Anything versus Something

Question

Hi! ^^ Which is correct, "Aren't you forgetting anything?" or "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Please give me a brief explanation on the uses of each pronoun/adverb (something... anything).

Thank you. ^^

Dimsumexpress · Accepted Answer

The general idea is when the answer is unclear, you would use "anything", i.e. Are you doing anything this weekend?

Is there anything of value stolen from you apartment? People asked the "anything" question because the answer either was unclear or unstated.

For the specific context above, if my wife is leaving for work without her umbrella when it was pouring outside, I would say " Wait, is there something you are forgetting to bring? ". I used "something" because it is appraent that she was forgetting her "umbrella".

Sometimes though, you may see contexts where either one seems to work. Scenario: Lisa heard from Jane that she saw John with another girl at the theater. John came to see Lisa the next day and Lisa was testing John, expecting him to come clean)

Do you have something to tell me?

Do you have anything you would like to tell me ?

Here, both "something" and "anything" works equally well.

So the determination of which one to use really lies in the contexts.

Anything versus Something

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