Intermediate
7 min readThe particles ci and ne
Two tiny words that replace whole phrases — and why Italians use them constantly.
Ci: “there” and “about it”
Ci replaces a place introduced by a, in, da, su (“there”), or a phrase introduced by a after verbs like pensare a, credere a, riuscire a.
- Vai a Roma? — Sì, ci vado domani.Are you going to Rome? — Yes, I'm going there tomorrow.
- Pensi all'esame? — Ci penso sempre.Are you thinking about the exam? — I think about it all the time.
- C'è / ci sonoThere is / there are
Ne: “of it, of them, some”
Ne replaces a quantity or a phrase introduced by di (or sometimes da). When you answer in a full sentence with a number, you need it: Ne ho due (a bare “Due” is fine too, but not “Ho due”).
- Quanti fratelli hai? — Ne ho due.How many brothers do you have? — I have two (of them).
- Vuoi del caffè? — Sì, ne prendo un po'.Would you like some coffee? — Yes, I'll have a little.
- Cosa ne pensi?What do you think about it?
Common mistakes
Ho due.
Ne ho due.
When answering with a quantity, ne stands in for the noun.
Vado ci domani.
Ci vado domani.
Ci goes before a conjugated verb.
Test yourself
0 / 4 answered1. Vai a Milano? — Sì, ___ vado domani.
2. Quante mele vuoi? — ___ voglio tre.
3. Pensi all'esame? — Sì, ___ penso spesso.
4. Cosa pensi del film? — Che ___ pensi tu?