{"id":164,"date":"2009-07-27T10:28:03","date_gmt":"2009-07-27T14:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=164"},"modified":"2018-02-07T11:45:07","modified_gmt":"2018-02-07T10:45:07","slug":"tricky-little-words-%e2%80%9cci%e2%80%9d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/tricky-little-words-%e2%80%9cci%e2%80%9d\/","title":{"rendered":"Tricky little words: \u201cCi\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Very often, in the process of learning a language it\u2019s the little things that we find the hardest to get to grips with. It doesn\u2019t take long when learning Italian for example to work out that soddisfazione<\/strong>\u00a0 means \u2018satisfaction\u2019, eccellente<\/strong> means \u2018excellent\u2019, and that riabilitazione <\/strong>means \u2018rehabilitation\u2019. But \u2018ci\u2019<\/strong>, that little two letter word that seems to pop up everywhere, che cavolo significa? <\/strong>(what on earth does it mean?).<\/span><\/p>\n

Probably the first usage of \u2018ci\u2019<\/strong> that students of Italian come across is the pronome personale diretto o indiretto <\/strong>(direct or indirect personal pronoun), which in English translates as \u2018us\u2019, e.g. Giorgio ci<\/span> ha invitato a cena <\/strong>(Giorgio has invited us<\/span> to dinner); ci<\/span> piace la pizza <\/strong>(we like pizza, literally \u2018pizza pleases us\u2019). We also use ci <\/strong>in the pronome riflessivo <\/strong>(reflexive pronoun) to mean \u2018ourselves\u2019, e.g. ci<\/span> stiamo lavando le mani <\/strong>(we are washing our hands, literally \u2018we are washing ourselves<\/span> the hands). The third way in which we use ci<\/strong> as a\u00a0 personal pronoun is in the pronome reciproco <\/strong>(reciprocal pronoun), where it has the meaning of \u2018each other\u2019 as in the famous phrase \u2018arrivederci<\/span>\u2019 <\/strong>(lit. until we see each other<\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Ci<\/strong> is also commonly used as an avverbio <\/strong>(adverb) with the meaning of \u2018here\u2019 or \u2018there\u2019, e.g. finalmente ci<\/span> siamo <\/strong>(here<\/span> we are at last), conosco bene Lucca perch\u00e9 ci<\/span> ho abitato<\/strong> (I know Lucca well because I lived there<\/span>), non c\u2019<\/span>\u00e8 molto pane <\/strong>(there<\/span> isn\u2019t much bread), a Lucca<\/strong> ci<\/span> sono molte chiese <\/strong>(there<\/span> are lots of churches in Lucca). However, we often use ci<\/strong> even when it is made redundant by the use of qui<\/strong> (here) or l\u00ec<\/strong> (there), in effect creating a repetition, e.g. qui ci<\/span> sto bene <\/strong>(I like it \/ feel at home here, or literally: here<\/span> I like it here<\/span>), or ci<\/span> sei a casa<\/span> questa pomeriggio?<\/strong> (will you be at home this afternoon?, or literally: will you be there at home<\/span> this afternoon?).<\/span><\/p>\n

Confused yet? Well I warn you, it\u2019s going to get worse! So take a deep breath and we\u2019ll take a look at the most confusing ci<\/strong>, the one that is incorporated into a verb, thereby changing its meaning. You will often notice this ci<\/strong> in the dictionary stuck onto the end of the infinitive. Here is a list of the most common ones, with examples of their usage:<\/span><\/p>\n

Volerci <\/strong>= it requires, it needs e.g. per fare un tavolo ci vuole il legno <\/strong>(making a table requires wood, or to make a table you need wood); la pasta \u00e8 quasi cotta, ci vogliono ancora 2 minuti <\/strong>(the pasta is nearly cooked, it needs another 2 minutes). N.B. the verb volerci <\/strong>agrees with the object that is needed in terms of number, i.e. ci vuole il<\/span> legno<\/strong> = singular, ci vogliono<\/span><\/strong>2<\/span> minuti<\/strong> = plural.<\/span><\/p>\n

Metterci <\/strong>= it takes, e.g. il treno per Milano ci mette due ore <\/strong>(the train to Milano takes two hours) N.B. unlike volerci<\/strong>, metterci<\/strong> changes in the plural to agree with the number of objects or persons that are \u2018taking the time\u2019 not the amount of time taken. Hence, il treno<\/span> per Milano ci mette<\/span> due ore<\/strong>, but i treni<\/span> per Firenze ci mettono<\/span> un\u2019ora<\/strong> (the trains<\/span> to Florence take<\/span> two hours).<\/span><\/p>\n

Starci <\/strong>= to agree, to accept, to join in, e.g. Maria ha detto che se andiamo in pizzeria lei ci sta <\/strong>(Maria said that if we are going to the pizzeria she will join us), Anna<\/em>: scommettiamo 10 euro?<\/strong> Giovanni<\/em>: S\u00ec, ci sto!<\/strong> (Anna<\/em>: Shall we bet 10 Euros? Giovanni<\/em>: OK, I accept!)<\/span><\/p>\n

