Ci and ne in Italian, explained

Both words exist so that a sentence does not have to repeat what has just been said. The quickest way to choose between them is to put the missing phrase back. If it starts with a (or in, su, for a place), you need ci. If it starts with di, or is a noun that a number or quantity is counting, you need ne. If it has no preposition at all, it is a direct object, and the pronoun is lo, la, li or le instead.

Ci replaces a place that has already come up, usually one introduced by a, in or su: "Vai a Roma?" "Sì, ci vado." It sits directly before the conjugated verb. English often leaves the place out ("Yes, I am"), but in Italian the verb of motion keeps ci: a bare "Sì, vado" sounds cut off, as if you were about to say where. The same ci works with any verb that has a place attached: abitare, stare, restare, tornare, venire, and essere in the sense of having been somewhere ("Ci sei mai stato?", Have you ever been there?).

Break down your own sentence

C’è and ci sono, "there is" and "there are", are ci plus essere. Use c’è with a singular noun and ci sono with a plural one; ci shortens to c’ before è and before the forms that begin with e (c’era, c’erano). The ci here is the same place word, worn down: "C’è Marco?" asks whether Marco is there. In questions nothing changes but the intonation.

• C’è qualcuno alla porta.There’s someone at the door.
• Ci sono troppe macchine in centro.There are too many cars in the centre.
• Ci abito da dieci anni.I’ve lived there for ten years.
• Ieri c’era molta gente.There were a lot of people yesterday.

Many verbs take a before what they are about: pensare a (to think about), credere a (to believe in), riuscire a (to manage to), provare a (to try to), abituarsi a (to get used to), rinunciare a (to give up on). Ci replaces a plus that thing, idea or action: "Pensi all’esame?" "Sì, ci penso." "Ci penso io" is the everyday way to say "I’ll take care of it". "Non ci credo" is "I don’t believe it", and "Ci sei riuscito?" is "Did you manage it?"

For a person, ci is a different story. After pensare a, standard Italian prefers a lui or a lei ("Penso spesso a lei"), although ci is common in speech. After verbs where the person receives something (dire a, dare a, telefonare a, scrivere a), the pronoun is the indirect object gli or le, never ci: "Gli ho telefonato", I phoned him.

In a group of very common verbs ci has no meaning of its own. It is part of the verb, and the dictionary lists the pair under one entry. Volerci means "to take" (time, money, effort) and agrees with what is needed: "ci vuole un’ora", "ci vogliono due ore". Metterci also means "to take", but the person is the subject: "ci metto mezz’ora", it takes me half an hour. Entrarci means "to have to do with" ("Che c’entra?", What has that got to do with it?). Starci means "to be up for it" or "to fit" ("Ci stai?", Are you in?). Sentirci and vederci mean being able to hear and to see ("Non ci sento", I can’t hear).

• Quanto ci metti per andare al lavoro?How long does it take you to get to work?
• Io non c’entro niente.I have nothing to do with it.
• Stasera andiamo al cinema, ci stai?We’re going to the cinema tonight. Are you in?
• Ci vuole pazienza.It takes patience.

Explain ci and ne at your levelwith Plus

When a number or a quantity word stands without its noun, ne stands in for the noun. English can say "I drink three"; Italian cannot say "bevo tre". It needs "ne bevo tre", three of them. The same goes for molto, poco, tanto, un po’, alcuni, un chilo, and for nessuno and the negative: "Non ne ho" is "I haven’t got any". If the noun is still in the sentence, there is no ne: "Bevo tre caffè". And if you mean the whole thing rather than an amount of it, use lo, la, li or le: "Il caffè? Lo bevo amaro."

In compound tenses such as the passato prossimo, the participle agrees with what ne stands for when a quantity follows: three apples eaten is "ne ho mangiate tre", three biscuits "ne ho mangiati tre". This is the norm in careful Italian. You will also hear the participle left in -o, but the agreed form is never wrong.

Ne also replaces di plus a thing, after the verbs and expressions that take di: parlare di, avere bisogno di, avere voglia di, avere paura di, essere sicuro di, accorgersi di, occuparsi di. "Ne parliamo domani" is "Let’s talk about it tomorrow"; "Ne sono sicuro" is "I’m sure of it". Pensare can take either preposition, and the pronoun follows it. Pensare a is to think about something, so "ci penso"; pensare di is to have an opinion of it, so "Che ne pensi?", What do you think of it?

Finally, ne can mean "from there" or "away". In everyday Italian this survives mainly in andarsene, to leave, to go away: "me ne vado", "te ne vai", "se ne va", and the imperative "vattene!". The informal fregarsene ("me ne frego", I couldn’t care less) is built the same way.

