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Expression indéfinie
N’importe, the contraction of the French negative particle ne and the third person singular conjugation of importer (to matter), literally means "no matter" or "(it) doesn’t matter." This indefinite expression can precede an interrogative adjective, adverb, or pronoun when talking about something indefinite or non-specific.
N’importe + interrogative adjective = any
N’importe quel followed by a noun refers to an unspecified item.
Par example…
| Vous pouvez prendre n’importe quel siège. | You can take any seat. | |
| N’importe quelle boutique va le vendre. | Any shop will sell it. |
N’importe + interrogative adverb = any ___, ___ever
N’importe followed by comment, où, or quand indicates that the how, where, or when, respectively, is indefinite.
Par example…
| n’importe comment | (in) any way, however | |
| Il ne faut pas le faire n’importe comment. | You mustn’t (can’t) do it just any old way. | |
| n’importe où | anywhere, wherever | |
| Je peux dormir n’importe où. | I can sleep anywhere. | |
| n’importe quand | any time, whenever | |
| Vous pouvez partir n’importe quand. | You can leave at any time. |
N’importe + interrogative pronoun = any ___
N’importe followed by qui, quoi, or lequel can be an indefinite subject, direct or indirect object, or object of a preposition.
Par example…
| n’importe qui | anyone | |
| N’importe qui aurait pu le faire. | Anyone could have done it. | |
| Je ne suis pas n’importe qui ! | I’m not just anybody! | |
| n’importe quoi | anything | |
| Il ne faut pas manger n’importe quoi. | You shouldn’t eat just anything. | |
| Je peux écrire sur n’importe quoi. | I can write about anything. | |
| n’importe lequel | any one, any of them | |
| Prends n’importe lequel. | Take any one. | |
| N’importe lequel fera l’affaire. | Any of them will work. |
Related lessons
- Importer conjugations
- Negation
- Interrogative adjectives
- Interrogative adverbs
- Interrogative pronouns
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