# there isn't any chair;   there aren't any chairs



## muchbetternow

A very silly question, I know, but as I have always been told ""any" can only go with plural nouns when they are count-nouns, like "chair". then, when I have to translate
No hay ninguna silla,
 I should say

There aren´t any chairs left. 

Would the other option be incorrect (there isn´t any chair)?
My mind is dizzy after thinking of it

Thank you!


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## blasita

As far as I know, 'any' is normally used with uncountable or plural nouns in this case, so you could say for example:

_There aren't any chairs in the room.
There are no chairs_ (more emphatic).

So, I would not use 'any' with a singular countable noun (e.g. 'chair') after 'there isn't'. But let's wait for more replies.

Un saludo.


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## muchbetternow

Thank you.
A los españoles nos cuenta lidiar con estas estructuras, supongo...


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## Giorgio Spizzi

Hullo, much & blasi.

I suspect you _can_ say "There isn't any chair left", "There isn't any problem left", etc.

Bestest.

GS


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## muchbetternow

Yes, it sounds ok to me; the problem is I should be able to explain why it is correct if that runs counter to the grammar rule.

Thank you!


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## Masood

_There aren't any chairs.
There are no chairs.
There's no chair._
_There's no chairs._ (grammatically incorrect, but very widely _spoken_ (including myself))



muchbetternow said:


> A very silly question, I know,...


No, it's not!


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## blasita

There's an interesting thread on this: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1256450

There are always general rules, but then also: emphatic uses, differences between varieties of the same language, contexts, etc (sometimes; I would say 'often').

Un saludo a todos.


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## muchbetternow

blasita said:


> There's an interesting thread on this: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1256450
> 
> There are always general rules, but then also: emphatic uses, differences between varieties of the same language, contexts, etc (sometimes; I would say 'often').
> 
> Un saludo a todos.



I have been reading through the threads you suggest. You are right; quite a find.
Thank you.


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## bafb

Hi there! I read all the posts here and the idea of using "there isn't" for uncountable nouns and "there aren't" for countable nouns is clear, except for I don't get why it does not apply for the word "message". 

Apparently, it's much more usual to say "There isn't any message for you" than it is to say "There aren't any messages for you". I assumed that after seeing the first sentence in an English grammar book and also observing the number of results on Google in which the first sentence is preferable ("there isn't any message" is twice more used than "there aren't any messages"). Is there an explanation for that or it just sounds better in this particular case?


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## Lemonbasil

bafb, I'm not sure why the results on Google are that way, but at least in the U.S. I would actually say it's more common to say, "There aren't any messages for you." The only times it would be more common to hear the first phrase would be in response to a question about a specific message for a specific person, i.e.:

- I heard that Joe left a message for Ana. Did he leave a message for me, too?
- There isn't any message for you.

If someone is asking if they have any messages, I think it'd be more common to hear, "There aren't any messages for you."


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## neal41

Giorgio Spizzi said:


> I suspect you _can_ say "There isn't any chair left", "There isn't any problem left", etc.


Yes, you can use 'any' in the singular case.  If you are trying to buy an aisle seat on a flight, the ticket agent might say, "I'm sorry but there isn't any aisle seat available."  He could also say, "There aren't any aisle seats" or "There is no aisle seat" or "There are no aisle seats".


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## bafb

Lemonbasil said:


> bafb, I'm not sure why the results on Google are that way, but at least in the U.S. I would actually say it's more common to say, "There aren't any messages for you." The only times it would be more common to hear the first phrase would be in response to a question about a specific message for a specific person, i.e.:
> 
> - I heard that Joe left a message for Ana. Did he leave a message for me, too?
> - There isn't any message for you.
> 
> If someone is asking if they have any messages, I think it'd be more common to hear, "There aren't any messages for you."


Thanks a lot, Lemonbasil! It's clearer now. And it explains some of the cases I found on Google. Have a great week!


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## Joao Francisco

Hi there, my question is if I can use "there isn't any hamburger", once  hamburger is countable and it's not a plural word.


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## panamanurse

"Any" can also be used for *singular nouns* in negative statements and in questions *if they are uncountable*.  
For example,  _"Do you have any milk?"_  or _" There isn't any milk in the refrigerator."   _

*Singular countable* nouns *don't use* "any".  I disagree with Neal 41 that it's okay to say _"There isn't any aisle seat available"._  I know it's often said in colloquial speech, but it is still wrong.  The correct expression would either be:

"There are *no *aisle seats available" or  
"There aren't *any* aisle seat*s* available" or 
"There isn't *an* aisle seat available."   
To pose a question with "any" one would say _"Are there *any* aisle seat*s* available".  
_
Regarding the use of "any" with the singular noun "message"---The expression "_There isn't any message for you._" is often heard in everyday speech.  I'm ashamed to admit I've probably said this myself.  Nevertheless, it's grammatically incorrect.  It should be:
_
"There aren't any messages for you,"_ 
_"There is no message for you. "
"You have no messages."
"You don't have any messages."
_
Hope this helps.


