Pronouns in Italian are words used to replace nouns or noun phrases that have already been mentioned or are understood from the context. The main purpose of pronouns is to avoid repetition and make sentences more fluid and natural.
Ieri ho visto Giovanni. Ieri lo ho visto.
Yesterday I saw Giovanni. I saw him yesterday.
Ieri ho visto Federica. Ieri la ho vista.
Yesterday I saw Federica. I saw her yesterday.
Hai bisogno di aiuto? – No, non ne ho bisogno.
Do you need help? – No, I don’t need it.
When a verb is followed by the prepositions a, su, con, or in, and refers to an idea or place (not a person), you cannot use the normal pronouns; instead, you have to use ci
Credi a quello che ha detto Angela? – Sì, ci credo.
Do you believe what Angela said? – Yes, I believe it.
Hai pensato a cosa vuoi per cena? – Sì, ci ho pensato.
Have you thought about dinner? – Yes, I’ve thought about it.
Hai parlato con Giulia? – No, non ci ho parlato.
Did you talk to Giulia? – No, I haven’t talked to her.
Hai riflettuto su quello che ti ho detto? – Sì, ci ho riflettuto.
Have you reflected on what I told you? – Yes, I’ve thought about it.
Credi in Dio? – No, non ci credo.
Do you believe in God? – No, I don’t believe in it.
Ci normally comes before the verb. With infinitives or imperatives, it attaches to the end (drop the final -e):
Voglio andarci.
I want to go there.
Contaci!
Count on it!
Ce lo ha messo Alice.
Alice put it there.
Ce ne sono dieci.
There are ten of them.
Ci can also mean "there" when referring to a place mentioned earlier:
La Sicilia è bellissima. Ci sono stata molte volte.
Sicily is beautiful. I’ve been there many times.
In spoken Italian, ci is often used with avere for emphasis or clarity:
Hai dei figli? – No, non ce li ho.
Do you have children? – No, I don’t have any.
Some verbs naturally include ci as part of their structure:
Metterci
To Take Time
Ci metto un’ora per arrivare.
It takes me an hour to arrive.
Capirci
To Understand
Non ci ho capito niente.
I didn’t understand anything.
Volerci
To Take (Time or Resources)
Ci vogliono venti minuti.
It takes twenty minutes.
