Or Whatever

Question

I have always thought that cualquiera meant whatever (or whichever), as in “Choose whatever book you want”, and I have always used it that way. After reading through this lesson, I still think that lol.

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Dusty R.
You’re right that "cualquiera" can sometimes feel like it means whatever or whichever, especially in sentences like Elige cualquier libro (“Choose any book” / “Choose whatever book”).
The key detail is that when "cualquier" (before a noun) or "cualquiera" (after a noun or alone) is used, it technically expresses indefiniteness, closer to “any (at all)” than “whichever from a known set.”
So, while cualquier libro can feel like whatever book, grammatically it means any book, we’re not assuming a specific set to choose from.
If you want to express “whichever” more precisely, you might use el que quieras / el que sea depending on the context.
Elige el libro que quieras. → “Choose whichever book you want.”
Elige cualquier libro. → “Choose any book (doesn’t matter which).”
Glad the lesson sparked some reflection, that’s where the magic happens!
Un abrazo
Silvia