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## inib

panamanurse said:


> *Singular countable* nouns *don't use* "any".  ..... it is still wrong.


Would you say the same about "no"?


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## panamanurse

Inib, I'm not sure I understand your question.  Can you please elaborate on what you mean?  

The following examples are *okay* if we refer to a singular countable noun, Example: "apple".
I have an apple.
I don't have an apple.
I don't have any apple*s*.
I have no apple.
I have no apple*s*.
Do you have an apple?
Do you have any apple*s*?

The sentences below are *wrong*, although the first two might be heard in everyday speech.
I don't have any apple.
I don't have no apple.
Do you have any apple?
There isn't any apple.
There isn't no apple.

I hope this addresses your question.


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## kairi26

panamanurse said:


> Inib, I'm not sure I understand your question.  Can you please elaborate on what you mean?
> 
> The following examples are *okay* if we refer to a singular countable noun, Example: "apple".
> I have an apple.
> I don't have an apple.
> I don't have any apple*s*.
> I have no apple.
> I have no apple*s*.
> Do you have an apple?
> Do you have any apple*s*?
> 
> The sentences below are *wrong*, although the first two might be heard in everyday speech.
> I don't have any apple.
> I don't have no apple.
> Do you have any apple?
> There isn't any apple.
> There isn't no apple.
> 
> I hope this addresses your question.


I find this conversation really interesting, since I hadn't thought about the use of the word any before. However, I disagree slightly about the sentences you called definitely wrong. If you are talking about apple as an ingredient, the way that you might talk about hamburger as an ingredient, apple becomes uncountable. In that usage, all of those sentences you proposed are correct except for the double negative " I don't have no apple."


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## inib

Sorry my question wasn't clear, panamanurse. A lot of simplified explanations apply the same rules to _any_ and _no_. For example, _I have no money = I haven't got/don't have any money_ or  _I have no friends = I haven't got/don't have any friends_. That's why I was wondering if you would object to _I have no apple_.


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## Joao Francisco

panamanurse said:


> "Any" can also be used for *singular nouns* in negative statements and in questions *if they are uncountable*.
> For example,  _"Do you have any milk?"_  or _" There isn't any milk in the refrigerator."   _
> 
> *Singular countable* nouns *don't use* "any".  I disagree with Neal 41 that it's okay to say _"There isn't any aisle seat available"._  I know it's often said in colloquial speech, but it is still wrong.  The correct expression would either be:
> 
> "There are *no *aisle seats available" or
> "There aren't *any* aisle seat*s* available" or
> "There isn't *an* aisle seat available."
> To pose a question with "any" one would say _"Are there *any* aisle seat*s* available".
> _
> Regarding the use of "any" with the singular noun "message"---The expression "_There isn't any message for you._" is often heard in everyday speech.  I'm ashamed to admit I've probably said this myself.  Nevertheless, it's grammatically incorrect.  It should be:
> _
> "There aren't any messages for you,"_
> _"There is no message for you. "
> "You have no messages."
> "You don't have any messages."
> _
> Hope this helps.


Thank you Panama Nurse, but go into deeply, I wondering whether or not hamburger could be uncountable because it might refers to an indefinite amount of ground beef from which we can prepare several hamburgers.  cheers   John


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## panamanurse

Joao Francisco said:


> Thank you Panama Nurse, but go into deeply, I wondering whether or not hamburger could be uncountable because it might refers to an indefinite amount of ground beef from which we can prepare several hamburgers.  cheers   John



Hi John,
I think you may be joking with me here, but I will answer you seriously anyway.    When we refer to ground beef, it is sometimes called hamburger or hamburger meat.  This isn't too common, but it happens.  If one is referring to the meat (the ground beef) you could possibly hear something like,  "How much hamburger is there in the refrigerator?"  or  "I need to buy some hamburger so I can prepare lunch."  or  " I don't have any hamburger [meat] for the spaghetti sauce."  In this case it would be an uncountable noun.  But if you are referring to the individual hamburger patties that you eat with buns---the McDonald's variety for example---it would be countable.  "I ate three hamburgers for lunch yesterday."   "They didn't have any hamburger*s* in the cafeteria today.  Can you believe it?  So, I didn't have a hamburger for lunch today."  OR  "I had no hamburger for lunch today."   Hope this helps.  Now I'm hungry !



