions?

  2. Enigiemand kan kom.

    Anyone can come.

    Word by Word: Anyone can come.

  3. Ek eet enigiets.

    I eat anything.

    Word by Word: I eat anything.

  4. Jy kan my enige tyd bel.

    You can call me any time.

    Word by Word: You can me any time call.

    Before an ordinary noun such as tyd, enige is written separately.

  5. Enige kind weet dit.

    Any child knows that.

    Word by Word: Any child knows it.

    Here enige means it doesn't matter which child.

  6. Is daar enigiets wat ek kan doen?

    Is there anything I can do?

    Word by Word: Is there anything that I can do?

Common Mistakes

  • Using iets before a noun to mean any.

    Het jy iets vrae?
    Het jy enige vrae?

    Iets stands on its own and cannot come before a noun. Before a noun, any is enige.

  • Using enige to mean some.

    Ek wil enige water hê.
    Ek wil 'n bietjie water hê.

    The speaker means some water. Enige means any at all, so for an unstated amount use 'n bietjie, or just say Ek wil water hê.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

enige/enigiets/enigiemandLevel 3Any: Enige

Learn This First

Enige and its compounds mean any, next to iets and iemand.

Words in This Pattern

enigeenigietsenigiemand