Ci and ne are two small particles that, despite being key elements of the Italian language, often appear arcane, and confuse even those who are no longer beginners. Not only do these particles have several meanings, but they can also be placed in different positions of the same sentence, and they can even (slightly) change their shape.
I think that the best thing to do to decipher ci and ne is to examine them separately in a schematic way, with easy examples that reproduce an everyday context. In this article, you will find a map that you can consult every time a ci or a ne seems to go in an unknown or unexpected direction.
Written by Nicco Curini, certified teacher of Italian since 2016, working online since 2019. Website: ditelab.blogspot.com | Social media: Instagram – Facebook – Twitter
CI
1. Ci as a personal pronoun
Ci can have the meaning of us, the first person plural pronoun, and it can be (a) a direct pronoun, (b) an indirect pronoun, and (c) a reflexive pronoun placed before the verb. In fact, ci cannot come separately after the verb although it can be attached to it when in its infinitive or imperative form, as can also be seen in the examples below. Please follow the passages attentively.
1. a) Ci as a direct pronoun → us
È meglio se parcheggiamo davanti alla stazione, altrimenti Marco non ci vede.
It’s better if we park in front of the station, otherwise Marco won’t see us.
Hanno detto che ci possono chiamare più tardi.
They said they can call us later.
And here is an equivalent version of the second example with ci attached to the infinitive verb chiamare:
Hanno detto che possono chiamarci più tardi.
1. b) Ci as an indirect pronoun → to us
In this case, the meaning of ci also includes a preposition. Nevertheless, in some cases in the English translations of the following examples the preposition may not be needed.
Ci puoi dire la tua opinione, se vuoi.
You can tell us your opinion if you want.
(Literally: ‘you can tell to us‘)
Alternative version with ci attached to the infinitive verb dire:
Puoi dirci la tua opinione, se vuoi.
Alternative version with the indirect pronoun placed after the verb, but not attached to it:
Puoi dire a noi la tua opinione, se vuoi.
Reformulation of the example with the imperative form of dire:
Dicci la tua opinione!
Tell us your opinion!
Alternative version of the imperative form with the indirect pronoun placed after the verb, but not attached to it:
Di’ a noi la tua opinione!
In this case ci can’t be placed before the verb:
Ci di’ la tua opinione.
1. c) Ci as a reflexive pronoun
Italian reflexive verbs have to be conjugated with the appropriate reflexive pronouns. As you can see in the examples below with the verb svegliarsi / to wake up, ci is the one used for the first person plural.
Io mi sveglio – I wake up
Tu ti svegli – You wake up
Lui/lei si sveglia – He/she wakes up
Noi ci svegliamo – We wake up
Voi vi svegliate – You (all) wake up
Loro si svegliano. – They wake up
Speaking of reflexive verbs, I also have to say that ci is needed to formulate the impersonal form of a reflexive verb to avoid the repetition of the impersonal pronoun si.
Let’s see an example of the impersonal use of a non-reflexive verb and a reflexive one to better understand this situation.
Impersonal form of a non-reflexive verb: vedere / ‘to see‘
Dal Campanile di Giotto si vede molto lontano.
From Giotto’s bell tower one sees very far away.
Impersonal form of a reflexive verb: vedersi / ‘to see each other‘
Ciao Gianni, come va? È da un po’ che non ci si vede.
Hi Gianni, how are you? We haven’t seen each other for a while.
2. Ci as “here or there”
Ci can also indicate a place, either near or far, in order to avoid mentioning or repeating the name of a location that is implicit in the conversation.
Amo la Sicilia, ci vado tutti gli anni.
I love Sicily, I go there every year.
Sei già stato in palestra questa settimana? Io ci vado dopo.
Have you already been to the gym this week? I’m going there later.
Ci vieni spesso?
Do you come here often?
3. EsserCI → c’è = there is | ci sono = there are
Close to the meaning discussed in the previous paragraph, ci can be combined with the verb essere / to be, therefore becoming esserci / to be present. You need this verb in order to state the physical presence of a person or a thing.
Below you can see the Italian tenses presente, imperfetto and passato prossimo of esserci, but of course it can be conjugated in all the other tenses as well.
Io ci sono – c’ero – ci sono stato/a
Tu ci sei – c’eri – ci sei stato/a
lei/lui c’è – c’era – c’è stato/a
Noi ci siamo – c’eravamo – ci siamo stati/e
Voi ci siete – c’eravate – ci siete stati/e
Loro ci sono – c’erano – ci sono stati/e
Some examples:
C’è ancora un po’ di tè, lo vuoi finire?
There is some tea left, do you want to finish it?
Alla festa c’erano quasi tutti i miei amici.
Most of my friends were (present) at the party.
4. Pronominal Verbs with CI
Exactly as it happens with esserci, the pronoun ci can be added to some other verbs. This however affects their original meaning.
Volerci = to be necessary (also related to time), to need
Volerci = to be necessary (also related to time), to need
Per una festa di compleanno ci vuole una torta.
For a birthday party you need a cake.