inib said:


> Sorry my question wasn't clear, panamanurse. A lot of simplified explanations apply the same rules to _any_ and _no_. For example, _I have no money = I haven't got/don't have any money_ or  _I have no friends = I haven't got/don't have any friends_. That's why I was wondering if you would object to _I have no apple_.





kairi26 said:


> I find this conversation really interesting, since I hadn't thought about the use of the word any before. However, I disagree slightly about the sentences you called definitely wrong. If you are talking about apple as an ingredient, the way that you might talk about hamburger as an ingredient, apple becomes uncountable. In that usage, all of those sentences you proposed are correct except for the double negative " I don't have no apple."



Hi Kairi,

I would have to agree with you that if you are referring to "apple" as an ingredient it would be possible to consider it an uncountable noun.  But this is rarely the case.  In a recipe, for example, there is usually a measurement that refers to apples as an ingredient.  For example, a cup of chopped apple(s), or one apple or two apples, etc.  The only way apple could be considered an uncountable noun, even in a recipe,  would be if it were transformed somehow into something that couldn't be counted, like grated apple, or finely chopped apple, or mush (puree).  Technically it's possible.  But if we were to express to someone that we didn't have the ingredient, we would say "There aren't any apples to make the pastry."  We wouldn't say,  "There isn't any apple."    Hamburger is more likely because ground beef is sometimes referred to as hamburger.  But an apple is an apple unless it's been transformed somehow.  And even in this rare case, the sentences I mentioned as wrong would sound strange. There are two double negative examples that would still have to be ruled out.   The one you mentioned  (I don't have no apple.) and "There isn't no apple".    I imagine someone somewhere might be able to come up with another example that would call my comment into question.  I won't say I'm 100% right on this,  But as a general rule, someone learning English can count on it.



inib said:


> Sorry my question wasn't clear, panamanurse. A lot of simplified explanations apply the same rules to _any_ and _no_. For example, _I have no money = I haven't got/don't have any money_ or  _I have no friends = I haven't got/don't have any friends_. That's why I was wondering if you would object to _I have no apple_.



No objection to that.  "I have no apple"  is correct.


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## Joao Francisco

Joao Francisco said:


> Hi there, my question is if I can use "there isn't any hamburger", once  hamburger is countable and it's not a plural word.





panamanurse said:


> Hi John,
> I think you may be joking with me here, but I will answer you seriously anyway.    When we refer to ground beef, it is sometimes called hamburger or hamburger meat.  This isn't too common, but it happens.  If one is referring to the meat (the ground beef) you could possibly hear something like,  "How much hamburger is there in the refrigerator?"  or  "I need to buy some hamburger so I can prepare lunch."  or  " I don't have any hamburger [meat] for the spaghetti sauce."  In this case it would be an uncountable noun.  But if you are referring to the individual hamburger patties that you eat with buns---the McDonald's variety for example---it would be countable.  "I ate three hamburgers for lunch yesterday."   "They didn't have any hamburger*s* in the cafeteria today.  Can you believe it?  So, I didn't have a hamburger for lunch today."  OR  "I had no hamburger for lunch today."   Hope this helps.  Now I'm hungry !


Hi panamanurse, 
Sorry if it seems I was joking with you, I wasn't my intention. I just wrote the question because another guy , from this forum, raided this likelihhod , here is his quote "
Yes, you can say this. "Hamburger" in this case is not countable. It refers to an indefinite amount of ground beef, from which you can prepare some quantity of (countable) individual hamburgers to cook and eat." from Egmont. You surely covered my questions brilliantly, I'm so glad you answered me prompt and teach me .   Kind regards  John


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## panamanurse

Joao Francisco said:


> Hi panamanurse,
> Sorry if it seems I was joking with you, I wasn't my intention. I just wrote the question because another guy , from this forum, raided this likelihhod , here is his quote "
> Yes, you can say this. "Hamburger" in this case is not countable. It refers to an indefinite amount of ground beef, from which you can prepare some quantity of (countable) individual hamburgers to cook and eat." from Egmont. You surely covered my questions brilliantly, I'm so glad you answered me prompt and teach me .   Kind regards  John



Hi Joao,  I hope my answer is understandable.  If you are referring to *a* hamburger (not ground beef) it is countable.  "Any"  is *not* *used* with *countable*, *singular *nouns.   Someday I hope to learn Portuguese!


