Comparison of Italian and Spanish

The Italian Clitic Pronouns ne and ci

• Italian has two so-called 'clitic pronouns', ne and ci, which have no direct equivalent either in Spanish or English.
• They have a similar function to the French words en and y, respectively.
• The clitic ne is perhaps easiest to deal with. It can replace a countable noun, or it can replace an object phrase beginning with either di or da.
• An example of the first use: in response to Hai televisori in casa? you could say Sì, ne ho due. Here, ne substitutes televisori. In Spanish, one would normally simply say Sí, tengo dos.
• An example of the second use: in response to Il tuo nonno parla spesso della guerra? one could say No, non ne vuole parlare. Here, ne substitutes della guerra. In Spanish, one would normally say something like No, no quiere hablar de eso.
• An example of the third use: Mentre guardava la casa, ne è uscita una donna. Here, ne substitutes dalla casa. In Spanish, one would probably simply say Mientras miraba la casa, salió una mujer.
• The clitic ci is more tricky, because it has a large number of uses in Italian. This can be a source of great confusion for Spanish-speakers.
• We have already seen that ci functions as an object pronoun (ci ha dato un regalo), a reflexive pronoun (ci siamo alzati) and in the locative construction ci+essere (c'è un gatto).
• A fourth function of ci is to replace an object phrase beginning with any preposition other than di or da.
• An example: in response to Sei mai stato in Germania? one could say No, non ci sono mai stato. Here, ci substitutes in Germania. In Spanish, one would normally respond with something like No, nunca he estado allí.
• Another example: in response to Dovresti pensare a questo problema one could say Ci ho già pensato. Here, ci substitutes a questo problema. In Spanish, one would normally respond with something like Ya he pensado en eso.

Created October 2006 by Adam N. Letchford. Last updated June 2019.