{"id":173,"date":"2009-08-23T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-08-23T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=173"},"modified":"2018-03-26T12:56:32","modified_gmt":"2018-03-26T10:56:32","slug":"tricky-little-words-ne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/tricky-little-words-ne\/","title":{"rendered":"Tricky little words: Ne"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my previous \u2018Tricky Little Words\u2019 article I dealt with the dreaded \u2018ci\u2019<\/strong>. Now it\u2019s time to get to grips with that other ubiquitous two letter word that can be such a nightmare for learners of Italian: ne<\/strong>!<\/span><\/p>\n

Firstly though I want to clarify the distinction between the congiunzione \u2018n\u00e9 \u2026 n\u00e9\u2019<\/strong> (note the accent on n\u00e9<\/strong>) which means \u2018neither \u2026 nor\u2019, and the particella pronominale \u2018ne\u2019<\/strong> without an accent. It is the latter of these two which we\u2019re going to look at in this article.<\/p>\n

Using ne when talking about a quantity<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The first ne<\/strong> that a student of Italian usually encounters is the so called particella partitiva<\/strong> which is used when talking about the quantity of something which has already been mentioned in the conversation, and which means \u201cof it\u201d or \u201cof them\u201d. For example:<\/p>\n

Mario: Quanti caff\u00e8 bevi al giorno?<\/strong> Elisa: Di solito ne bevo tre<\/strong> (Mario: How many coffees do you drink a day? Elisa: I usually drink three of them), or Turista: Scusi, c\u2019\u00e8 un bar qui vicino?<\/strong> Passante: S\u00ec, ce n\u2019\u00e8 uno all\u2019angolo della piazza<\/strong> (Tourist: Excuse me, is there a bar near here? Passer-by: Yes, there is one of them on the corner of the square)<\/p>\n

Alternatively you can use an indefinite adjective\/adverb without specifying the quantity. For example:<\/p>\n

Ho moltissimi pomodori. Ne vuoi qualcuno?<\/strong> (I\u2019ve got lots of tomatoes, would you like some of them?), or Giovanna: Abbiamo il pane? <\/strong>Mario: S\u00ec, ma ce n\u2019\u00e8 poco<\/strong> (Giovanna: Have we got any bread? Mario: Yes, but there isn\u2019t much of it).<\/p>\n

N.B. In English the particella partitiva<\/strong> \u2018of it\u2019 \/ \u2018of them\u2019 is often not stated, e.g. \u2018I\u2019ve got lots of tomatoes, would you like some?\u2019 in Italian however the ne<\/strong> should always be included.<\/p>\n

Ne as a substitute for a noun or pronoun<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ne<\/strong> becomes a bit more complicated when it substitutes a noun or a pronoun which is preceded by the preposition di<\/strong> (of \/ about), or di<\/strong> combined with the definite article, i.e. del, dello, della, dell\u2019, dei, degli, delle,<\/strong> (of the \/ about the). For example:<\/p>\n

Maria \u00e8 partita, ne sento molto la mancanza<\/strong> (Maria has gone, I really miss her). In this example the ne<\/strong> substitutes di lei<\/strong> (of her) because in Italian we say \u2018sentire la mancanza di qualcuno \/ qualcosa\u2019<\/strong> (to feel the lack of someone \/ something).<\/p>\n

Similarly, Mario: Ciao Giovanni, devo parlarti di una cosa importante.<\/strong> Giovanni: Va bene, ne parliamo dopo la riunione<\/strong> (Mario: Hi Giovanni! I need to talk to you about something important. Giovanni: Okay! We\u2019ll talk about it after the meeting).<\/p>\n

Ne<\/strong> can also substitute a noun or a pronoun preceded by the preposition da<\/strong> (from), or da<\/strong> combined with the definite article, i.e. dal, dallo, dalla, dall\u2019, dai, dagli, dalle,<\/strong> (from the). For example:<\/p>\n

Luca \u00e8 andato al bar e ne \u00e8 uscito dopo mezz\u2019ora<\/strong> (Luca went to the bar and left after half an hour). In this example the \u2018ne\u2019<\/strong> substitutes \u2018dal bar\u2019<\/strong> (from the bar).<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another example: Quest\u2019anno abbiamo raccolto tante olive e ne abbiamo estratto un buonissimo olio<\/strong> (This year we picked loads of olives, and we extracted a really good oil from them). In this example the ne<\/strong> substitutes \u2018dalle olive\u2019<\/strong> (from the olives).<\/p>\n

\n
\"100_3591\"<\/a>

Nets spread beneath the olive trees ready for the harvest. Photo by Geoff.<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
As with \u2018ci\u2019<\/strong> there are also some idiomatic verbs which have \u2018ne\u2019<\/strong> built into them. Here are some examples using the most common ones:<\/div>\n

valerne la pena<\/strong> (to be worth it), e.g. ci \u00e8 voluto molto tempo, ma n\u2019\u00e8 valsa la pena<\/strong> (it took a long time, but it was worth it)<\/p>\n

non poterne pi\u00f9<\/strong> (to reach one’s limit), e.g. che caldo, non ne posso pi\u00f9<\/strong> (it\u2019s so hot, I can\u2019t stand it any longer);<\/p>\n

farne a meno<\/strong> (to do without something), e.g. al mattino ho bisogno di caffeina, non ne posso fare a meno<\/strong> (in the morning I need caffeine, I can\u2019t do without it);<\/p>\n

combinarne di tutti i colori<\/strong> (to get up to all sorts of mischief), e.g. \u00e8 un bambino molto vivace che ne combina di tutti i colori<\/strong> (he is a lively child who gets up to all sorts of mischief).<\/p>\n

Finally, there are several verbs which describe movement or state which incorporate \u2018ne\u2019<\/strong> in their reflexive form. This makes the verb more emphatic than its simpler form. Here are a couple of examples: starsene<\/strong> (to stay here\/there<\/span><\/em>) from stare<\/strong> (to stay), andarsene<\/strong> (to go away from here<\/span><\/em>) from andare<\/strong> (to go), e.g. Luca se n\u2019\u00e8 stato tutto il giorno a letto<\/strong> (Luca stayed there<\/span><\/em> in bed all day), or adesso me ne vado <\/strong>(I\u2019m going away from here<\/span><\/em> now).<\/p>\n

In my next blog I\u2019ll give you a list of verbs that are normally followed by the preposition di, and which can, therefore, be substituted by \u2018ne\u2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Alla prossima volta!<\/strong><\/p>\n

This blog was revised on 10\/09\/2014<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

In my previous \u2018Tricky Little Words\u2019 article I dealt with the dreaded \u2018ci\u2019. Now it\u2019s time to get to grips with that other ubiquitous two letter word that can be such a nightmare for learners of Italian: ne! Firstly though I want to clarify the distinction between the congiunzione \u2018n\u00e9 \u2026 n\u00e9\u2019 (note the accent…<\/p>\n

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