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How to use the particle ‘ci’ in Italian?

By: Debora Chellini Fri Aug 30 2024

Pronouns

The Italian word ci is short and easy to remember, but it has several different uses:

as an object pronoun, to mean “us” or “to/for/with us”
as a reflexive pronoun or reciprocal pronoun, to mean “ourselves” or “each other”
as a demonstrative pronoun, to mean “this” or “that”
as an adverb of place, to mean “here” or “there”
in combination with various verbs

In this post we will cover the many uses of ci as well as where it is placed in a sentence. Let’s get started, shall we?

What are all the meanings of ‘ci’?

Ci sono(there are) eight different cases you should become familiar with when dealing with ci. Including one I’m sure you already know: ci sono!

Let’s start with a useful list of all the meanings of ci. Don’t forget to keep it handy when you do your exercises.

Ci as “there” in the expressions c’è and ci sono:
C’è un cane nel tuo giardino.
There is a dog in your garden.
Ci sono molte stanze nella mia casa.
There are many rooms in my house.
Ci as “us” (direct object pronoun):
Tua madre ci adora.
Your mother loves us.
Ci as “to/for/with us” (indirect object pronoun):
L’autore del romanzo ci scrive una dedica.
The novel’s author is writing a dedication to us.
Ci as “ourselves” (reflexive pronoun):
Ci laviamo.
We wash ourselves.
Ci as “each other” (reciprocal pronoun):
Ci vediamo domani.
We are going to see each other tomorrow.
Ci as “about that/this,” when it replaces a prepositional phrases with a, in, su(to, at, in, on):
Pensi al tuo matrimonio? Sì, ci penso.
Do you think about your wedding? Yes, I think about it.
Ci as “there” or “here,” to replace mentioned locations in prepositional phrases with a, in, su + location.
Ti trovo a casa? Sì, ci sono.
Are you at home? Yes, I am (here).
Ci with certain verbs, as for example metterci(to take), volerci(to be necessary), starci(to be up to) and averci(have (emphatic)).
Ci vuole tempo per imparare una lingua straniera.
You need time to learn a foreign language.

That’s the basics of it! But if you want some more examples and details, keep reading. We’re about to go through each use one-by-one!

‘Ci’ in ‘c’è’ and ‘ci sono’: “there is” and “there are”

In Italian, ci is used in combination with è(is) and sono(are) to mean “there is” and “there are.” You can use:

c’è with a singular noun (including uncountable nouns)
ci sono with a plural noun

For example, it can be used when you describe your place:

A casa mia c’è un garage e ci sono tre camere da letto.

In my house, there is a garage and there are three bedrooms.

C’è frutta in frigorifero?
Is there fruit in the refrigerator?
Sì, ci sono mele, pere e albicocche.
Yes, there are apples, pears, and apricots.

Tip

C’è is actually a contraction of ci + è, but you will never use two separate words. 100 percent of the time, you will say c’è.

‘Ce n’è’ and ‘ce ne sono’

We use ce n’è(there is … of it) and ci ne sono(there are … of them) to give a quantity, rather than just to state that something exists. These expressions really just combine c’è and ci sono and the partitive pronoun ne. Let’s see some examples of when you should use ce n’è and ce ne sono instead of c’è and ci sono.

Quante pere ci sono in frigorifero?
How many pears are there in the fridge?
Ce ne sono tre.
There are three (of them).

In the above example, you use ce ne sono instead of ci sono since you specify the number or quantity of “pears” there are in the fridge.

If you are talking about the quantity of a singular noun (usually a non-count noun), you’d use ce n’è instead, because the noun you’re discussing is singular. Let’s look at that difference:

Phrase	Example
ce n’è with singular and uncountable nouns	Hai visto che ce n’è poco di pane! You’ve seen there’s not much bread!
ce ne sono with plural nouns	Di utilitarie, ce ne sono moltissime in Italia! There are many compact cars in Italy!

Usually, ce n’è and ce ne sono are used as a reply to a question starting with quanto?(how much?/how many?):

Quanto latte c’è?
How much milk is there?
Ce n’è una bottiglia.
There is one bottle.

Quante finestre ci sono in questa stanza?
How many windows are there in this room?
Ce ne sono tre.
There are three (of them).

Important

Did you notice that we say ce in this expression and not ci? There are two cases in which ci becomes ce, changing the -i for -e:

when ci in “c’è” and “ci sono” meets pronoun ne, becoming ce n’è and ce ne sono
when ci meets lo/la/li/le, becoming ce lo, ce la, ce li, ce le.

‘Ci’ as a direct object pronoun: “us”

Ci is used as a direct object pronoun when the direct object of the sentence is “us.”

A direct object is a noun that is directly affected by the action of the verb, but is not preceded by a preposition. In Italian, the direct object answers the question chi?(who?), and in English you can ask yourself: “verbed what/who?” If the answer is “us” then you can use ci.

Loro ci vedono.

They see us.

→ They see who? “us” → ci

So far so good, but what happens when “us” is preceded by a preposition?

