Why do you look so shocked? Did you see someone/anyone?

[ademoglu]

Hi,

*self-made sentence*

Let us say that my friend and I went to home. She lives alone there. Suddenly I see that she is so shoked and I ask, 'Why do you look so shocked? Did you see someone/anyone?

I would like to ask which one to take and why - someone or anyone. I cannot see the difference between the two. I think both are OK but I am not that sure.

Thanks.

 

[Raymott]

It would have to be "Did you see someone?" But it isn't very natural. Is it common where you live to become shocked if you see someone?

 

[ademoglu]

It would have to be "Did you see someone?" But it isn't very natural. Is it common where you live to become shocked if you see someone?

No. I just tried to write such a context because I wanted to distinguish the difference between the two. I would like to ask why we cannot use 'anyone' instead of 'someone' there?

 

[Raymott]

If you think your friend saw someone when she shouldn't have, you say, "Did you see someone?"
If you think she didn't see someone when she should have, you say, "Didn't you see anyone?"

If you see a person, you can say, "I just saw someone", not "I just saw anyone". If you didn't see a person, you say "I didn't see anyone", not "I didn't see someone."

Does this sound right to you?
You: "Why are you looking so shocked?"
Friend: "I thought I saw anyone." (It's not right).