Table of Contents
NE and CI are two tiny words that Italians squeeze into almost every conversation. They have no exact English equivalent, and that’s why textbooks often skip them. We won’t, because without them you can’t understand real Italian speech. The core idea is simple: they replace a piece of the sentence you don’t want to repeat.
NE – “of it, of them”
NE replaces “of + something” that was already mentioned. Its most common job is answering questions about quantity:
Quanti fratelli hai? Ne ho due – How many brothers do you have? I have two (of them)
Vuoi del caffè? Sì, ne voglio un po’ – Do you want some coffee? Yes, I want a bit (of it)
Quante lingue parli? Ne parlo tre – How many languages do you speak? I speak three (of them)
Hai comprato il pane? Sì, ne ho comprato un chilo – Did you buy bread? Yes, I bought a kilo (of it)
English drops “of them” entirely (“I have two”). Italian can’t drop it: “Ho due” is wrong, it must be “Ne ho due”.
NE also replaces “about + something”:
Che cosa pensi di questo film? Che cosa ne pensi? – What do you think about it?
Parliamo del problema domani. Ne parliamo domani – We’ll talk about it tomorrow
CI – “there”
You already know CI from “c’è / ci sono” (there is / there are) and as the pronoun “us”. Its third job: CI replaces “in/to + a place”:
Vai spesso a Roma? Sì, ci vado ogni mese – Do you often go to Rome? Yes, I go there every month
Sei mai stato in Sicilia? No, non ci sono mai stato – Have you ever been to Sicily? No, I’ve never been there
Quando andate al mare? Ci andiamo domenica – When are you going to the seaside? We’re going there on Sunday
CI also replaces “a + something” after certain verbs:
Pensi al lavoro? Sì, ci penso sempre – Do you think about work? Yes, I always think about it
Credi agli oroscopi? No, non ci credo – Do you believe in horoscopes? No, I don’t believe in them
How to choose between NE and CI
A rough but reliable rule: if the hidden phrase starts with DI, use NE. If it starts with A or IN (a place), use CI.
Parlare di qualcosa – ne: Ne parliamo dopo (We’ll talk about it later)
Pensare a qualcosa – ci: Ci penso io (I’ll take care of it, literally: I think about it)
Fixed expressions
Some everyday phrases are built on NE and CI. Learn them as whole units:
Non ne posso più – I can’t take it anymore
Ne vale la pena – It’s worth it
Ce la faccio – I can manage it (Non ce la faccio – I can’t manage)
Ci vuole / ci vogliono – it takes (Ci vuole un’ora – It takes an hour; Ci vogliono due ore – It takes two hours)
Ci metto dieci minuti – It takes me ten minutes
Examples
Quanti anni ha tua figlia? Ne ha sette – How old is your daughter? She is seven
Vuoi ancora pasta? No grazie, ne ho mangiata troppa – Do you want more pasta? No thanks, I’ve eaten too much (of it)
Conosci quel bar? Ci vado ogni mattina – Do you know that cafe? I go there every morning
Che ne dici di una pizza stasera? – What do you say to a pizza tonight?
Quanto tempo ci vuole per imparare l’italiano? – How much time does it take to learn Italian?
Non preoccuparti, ci penso io – Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it
Vocabulary
| un po’ – a bit, a little
spesso – often ancora – still, more, again troppo / troppa – too much chilo – kilo |
pensare a – to think about
credere a – to believe in preoccuparsi – to worry valere – to be worth mattina – morning |
Exercises
Answer with NE or CI
- Quante sorelle hai? ______ ho una – How many sisters do you have? I have one
- Vai in ufficio domani? Sì, ______ vado alle otto – Are you going to the office tomorrow? Yes, I’m going there at eight
- Vuoi dello zucchero? No, non ______ voglio – Do you want some sugar? No, I don’t want any
- Sei mai stato a Venezia? Sì, ______ sono stato due volte – Have you ever been to Venice? Yes, I’ve been there twice
- Che cosa pensi del nuovo capo? ______ penso bene – What do you think of the new boss? I think well of him
- Pensi ancora a quella storia? No, non ______ penso più – Do you still think about that story? No, I don’t think about it anymore
- Quanto tempo ______ vuole per arrivare? – How much time does it take to get there?
- Quanti caffè bevi al giorno? ______ bevo tre – How many coffees do you drink a day? I drink three
Answers:
1: Ne; 2: ci; 3: ne; 4: ci; 5: Ne; 6: ci; 7: ci; 8: Ne