‘Ci’ as indirect object pronoun: “to/for/with us”

Ci is used as an indirect object pronoun when the indirect object of a sentence is “us.”

When an object of the sentence is preceded by the preposition a(to), you have an indirect object.

indirect object

Ha offerto il suo aiuto a noi.

He offered his help to us.

When ci acts as an indirect object pronoun, it replaces the whole phrase a noi(to us):

indirect object

Ci ha offerto il suo aiuto.

He offered us his help.

→ to whom did he offer his help? a noi = ci(to us = us)

Tip

Don’t worry about telling indirect and direct object pronouns apart with ci, because in either case ci is used! It can replace noi or a noi!

‘Ci’ as a reflexive pronoun: “ourselves”

Ci also works as a reflexive pronoun in Italian to mean “ourselves.”

In Italian, reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs, which are verbs that you do to yourself. The difference between a regular verb and a reflexive verbs (-si) is illustrated in the sentences below:

Non-reflexive guardare(to watch)	Reflexive guardarsi(to look at oneself)
(Noi) guardiamo un film. We are watching a movie.	(Noi) ci guardiamo allo specchio. We are looking at ourselves in a mirror.

Whenever the subject of a reflexive verb is “we” (noi) the verb will be used with the reflexive pronoun ci, which tells us that the verb is directed back at the subject.

Remember, though, that not all sentences in Italian that use a reflexive verb will require the word “ourselves” in English. For example:

Noi ci divertiamo sempre in Italia!

We always have fun in Italy!

With other subjects, the reflexive pronoun you use will be different. Check out this full summary of Italian reflexive pronouns to learn more!

‘Ci’ as a reciprocal pronoun: “each other”

In Italian, the word ci can also act as a reciprocal pronoun, meaning “each other.” In general, reciprocal pronouns are used to show mutual actions. For example:

Noi ci salutiamo.
We greet each other.
Noi ci incontriamo alla stazione.
We meet each other at the station.

In these examples, the subject noi(we) matches the pronouns ci to indicate that we each did the action to one another.

Tip

If the subject isn’t noi(we), then ci cannot be a reciprocal or reflexive pronoun. It is just a direct object pronoun:

Loro ci salutano.

They greet us.

‘Ci’ as a demonstrative pronoun: “this” or “that”

Ci can be an Italian demonstrative pronoun, to replace a phrase with the structure illustrated below:

a preposition

e.g. a, di, in, su, con

a demonstrative adjective

questo/a(this) or quello/a(that)

a noun or pronoun

Let’s see some examples:

È un problema e non ci posso fare nulla.

It’s a problem and I can’t do anything about that.

→ Here ci replaces the whole phrase: per questo problema(about this problem)

Mi aiuti?
Can you help me?
Ci puoi contare.
You can count on that.
→ Here ci replaces the whole phrase: sul questo aiuto(on that help)

To learn more, check out our post on Italian demonstrative pronouns!

‘Ci’ as a demonstrative adverb: “here” or “there”

Ci can be used as a demonstrative adverb to mean “here” or “there,” describing either where something is or where it’s going.

When studying abroad, my students visit many European cities, and in the hallways I always hear the question:

Sei stato a Parigi questo fine settimana?
Have you been to Paris this weekend?
Sì, ci sono stato.
Yes, I’ve been.

Tip

When you’re talking about going somewhere, you need to include the ci, or else give some new location/destination:

❌Sì, sono stato.
Yes, I’ve been.
→ You need a location!
🆗Sì, sono stato a Parigi.
Yes, I've been to Paris.
→ This is grammatical, but in our conversation, it’s repetitive.

That’s why we use ci! It says what we need to without being repetitive!

Here are some more examples:

Example 1:

Vai dal dentista domani?
Are you going to the dentist tomorrow?
Sì, ci vado.
Yes, I am (going there).

Example 2:

Cosa metti sul tavolo?
What do you put on the table?
Ci metto un vaso di fiori.
I am putting a flower pot on it.

Example 3:

Hai già mangiato in quella pizzeria?
Have you already eaten in that pizzeria?
Sì, ci ho mangiato spesso.
Yes, I have eaten there often.

‘Ci’ with verbs: ‘averci,’ ‘volerci,’ ‘metterci,’ and ‘starci’

Some verbs like volere(to want), mettere(to put), and stare(to stay) and avere(to have) take on a special meaning when they “meet” ci. Let's see how you can truly impress your friends by using them…

When to use ‘avere’ vs. ‘averci’

When we attach ci to avere(to have) to create the verb averci, for emphasis and it’s particularly used in informal conversations.

Hai una penna?
Do you have a pen?
Sì, c’ho una penna.
Yes, I have a pen.
→ c’ho = ci + ho

Averci can also combine with the third person direct object pronouns to replace something previously mentioned in a sentence. For example:

Hanno la frutta?
Do they have the fruit?
Ce l’hanno!
They have it!
→ c’ho = ci + ho

So you’ll often see sequences like ce lo, ce la, ce li, and ce le, depending on the gender and number of the noun you’re replacing. See the difference between the conversation above and this one?

