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Uses of ci

• You have already learned that ci is used as a reflexive and reciprocal pronoun meaning ourselves or each other and as a direct and indirect object pronoun meaning us or to us. Ci also has other meanings and uses.

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• Ci can refer to a location. It often replaces a prepositional phrase introduced by a, su, or in.

Vai in discoteca stasera?Are you going to the dance club tonight?

Sì, ci vado con Roberto.Yes, I’m going there with Roberto.

Hanno messo i cibi sul tavolo?Did they put the food on the table?

No, ci hanno messo le bottiglie.No, they put the bottles there.

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• Ci can replace da + [noun/pronoun] to mean someone’s house or someone’s place.

Venite da me domenica?Are you coming to my place Sunday?

Sì, ci veniamo.Yes, we’re coming.

Mi porti dal dentista?Will you take me to the dentist?

Sì, ti ci porto.Yes, I’ll take you there.

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• Ci often replaces a phrase introduced by a or su after verbs such as riuscire (a), pensare (a), credere (in/a), and contare (su).

Possiamo contare sul suo aiuto?Can we count on his help?

Sì, ci possiamo contare.Yes, we can count on it.

Credi a Babbo Natale?Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Ovviamente, ci credo!Obviously I believe in him!

È riuscita a mangiare tutti gli gnocchi?Was she able to eat all the gnocchi?

No, non ci è riuscita.No, she couldn’t do it.

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ATTENZIONE!

Ci is frequently used with verbs such as andare, venire, stare, rimanere, restare, and essere because they often are followed by a prepositional phrase indicating location.

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ATTENZIONE!

When ci is used with a direct object pronoun, a reflexive pronoun, or ne, the pronoun precedes ci in some cases and follows it in others. The correct forms are mi ci, ti ci, vi ci, ci si, ce lo, ce l’, ce la, ce li, ce le, ce ne. The form vi ci is used to avoid the awkward form ci ci. Note that ci changes to ce before lo, la, l’, li, le, and ne.

Avete messo il rossetto nel cassetto?Did you put the lipstick in the drawer?

Sì, ce l’abbiamo messo.Yes, we put it there.

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• Ci precedes a conjugated verb and the formal imperative, but follows and is attached to infinitives and informal imperatives. Drop the –e of the infinitive before attaching ci.

Ecco la mia borsa. Mettici le chiavi.Here’s my purse. Put the keys in it.

Devo andare a Perugia, ma non desidero restarci.I have to go to Perugia, but I don’t want to stay there.

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• Verbs such as avercela (con), farcela, tenerci, sentirci, vederci, volerci, and metterci have idiomatic meanings that are not related to location. Volerci, used only in the third person, refers to how long it takes to do something, and metterci, conjugated in all forms, refers to how long it takes a particular person to do something.

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Non so perché lui ce l’ha con me.I don’t know why he has it in for me.

Penso di farcela; anzi, ci tengo!I think I can get it done; in fact,doing it means a lot to me!

Quanto tempo ci vuole per andare a Roma?How long does it take to get to Rome?

Ci hanno messo un’ora per finire il giallo.It took them an hour to finish the detective story.

Mia nonna ha novanta anni. Non ci sente e non ci vede più.My grandmother is ninety years old. She can’t hear or see anything anymore.

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Uses of ne

• Ne is used to replace a phrase introduced by a preposition. Ne typically replaces di + [a person or thing], di + [an infinitive] or da + [a place].

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Hai paura dei serpenti?Are you afraid of snakes?

Io, sì, ne ho molta paura.I am, I’m really afraid of them

Avete voglia di andare in trattoria?Do you feel like going to the trattoria?

Sì, ne abbiamo voglia.Yes, we feel like it.

Sono tornati dalla spiaggia. Ne sono tornati stanchi ma felici.They came back from the beach. They came back (from there) tired but happy.

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ATTENZIONE!

Ne is used idiomatically with certain expressions and verbs. Andarsene, to go away, and the phrase che ne dici (di)…?, what do you think (of)…? are two examples. You may also use ne when asking what the date is.

Non voglio più vederti! Vattene! I don’t want to see you anymore. Go away!

Che ne dici di fare una passeggiata con me? What do you think of taking a walk with me?

Quanti ne abbiamo oggi?What’s the date today?

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• Ne replaces nouns that are introduced by the partitive. The partitive article is deleted along with the noun that is being replaced.

Ho trovato del limoncello al supermercato. Ne vuoi?I bought some limoncello at the supermarket. Do you want some?

Mia madre mi dà spesso delle caramelle, ma non ne dà a mia sorella.My mother often gives me hard candies, but she doesn’t give any to my sister.

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• Ne also replaces a noun or phrase introduced by an expression of quantity or a number. The number or quantity remains in the sentence even after the noun or phrase is replaced. Note that in this instance ne means of it or of them, which often is not expressed in English.

Quanti amici hai?How many friends do you have?

Ne ho tanti!I have many (of them)!

Mi compri un gelato?Will you buy me an ice cream?

Certo, te ne compro due se vuoi!Of course, I’ll buy you two (of them) if you like!

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• When ne replaces a noun or a partitive and is used with a verb in a compound tense, the past participle agrees in number and gender with the noun that ne replaces. There is no agreement when ne replaces a prepositional phrase.

Quante magliette hai comprato al mercato di Sant’Ambrogio? Ne ho comprate tre.How many T-shirts did you buy at the Sant’Ambrogio market? I bought three (of them).

Berenice ha preso degli asparagi e ne ha dati un po’ a Matteo.Berenice took some asparagus and gave some (of them) to Matteo.

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ATTENZIONE!

When ne is combined with other pronouns, it comes last. Also, remember to change ci to ce when combined with ne. See the combined pronouns chart on p. 134.

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ATTENZIONE!

Pensare may be followed by the preposition a or di. Both are translated to think about in English. However, with a, the verb has a meaning of to consider something whereas di suggests an opinion. Note how ne and ci can be used with pensare in these instances.

Cosa pensi del mio motorino?Che ne pensi?What do you think of my scooter?What do you think of it?

Pensi ai tuoi guai?Do you think about your problems?

Sì, ci penso ogni giorno.Yes, I think about them every day.

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• When using the various forms of tutto, you must use the appropriate direct object pronoun instead of ne.

L’ha mangiato tutto!He ate the whole thing! / He ate all of it!