Ci vogliono due ore di aereo per andare a Londra.
It takes two hours by plane to go to London.
Mettere = to put
Metterci = to take time to do something; to put in, to insert
Ci ho messo solo due ore per fare questa torta.
It only took me two hours to make this cake.
Ci metti molto burro?
Do you put a lot of butter in it?
Stare = to stay
Starci = to be in, to be down (for something), to allow
Ti va bene se paghiamo a metà? Sì, ci sto!
Is it okay if we go halves? Yes, sounds good!
5. CI with verbs that use A, SU or IN
There are verbs that need a preposition to complete the information we want to communicate. Below you can find four of them as an example:
1. Pensare a → Penso spesso a quella bella vacanza
I often think about that beautiful vacation.
2. Provare a → Hai provato a chiamarlo tu?
Have you tried calling him?
3. Credere in → Non crediamo in queste cose
We don’t believe in these things
4. Contare su → Conto sul tuo aiuto
I count on your help
Well, the entire piece of sentence coming after the verb, including the preposition, can be replaced by ci if what we are referring to is already implicit (or already clear from the context):
1. Ci penso spesso
I often think about it
2. Ci hai provato?
Have you tried [doing it]?
3. Non ci crediamo
We don’t believe (in them)
4. Ci contiamo
We count on it
6. CI can be CE!
Finally, I have to say that ci can become ce, without changing the meanings and functions discussed above. We say and write ce when ci is immediately followed by another pronoun.
Ci metti il sale? → Ce lo metti?
Do you put salt in it? → Do you put it in there?
È una bella casa, ma non cela possiamo permettere
It’s a beautiful house, but we can’t afford it
Hai il biglietto con te? Non ce l’ho, me lo sono dimenticato!
Do you have your ticket with you? I don’t have it, I forgot it!
NE
Another little word with several meanings that can be quite confusing is the pronoun ne. However, I think it will be a little easier than ci to schematise.
1. NE as ‘a part of something’
This pronoun can refer to amounts and quantities in the same way words like some and any do in English.
Vuoi delle patatine? = Ne vuoi?
Do you want some chips? = Do you want some?
Non ne voglio, grazie
I don’t want any, thanks
2. NE = of it/them, about it/them
Ne is also frequently used with the meaning of ‘of it/them’, ‘about it/them’. Therefore we can easily find it near verbs and adjectives which are followed by the preposition di.
Marco parla sempre di calcio = Marco ne parla sempre
Marco always talks about football = Marco always talks about it
Sei sicuro di questa cosa? No, non ne sono molto sicuro
Are you sure about this? No, I’m not so sure (of it)
Hai ottenuto un buon risultato, ma non ne sembri molto contento
You got a good result, but you don’t seem very happy (about it)
3. Ne = from it/them
Similarly to the previous point, ne also has the meaning of ‘from it/them’. However, I would say that this function is a little less frequent and it belongs to a more formal register.
Le piante ricavano nutrimento dalla terra = Le piante ne ricavano nutrimento
Plants get nourishment from the soil = Plants get nourishment from it
Luca ottiene buoni risultati da questo nuovo metodo = Luca ne ottiene buoni risultati
Luca gets good results from this new method = Luke gets good results from it
4. Ne in ‘andarsene’
Ne is often used together with the verb andare / to go, adding the meaning of ‘from here’ or ‘away’ to it.
Basta, me ne vado!
Enough, I’m leaving!
Literally: Enough, I’m going away from here!
Quando è finita la musica, ce ne siamo andati
When the music was over, we left
Literally: When the music was over, we went away from there
5. Other pronominal verbs and expressions
There are other expressions and pronominal verbs that, combined with ne, acquire new shades of meaning according to the points described above.
Non ne posso più! = I can’t take any more [of it]!
Ne ho abbastanza! = I’ve had enough [of it]!
Fregarsene / infischiarsene = not to give a damn [about it]
6. The position of NE
Similarly to what we saw for ci, ne goes before the conjugated verb (1), but it can be associated with it if the verb is in the infinitive (2) or in the imperative (3).
If I say:
Ci sono delle caramelle sul tavolo…
There are candies on the table…
I can complete the sentence in these 3 possible ways:
(1) Ne prendo una, posso? I’ll take one (of them), may I?
(2) Posso prenderne una? May I take one (of them)?
(3) Prendine quante ne vuoi! Take as many as you want (of them)!
***
CI and NE together?
Yes, it is absolutely possible to use ci and ne in the same sentence. We just need to remember that ci before another pronoun becomes ce (see above: 6. CI can be CE!).
Certo, non ce ne siamo dimenticati!
Sure, we haven’t forgotten about it!
Vorrei due biglietti, ce ne sono ancora?
I would like two tickets, are there any left?
Niccolò Curini has been teaching Italian since February 2016, primarily at the Language Center of the University of Goettingen in Germany. In this role, he led courses ranging from level A1 to B2. To qualify for this position, he obtained the DITALS certification, enabling him to teach Italian as a Foreign Language to university students. Social media: Instagram – Facebook – Twitter