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## Joao Francisco

Hi NursePanama, so sorry answering this too late, thank you again to assist me and , of course, when you start learn Portuguese count on my help.  Kindly  Joao


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## Junwei Guo

panamanurse said:


> "Any" can also be used for *singular nouns* in negative statements and in questions *if they are uncountable*.
> For example,  _"Do you have any milk?"_  or _" There isn't any milk in the refrigerator."   _
> 
> *Singular countable* nouns *don't use* "any".  I disagree with Neal 41 that it's okay to say _"There isn't any aisle seat available"._  I know it's often said in colloquial speech, but it is still wrong.  The correct expression would either be:
> 
> "There are *no *aisle seats available" or
> "There aren't *any* aisle seat*s* available" or
> "There isn't *an* aisle seat available."
> To pose a question with "any" one would say _"Are there *any* aisle seat*s* available".
> _
> Regarding the use of "any" with the singular noun "message"---The expression "_There isn't any message for you._" is often heard in everyday speech.  I'm ashamed to admit I've probably said this myself.  Nevertheless, it's grammatically incorrect.  It should be:
> _
> "There aren't any messages for you,"
> "There is no message for you. "
> "You have no messages."
> "You don't have any messages."
> _
> Hope this helps.


_"Are there *any* aisle seat*s* available?"_
-->Could I say "Are there aisle seats avaible?"?(drop the "any")
Thanks!


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## panamanurse

Junwei Guo said:


> _"Are there *any* aisle seat*s* available?"_
> -->Could I say "Are there aisle seats avaible?"?(drop the "any")
> Thanks!


Hello, Junwei,

Yes,  you can omit the "any" and simply ask for aisle seats.  If you wanted to pose a similar question with an uncountable noun, however, you would use 3rd person singular, not plural.  

For example, * Is* there milk in the refrigerator?  (uncountable)   
_*Are*_ there eggs in the refrigerator? (countable)


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## Junwei Guo

panamanurse said:


> Hello, Junwei,
> 
> Yes,  you can omit the "any" and simply ask for aisle seats.  If you wanted to pose a similar question with an uncountable noun, however, you would use 3rd person singular, not plural.
> 
> For example, * Is* there milk in the refrigerator?  (uncountable)
> _*Are*_ there eggs in the refrigerator? (countable)


OK~ I see
Thanks for your help


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## Forero

panamanurse said:


> "Any" can also be used for *singular nouns* in negative statements and in questions *if they are uncountable*.
> For example,  _"Do you have any milk?"_  or _" There isn't any milk in the refrigerator."   _
> 
> *Singular countable* nouns *don't use* "any".  I disagree with Neal 41 that it's okay to say _"There isn't any aisle seat available"._  I know it's often said in colloquial speech, but it is still wrong.  The correct expression would either be:
> 
> "There are *no *aisle seats available" or
> "There aren't *any* aisle seat*s* available" or
> "There isn't *an* aisle seat available."
> To pose a question with "any" one would say _"Are there *any* aisle seat*s* available".
> _
> Regarding the use of "any" with the singular noun "message"---The expression "_There isn't any message for you._" is often heard in everyday speech.  I'm ashamed to admit I've probably said this myself.  Nevertheless, it's grammatically incorrect.  It should be:
> _
> "There aren't any messages for you,"_
> _"There is no message for you. "
> "You have no messages."
> "You don't have any messages."
> _
> Hope this helps.


I wholeheartedly disagree with this.

There is nothing ungrammatical about "There isn't any aisle seat available" and "There isn't any message for you", but they are uncommon sentences and not good translations of "No hay ningun(a) ...."

When such sentences say what we mean to say, they are perfectly acceptable in speech and in writing, in both formal and informal contexts.

"I don't see any aisle seat matching your criteria" does not even sound like an unusual sentence.


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## Sameerraw

Hi friends,
I need help in correcting a sentence related to "any"

They did not provide us any chairs to sit .

what's wrong in this sentence?


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## Agró

They did not provide us *with* any chairs to sit .


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## Forero

_They did not provide us *with* any chairs to sit *on*.
_or_
They did not provide any chairs for us to sit *on*._


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## Sameerraw

Forero said:


> _They did not provide us *with* any chairs to sit *on*._
> or
> _They did not provide any chairs for us to sit *on*._


Thank you, Forero.


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## Shahrooz

panamanurse said:


> Hi Joao,  I hope my answer is understandable.  If you are referring to *a* hamburger (not ground beef) it is countable.  "Any"  is *not* *used* with *countable*, *singular *nouns.   Someday I hope to learn Portuguese!


