Monday, October 21, 2019
Learn How to Use Cè and Ci Sono
Learn How to Use C'à ¨ and Ci Sono If you stop and listen to yourself speak English, youââ¬â¢ll notice that you repeat the same kind of structures again and again. Most notably, youââ¬â¢ll hear a lot of ââ¬Å"there isâ⬠and ââ¬Å"there areâ⬠when starting sentences. Since it is such a frequently used structure, itââ¬â¢s one thatââ¬â¢s essential to know in Italian. So how do you say ââ¬Å"there isâ⬠and ââ¬Å"there areâ⬠in Italian? Below youââ¬â¢ll find the translations for both phrases along with examples to help you understand how to use it in everyday conversation. Letââ¬â¢s Discuss the Present Cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ (from ci à ¨) There isCi sono There are Here are some examples of these phrases being used in the present tense. Esempi (cââ¬â¢Ã ¨): Non cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ fretta. - There is no hurry.Cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ un bellââ¬â¢uomo l che ti aspetta. - There is a handsome man waiting for you there.Scusi, cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ Silvia? - Excuse me, is Silvia there?Cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ una parola difficile in questa frase. - Theres a difficult word in this sentence.Cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ qualcosa che non va. - There is something not right (in this situation).Cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ una gelateria qui in zona che à ¨ buonissima. - There is an ice cream shop in this neighborhood that is so delicious.Cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ una ragazza qua che non mi piace per niente. - There is a girl who I donââ¬â¢t like at all. Itââ¬â¢s likely that youââ¬â¢ve heard the popular expression ââ¬Å"che cââ¬â¢Ã ¨?â⬠, which is the Italian equivalent of ââ¬Å"whatââ¬â¢s up?â⬠. Literally, it can be translated as ââ¬Å"what is there?â⬠. You: Che cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ tesoro? - Whatââ¬â¢s up honey?Friend: Niente, perchà ¨? - Nothing, why are you asking me?You: Ti vedo un pà ² triste. - You look a bit sad. Esempi (ci sono): Ci sono molti italiani a New York. - There are many Italians in New York.Ci sono troppi gusti buonissimi, quindi non posso scegliere! - There are too many good flavors, so I canââ¬â¢t choose!Non ci sono molti ristoranti cinesi qua. - There are not many Chinese restaurants here.Uah! Ci sono tanti libri italiani in questa biblioteca. Sono al settimo cielo! - Wow! There are so many Italians book in this library. Iââ¬â¢m in seventh heaven!Sul tavolo ci sono due bottiglie di vino che ho comprato ieri sera. - On the table there are two bottles of wine that I bought last night. Cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ and ci sono should not be confused with ecco (here is, here are; there is, there are), which is used when you point at or draw attention to something or someone (singular or plural). Eccoci! - Here we are!Eccoti i documenti che avevi richiesto. - Here are the documents you requested. What About the Past? If you want to say ââ¬Å"there wasâ⬠or ââ¬Å"there wereâ⬠, youââ¬â¢re most likely going to need to use either the passato prossimo tense or lââ¬â¢imperfetto. Knowing which one to choose is a topic for a different day (and one that makes Italian language students want to pull their hair out), so instead weââ¬â¢ll just focus on what these phrases would look like in both forms. Esempi: Il passato prossimo (cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ stato/a) Cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ stata molta confusione. - There was a lot of confusion/chaos.Cââ¬â¢Ã ¨ stato un grande concerto allo stadio. - There was a great concert at the stadium.Ci sono stati molti esempi produttivi. - There were lots of good examples. Notice here that the ending of ââ¬Å"statoâ⬠has to agree with the subject of the sentence, so if ââ¬Å"parolaâ⬠is feminine and itââ¬â¢s the subject, then ââ¬Å"statoâ⬠has to end in an ââ¬Å"aâ⬠. Esempi: Il passato prossimo (ci sono stati/e) Ci sono state troppe guste buonissime, quindi non potevo scegliere! - There were too many good flavors, so I couldnââ¬â¢t choose!Ci sono stati tanti libri italiani in quella biblioteca. Sono stato/a al settimo cielo! - There were so many Italians book in that library. I was in seventh heaven!Quando ho studiato lââ¬â¢italiano, non ci sono state molte scuole per imparare la lingua. - When I studied Italian, there were not many schools for learning the language. Notice here that the ending of ââ¬Å"statoâ⬠has to agree with the subject of the sentence, so if ââ¬Å"libriâ⬠is masculine and itââ¬â¢s the subject, then ââ¬Å"statoâ⬠has to end in ââ¬Å"iâ⬠. Esempi: lââ¬â¢imperfetto (cera) Quel giorno, non cââ¬â¢era fretta. - That day, there was no hurry.Quando ero piccola qui cââ¬â¢era una gelateria buonissima. - When I was a little girl, there was a delicious ice cream shop in this neighborhood.Intorno a noi, cââ¬â¢era un bel panorama della campagna di Orvieto. - Around us, there was a beautiful view of the countryside of Orvieto. Esempi: lââ¬â¢imperfetto (cerano) Da bambino, non cââ¬â¢erano molti ristoranti cinesi qua. - When I was a little boy, there werenââ¬â¢t many Chinese restaurants here.Un giorno facevo una passeggiata e ho visto che cââ¬â¢erano molti cani randagi. - One day I was taking a walk I saw that there were a lot of stray dogs.Cââ¬â¢erano un paio di studenti che hanno imparato pià ¹ velocemente rispetto agli altri. - There were a couple of students that learned faster than the other students. Other Forms You May See Il congiuntivo presente (the present subjunctive) - ci sia and ci siano Spero che ci sia bel tempo. - I hope itââ¬â¢s going to be sunny. Il congiuntivo imperfetto (the imperfect subjunctive) - ci fosse and ci fossero Dubito che ci siano molte persone al teatro. - I doubt there will be lots of people at the theater.
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