• Non ne ho idea.I’ve no idea.
• Ne ho bisogno entro venerdì.I need it by Friday.
• Di amici veri ne ho pochi.Real friends? I have very few.
• Se ne sono andati senza salutare.They left without saying goodbye.

The two sentences below differ in one verb, and the verb’s preposition picks the pronoun. Pensare takes a, so what you think about becomes ci. Parlare takes di, so what you talk about becomes ne. The English is the same "about it" both times, which is why learners mix them up.

When you are unsure, rebuild the full sentence with the noun and look at the preposition. Credere a, riuscire a, abituarsi a: ci. Avere bisogno di, avere paura di, accorgersi di: ne.

Ci and ne go directly before a conjugated verb, after non if there is one: "non ci vado", "non ne ho". With an infinitive, a gerund or an informal imperative they attach to the end and are written as one word with it. The infinitive loses its final -e: andare becomes andarci, comprare becomes comprarne. The gerund and the imperative just add it: pensandoci, pensaci!, prendine due! With a modal verb you can choose: "Ci voglio andare" and "Voglio andarci" are both correct, but never "voglio ci andare". The formal Lei imperative keeps ci and ne in front: "Ci pensi Lei".

When ci or ne meets another pronoun, the first one changes its vowel to e. Ci before ne becomes ce: "ce n’è" (there is some), "ce ne sono" (there are some). Mi, ti, si and vi before ne become me, te, se and ve: "me ne vado", "te ne sei accorto?". Ci before lo, la, li, le also becomes ce: "ce lo porto io" (I’ll take it there). In speech, ce la and ce l’ appear in two very common fixed phrases: "ce la faccio" (I can manage) and "ce l’hai?" (have you got it?).

• Non ce n’è più.There’s none left.
• Te ne sei accorto?Did you notice?
• Non pensarci troppo.Don’t think about it too much.
• Ce l’hai una penna?Have you got a pen?

• NotQuante sorelle hai? Ho due.

  ButQuante sorelle hai? Ne ho due.

  A number with no noun after it needs ne to stand for the noun. English "I have two" does not translate word for word.

• NotCi ho bisogno.

  ButNe ho bisogno.

  Avere bisogno di takes di, so the pronoun is ne. Ci answers a, never di.

• NotNe penso io.

  ButCi penso io.

  Pensare a takes a, so the pronoun is ci. Ne with pensare only appears when asking for an opinion: "Che ne pensi?"

• NotCi ho detto la verità.

  ButGli ho detto la verità.

  A + person after dire, dare, scrivere or telefonare is an indirect object: gli for him, le for her. Ci in its place is regional and non-standard.

• NotVoglio ci andare.

  ButVoglio andarci. / Ci voglio andare.

  Ci attaches to the end of the infinitive or moves before the whole verb group. It never sits between the modal and the infinitive.

• NotCi ne sono tre.

  ButCe ne sono tre.

  Before ne, ci becomes ce. The same happens to mi, ti, si, vi: me ne, te ne, se ne, ve ne.

Practise these with the tutorwith Pro

Italian has a hand-written profile in Epsylo, so ci and ne come back as words of their own, even when they are joined to an infinitive or an imperative. Open one to see what it stands for in that sentence: a place, a + thing, di + thing, a quantity, or part of a fixed verb such as volerci.

Break down an Italian sentence

What is the difference between ci and ne in Italian?

Ci replaces a place or a + thing: "ci vado", "ci penso". Ne replaces di + thing, a noun counted by a quantity, or "from there": "ne parlo", "ne ho tre", "me ne vado". Put the full phrase back and look at its preposition.

Is ne always needed with a number?

Yes, whenever the number stands without its noun: "Ne ho tre", never "ho tre". If the noun is there, ne is not used: "Ho tre gatti". When the noun is moved to the front, ne comes back: "Di gatti ne ho tre".

Why is it ce n’è and not ci n’è?

Before ne and before lo, la, li, le, ci changes its vowel to e. The same happens to mi, ti, si and vi before ne: me ne, te ne, se ne, ve ne.

What is the difference between ci vuole and ci metto?

Both mean "it takes". With volerci the thing needed is the subject and the verb agrees with it: "ci vogliono due ore". With metterci the person is the subject: "ci metto due ore", it takes me two hours.

Does the past participle agree with ne?

With ne and a quantity, the participle normally agrees with what ne stands for: "Di mele, ne ho mangiate due". Speakers sometimes leave it in -o, but the agreed form is the safe choice.

Can ci refer to a person?

After pensare a or credere a, ci for a person is common in speech, but writing prefers a lui or a lei. After dire, dare or telefonare, use gli or le: ci for a person there is non-standard.

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