Hi, 
Is it a rule for any situation? That "any" cannot be used with countable, singular nouns? 

I think I've got something here:

A- Excuse me is there a hotel near here?
B- Well, what kind of hotel? five-star or a three-star hotel?
A- Actually, any hotel you know, I need to go to any hotel because I'm in a dire need of a bath and food. 


More evidence:

- Take any book you like. 
- Any color will do. 
- Any teacher will tell you that students learn at different rates.


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## panamanurse

Hello Sharooz,

You bring up a very good point.  "Any" may be used with singular, countable nouns when the context is of a "choice"  or an indiscriminate something (noun).  The examples you provided fall under this category.  The meaning is that it isn't important which book, who the teacher is, etc.   It is like saying "whatever" or "whichever" or "whoever".   I forgot about this application of any.  Thanks for pointing it out.  This is different, however, from using "any"  with a singular, countable noun in affirmative sentences such as the following:

If you have any question*s*, don't hesitate to ask.   (correct)
If you have any question, don't hesitate to ask. (incorrect)


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## Shahrooz

panamanurse said:


> Hello Sharooz,
> 
> You bring up a very good point.  "Any" may be used with singular, countable nouns when the context is of a "choice"  or an indiscriminate something (noun).  The examples you provided fall under this category.  The meaning is that it isn't important which book, who the teacher is, etc.   It is like saying "whatever" or "whichever" or "whoever".   I forgot about this application of any.  Thanks for pointing it out.  This is different, however, from using "any"  with a singular, countable noun in affirmative sentences such as the following:
> 
> If you have any question*s*, don't hesitate to ask.   (correct)
> If you have any question, don't hesitate to ask. (incorrect)


Thank you so much for the clarification. It's OK then. 

And thanks for the follow-up explanation and further examples which caught my attention. 

Knowing that "any" functions as "not important which one, and it could be any "one"", then why the second sentence could be wrong? 
I mean it could be inferred " If you have any question (any kind of questions, maybe the person will have only one of a specific  question), don't hesitate to ask. 

Thank you.


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## panamanurse

Forero said:


> I wholeheartedly disagree with this.
> 
> There is nothing ungrammatical about "There isn't any aisle seat available" and "There isn't any message for you", but they are uncommon sentences and not good translations of "No hay ningun(a) ...."
> 
> When such sentences say what we mean to say, they are perfectly acceptable in speech and in writing, in both formal and informal contexts.
> 
> "I don't see any aisle seat matching your criteria" does not even sound like an unusual sentence.





Shahrooz said:


> Thank you so much for the clarification. It's OK then.
> 
> And thanks for the follow-up explanation and further examples which caught my attention.
> 
> Knowing that "any" functions as "not important which one, and it could be any "one"", then why the second sentence could be wrong?
> I mean it could be inferred " If you have any question (any kind of questions, maybe the person will have only one of a specific  question), don't hesitate to ask.
> 
> Thank you.


Hello Shahrooz,

You've got me on this one.  I can't explain it.  It just doesn't sound right.  Maybe another native speaker will disagree with me, but the second sentence, with "any" before "question" as a singular countable noun, just sounds wrong to me.  In Forero's example above, I also disagree that it is okay to say " "I don't see any aisle seat matching your criteria".  In colloquial American English, we say this all the time.  But I was taught it was incorrect, and it does sound incorrect to my ear as well. I would say "I don't see any aisle seat*s *matching your criteria". 

But, unless you are submitting a formal written document of some kind,  I doubt saying "any question" or "any seat" in the contexts mentioned would draw much attention from anyone except perhaps a grammar professor.


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## Shahrooz

panamanurse said:


> Hello Shahrooz,
> 
> You've got me on this one.  I can't explain it.  It just doesn't sound right.  Maybe another native speaker will disagree with me, but the second sentence, with "any" before "question" as a singular countable noun, just sounds wrong to me.  In Forero's example above, I also disagree that it is okay to say " "I don't see any aisle seat matching your criteria".  In colloquial American English, we say this all the time.  But I was taught it was incorrect, and it does sound incorrect to my ear as well. I would say "I don't see any aisle seat*s *matching your criteria".
> 
> But, unless you are submitting a formal written document of some kind,  I doubt saying "any question" or "any seat" in the contexts mentioned would draw much attention from anyone except perhaps a grammar professor.


OK I got it, even we have such situation in our language. Maybe "any questions" is considered as a fixed and accepted phrase in such contexts which we can't change it and it is long taken as it is. 

Thank you.


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