Ce le ho le biciclette che volevi comprare.
I’ve got (them), the bikes that you wanted to buy.
→ ce le replaces le biciclette which is feminine plural

You might ask what ce means in the above examples. Well, it simply means nothing! It’s obligatory to have it there, though, whenever the main verb avere is used with a direct object pronoun.

Tip

Generally, ce lo, ce la, ce li, ce le are used as a reply to a question starting with hai / avete?(have you got? / do you have?)

Lo and la (masculine and feminine singular), followed by avere, drop the “o” or “a” and get an apostrophe: l’.

Avete del formaggio? Sì, ce l’abbiamo.

Have you got any cheese? Yes, we have it.

It doesn’t happen in the plural with li and le:

Hai dei biscotti? Sì, ce li abbiamo.

Have you got any biscuits? Yes, we have them.

Because of this, the agreement with the noun is only obvious with the plural forms.

When to use ‘volerci’?

Use volerci to say that something “is necessary” or that “it takes” something. In other words, volerci introduces:

what you need to do
how much of something you need to accomplish something
how long you’ll need to accomplish something

For example:

Ci vogliono tre ore per fare un buon sugo.
You need three hours to make a good sauce.
Per arrivare in centro ci vogliono 20 minuti!
To get downtown it takes 20 minutes!

Volerci is an impersonal verb – that means that it’s only conjugated in the third person singular or plural and it’s followed by its subject. Let’s see how it works:

ci vuole
singular / uncountable noun
Ci vuole un’ora per andare a Fiumicino.
It takes one hour to get to Fiumicino.
ci vogliono
plural noun
Ci vogliono tre ore per andare a Firenze.
It takes three hours to get to Firenze.

When volerci is used in a compound tense like the passato prossimo, it always takes the auxiliary essere. Don’t forget to do the agreement with the past participle!

Ci è voluta un’arancia per fare la torta.
You needed an orange to make the cake.
→ un’arancia is feminine singular, so we say voluta
Ci sono volute tre arance per fare la torta.
You needed three oranges to make the cake.
→ tre arance is feminine plural, so we say volute

When to use ‘metterci’

Metterci is used to indicate how long it takes for someone to do something:

Perchè ci mettete così tanto a finire il test?

Why does it take so long to end the test?

So what’s the difference between metterci and volerci, if they can both be translated as it takes + time?

Volerci is impersonal, so this is the amount of time it takes or took for any person to do something.
Metterci is not impersonal, so this is the amount of time it takes for someone specific to perform the action.

You can see the difference in this example:

Ci vuole un’ora per preparare questo piatto; invece tu ci metti più tempo.

It takes one hour to prepare this dish; instead you take longer.

When to use ‘starci’?

We use starci(to be up to) to say that you’re “up for” something. For example:

Ci sto ad una sola condizione: che tu mi dica la verità.
I’m in, under one condition: you tell me the truth.
Ci stai a fare questo regalo?
Are you up for this gift?

Where to place ‘ci’ in a sentence?

This small word not only has different meanings, but it also loves to change position in the sentences, just to keep us on our toes. Generally, ci is placed before the conjugated verb (either simple or compound), as in the example below:

Ci vediamo domani.

We are going to see each other tomorrow.

All the ci forms discussed so far follow the same placement rules as direct and indirect object pronouns. You can read about those rules extensively in our post on using direct object pronouns in Italian, or you can check out the brief review below:

Ci
volere/potere/dovere
infinitive
Ci can come before the conjugated verb, or it can be attached to the infinitive.
Ci possiamo incontrare.
We can meet.
Possiamo incontrarci.
We can meet.
Ci
stare
gerund
Ci can come before stare or it can be attached to the gerund.
Ci stiamo arrivando.
We’re getting there.
Stiamo arrivandoci.
We’re getting there.
Ci
imperative
Ci can only be attached to the end of the command:
Aspettateci.
Wait for us!

Negative form:

Just place non in front of the pronoun or in front of the verb when the pronoun is attached.

Non ci stiamo arrivando / Non stiamo arrivandoci.
We are not getting there.
Non aspettateci!
Don’t wait for us!

To sum up

Congratulations! If you made it this far, you are ready to roll with the many uses of ci. To recap, we covered:

ci as a direct/indirect object pronoun
ci as a reflexive/reciprocal pronoun
ci as a demonstrative
c’è and ci sono as a direct/indirect object pronoun
ci as an adverb of place (here/there)
ci in combination with verbs volerci, metterci, and starci
how ci changes to cewhen combined with ne or lo, la, li, le
Last, but not least, we also saw how ci can be placed in front of the verb with infinitive/gerund OR can be attached to it as with the imperative/infinitive/gerund.

Now, ci sono(there are) plenty of activities waiting for you to practice! Ci state?(Are you up for them?) Check out the activities.

Ci vediamo!(See you!)

Downloadable Resources

Elevate your language-learning journey to new heights with the following downloadable resources.

How to use particle 'ci' in Italian?~Reflexive Pronouns Table How to use particle 'ci' in Italian? ~Activities How to use particle 'ci' in Italian?~Activities

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