أي شيء
ayy shay'
The English phrase 'anything' is translated into Arabic as أي شيء (ayy shay').
Meaning: any thing of any kind (pron)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the word أي (any) and the word شيء (thing).
How does it change in a sentence?
In negative sentences, أي شيء can be used to mean 'anything' or 'nothing' depending on the context of the negation.
How do you pronounce it?
ayy shay'
Did you know?
- The word أي is believed by some linguists to have roots in Middle Persian, meaning 'that is to say'.
- In classical Arabic literature, شيء is often used to describe the concept of existence or the 'absolute' itself.
- In some spoken contexts, you might hear people use أي حاجة (any thing/stuff) instead of أي شيء to sound more casual.
Examples in context
- هل تغير أي شيء؟Has anything changed?This sentence is useful for asking if any changes have occurred using أي شيء.Tatoeba #616573 by saeb, translation #433721 by CK
- لم يقل أي شيء آخر.He didn't say anything else.This sentence is useful for stating that someone did not say أي شيء else.Tatoeba #12825453 by dididodo, translation #5663272 by Hybrid
- توم لم يلمس أي شيء.Tom didn't touch anything.This sentence is useful for stating that Tom did not touch أي شيء.Tatoeba #3419394 by fadi, translation #3417715 by CK
- 40 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ahmed and Sara are at a cafe.
- أحمد Ahmedهل تريدين أي شيء من القائمة؟Hal turidina ayya shay' min al-qa'ima?Do you want anything from the menu?
- سارة Saraلا، لا أريد أي شيء الآن.La, la uridu ayya shay' al-an.No, I don't want anything right now.
- أحمد Ahmedهل أنتِ متأكدة؟Hal anti muta'akkida?Are you sure?
- سارة Saraنعم، أنا بخير.Na'am, ana bikhayr.Yes, I am fine.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أي, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
