Hello English learners! Today, we are going to discuss when to use something and when to use anything. This question has its roots in the negative realm. I am going to start with the word something.
你好,英语学习者!今天,我们要讨论什么时候用something,什么时候用anything。这个问题的根源否定句的领域。我要从“something”这个词开始。

The word something is generally used as a pronoun. This means that it replaces a noun. The word something has a definition of a specific undermined or uncertain thing.
something这个词通常用作代词。这意味着它代替了一个名词。something这个词有一个特定的被破坏或不确定的事物的定义。

For example
例如

My daughter told me something about Shopkins, but I can’t remember it now./There is something about that car, it is magical./Is something wrong with Frank?
我女儿告诉我一些关于Shopkins的事,但我现在记不起来了。/那辆车有点问题,很神奇。/弗兰克有什么问题吗?

The word something can also mean a person or a thing of great value.
“something”这个词也可以指一个人或一件很有价值的东西。

When it follows this definition then the word something is a noun (a person, place or thing).
当它遵循这个定义时,something这个词就是一个名词(人、地方或事物)。

For example
例如

She sure is something!! I think I am in love with her./Tom has something to say that is very important.
她真了不起!!我想我爱上她了。/汤姆有话要说,那很重要。

For the most part, English speakers use something in positive/affirmative sentences.
在大多数情况下,说英语的人在肯定句中使用一些东西。

This is also true for somebody, someone and some.
对somebody, someone and some来说也是如此。

For example
例如

I have something to tell you./ Give me something in exchange for my cookies./If you order food from that Indian restaurant, could you order me something too?
我有件事要告诉你。/给我点东西来换我的饼干。/如果你在那家印度餐馆点东西,你能也给我点东西吗?

It is also possible to use something in questions.
也可以在问题中使用一些东西。

We can use the word something to represent a thing that we know exists or we are pretty sure it exists.
我们可以用“something”来表示我们知道存在的东西,或者我们确信它存在。

For example
例如

Do you think that there is something in the Loch Ness lake in Scotland?/Is there something else I can help you with?/Did your mom get you something from Paris?
你认为苏格兰的尼斯湖里有什么东西吗?/还有什么我可以帮你的吗?/你妈妈从巴黎给你买了什么东西吗?

The word something can also be used in a question when you ask for things or if you offer something.
“something”这个词也可以用在问句中,当你问某事或你提供某事时。

For example
例如

Did you want something to eat?/Would you like to put something on your salad? We have Ranch dressing./Could I have something spicy to eat?
你想吃点什么吗?/你想在沙拉上放点什么吗?我们有牧场调味品。/我可以吃点辣的吗?

Now let’s talk about something more complicated which is the word anything.
现在让我们来谈谈更复杂的事情,这个词是anything。

Similar to the word something, the word anything is generally used as a pronoun.
与something类似,anything通常用作代词。

My definition of the word anything is whatever; I don’t care what it is.
我对“anything”这个词的定义是什么;我不在乎它是什么。

The word anything is generally used in negative sentences:
anything这个词通常用在否定句中:

Here are some examples to help clear this up:
以下是一些有助于澄清这一点的示例:

I didn’t get anything for my birthday./That guy can handle spicy foods, he didn’t drink anything after eating Indian food./When he opened the closet, he didn’t find anything there.
生日那天我什么也没得到。/那家伙能吃辣的,他吃印度菜后什么也没喝。/当他打开衣柜时,他在那里什么也没发现。

The word anything is used in sentences where the meaning is negative.
any这个词都用在否定意义的句子中。

This is the major difference between the words something and anything.
这是“something”和“anything”这两个词的主要区别。

Something can NEVER be used in negative sentences!
something永远也不能被用在否定句中!

For example
例如

Hardly anything makes Tom smiled these days./There wasn’t anything about verbs on the English exam./She didn’t have anything in his bank account.
这几天几乎没有什么让汤姆笑了。/英语考试中没有动词的问题。/她在他的银行账户里没有任何东西。

Most questions in the English language use anything when we don’t know if the thing exists.
当我们不知道事物是否存在时,英语中的大多数问题都使用任何东西。

Here are some examples
这是一些例子

I don’t think anything will help is financial situation./There isn’t anything you can say to make me feel better./She didn’t bring anything to the party.
我认为经济状况对我没什么帮助。/你没什么能让我感觉好一点的。/她没有带任何东西来参加聚会。

Returning back to my definition of anything meaning I don’t care.
回到我对任何我不在乎的东西的定义。

Here are some better examples:
这是一些更好的例子:

Could you give me anything to write with? (It could be a pencil, pen or crayon, I don’t care. I just need something to write with.)/Do you have anything to drink? It is very hot. (I am so thirsty that I will drink coffee, I don’t care.)/Can you turn on some music? You can play anything that you want. (Any music is better than working in silence.)
你能给我写点什么吗?(可能是铅笔、钢笔或蜡笔,我不在乎。我只需要写点东西。)/你有什么要喝的吗?天气很热。(我口渴得要喝咖啡,我不在乎。)/你能打开音乐吗?你想玩什么就玩什么。(任何音乐都比默默工作好。)

The word anything is used with the word if. The word if indicates a condition.
单词anything与单词if连用。if表示条件。

For example
例如

If there is anything I can do for you, just let me know./If anything happens, don’t hesitate to call./If anything wakes up my child, I will be very upset.
如果有什么我能为你做的,就告诉我。/如果有什么事发生,不要犹豫打电话。/如果有什么事吵醒了我的孩子,我会很难过的。

In summary, the word something cannot be used in NEGATIVE sentences, whereas the word anything CAN be used in NEGATIVE sentences.
总之,something这个词不能用在否定句中,而anything这个词可以用在否定句中。

Well, that is it for using something and anything.
好吧,这就是关于something和anything的一切。