Starci bene<\/strong> = it suits something, it goes well with. We have already seen an example of this redundant ci<\/strong> above in qui ci sto bene<\/strong> (I like it \/ feel at home here, or literally: here<\/span> I like it here<\/span>). Here are some more examples: con la pasta ci sta bene il Parmigiano <\/strong>(Parmigiano cheese goes well with pasta), in Italia ci sto bene <\/strong>(I feel at home \/ comfortable in Italy, Italy suits me)<\/span><\/p>\n

In the following expressions, ci<\/strong> has the meaning of \u2018about it\u2019, \u2018of it\u2019, \u2018in it \/ them\u2019, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pensarci<\/strong> = to take care of something, e.g. non ti preoccupare, ci<\/span> penso io! <\/strong>(don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll take care of it<\/span>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Crederci <\/strong>= to believe in something, e.g. Giovanni<\/em>: ci credi nei fantasmi?<\/strong> Anna<\/em>: No, non ci<\/span> credo<\/strong> (Giovanni<\/em>: do you believe in ghosts? Anna<\/em>: No, I don\u2019t believe in them<\/span>). N.B. the ci<\/strong> in the question \u2018do you believe in ghosts?\u2019 is redundant because the subject \u2018ghosts\u2019 has been stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Provarci<\/strong> = to have a go at something, e.g. Giovanni<\/em>: hai mai sciato?<\/strong> Anna<\/em>: No, mai.<\/strong> Giovanni<\/em>: Dai, provaci<\/span>!<\/strong> (Giovanni<\/em>: Have you ever skied? Anna<\/em>: No, never. Giovanni<\/em>: Come on, have a go at it<\/span>!)<\/span><\/p>\n

Capirci <\/strong>= to understand about \/ of something e.g. non ci<\/span> capisco nulla <\/strong>(I don\u2019t understand anything about it<\/span>, or I don\u2019t understand any of it<\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Farci <\/strong>= to do something about something, e.g. mi dispiace, ma non ci<\/span> posso fare nulla <\/strong>(I\u2019m sorry, but I can\u2019t do anything about it<\/span>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Starci <\/strong>= to fit in it, e.g. questo parcheggio \u00e8 un po\u2019 stretto. Pensi che la macchina ci<\/span> stia?<\/strong> (This parking space is a bit small. Do you think the car would fit in it<\/span>?), no non ci<\/span> sta<\/strong> (no it doesn\u2019t fit in it<\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, when we use a reflexive verb such as sentirsi<\/strong> or lavarsi<\/strong> in the impersonal form built with the impersonal pronoun si<\/strong> (one \/ you), we avoid having two si<\/strong>s following each other by changing the first one to ci<\/strong>, e.g. quando ci si sente male <\/strong>(when one feels ill, literally: when one feels oneself ill), prima di andare a letto ci si lava i denti <\/strong>(before going to bed one cleans his\/her teeth, literally: before going to bed one cleans his\/herself the teeth).<\/span><\/p>\n

Just to confuse things a little bit more, when ci<\/strong> is followed by the object pronouns lo, la, li, le, <\/strong>(it, them) or ne <\/strong>(lit. of it\/them), \u2018ci\u2019 changes into ce<\/strong>, e.g. Giovanni<\/em>: Scusi, c\u2019\u00e8 un bar qui vicino?<\/strong> Anna<\/em>: Si\u2019, ce n\u2019<\/span>\u00e8 uno all\u2019angolo della piazza<\/strong> (Giovanni<\/em>: Excuse me, is there a\u00a0 bar near here? Anna<\/em>: Yes, there<\/span> is one on the corner of the square, or literally: there<\/span> is one of them<\/span> on the corner), questo quadro \u00e8 molto costoso, non ce lo<\/span> possiamo permettere <\/strong>(this painting is very expensive, we<\/span> can\u2019t afford it<\/span>. Lit. we can\u2019t allow ourselves it<\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Now just for a bit of \u2018fun\u2019 here are a couple of sentences in which I\u2019ve put as many different ci<\/strong>s as possible:<\/span><\/p>\n

1) ci<\/span> andiamo domani pomeriggio dopo che ci<\/span> siamo riposati, cos\u00ec vedremo se l\u2019armadio ci<\/span> sta. Se no, non so cosa possiamo farci<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

2) quando l\u2019acqua bolle ci<\/span> metto gli spaghetti, e poi ci<\/span> vuole il sale. Gli spaghetti ci<\/span> mettono 10 minuti a cuocere. Quando sono cotti si condiscono con l\u2019olio e ci<\/span> si macina un po\u2019 di pepe fresco che ci<\/span> sta bene.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

My challenge for you is to translate the two sentences above, and to work out the correct meaning of each different ci<\/strong>. If you have read and understood this article you will have all the information you need for a correct translation! How many ci<\/strong>s can you<\/em> fit in one sentence?<\/span><\/p>\n

Dai, provaci!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Very often, in the process of learning a language it\u2019s the little things that we find the hardest to get to grips with. It doesn\u2019t take long when learning Italian for example to work out that soddisfazione\u00a0 means \u2018satisfaction\u2019, eccellente means \u2018excellent\u2019, and that riabilitazione means \u2018rehabilitation\u2019. But \u2018ci\u2019, that little two letter word that…<\/p>\n

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