6 When the quantity is expressed by an adverb or an adjective, the past
participle agrees with the noun replaced by ne:
7 When the quantity is expressed by a noun, the past participle can
agree either with the quantity (this is more usual) or with the noun replaced
by ne:
8 When ne occurs in a sentence together with a verb in the infinitive (usually
after dovere, potere, volere or sapere), it can be attached to the infinitive. In
such cases, when the main verb is in the present perfect (or any other com-
pound tense) the past participle does not agree:
‘Quante riviste hai comprato?’ ‘Ne
ho comprata qualcuna.’
‘Quante riviste hai comprato?’ ‘Ne
ho comprate alcune.’ ‘How many magazines did you buy?’
‘I bought a few.’‘Hai comprato abbastanza pane [ms]?’
‘Sì, ne ho comprato abbastanza.’
‘Hai comprato abbastanza patatine
[fp]?’ ‘Sì, ne ho comprate abbastanza.’
‘Quanta pasta [fs] avete mangiato?’
‘Ne abbiamo mangiata molta.’
‘Quante persone [fp] hai invitato?’
‘Ne ho invitate poche.’
‘Quanti esercizi [mp] hai fatto?’
‘Ne ho fatti alcuni.’‘Have you bought enough bread?’
‘Ye s , I’ve bought enough.’
‘Have you bought enough crisps?’
‘Ye s , I’ve bought enough.’
‘How much pasta did you eat?’
‘We ate a lot.’
‘How many people did you invite?’
‘I only invited a few.’
‘How many exercises did you do?’
‘I did a few.’‘Quanto caffè hai bevuto?’ ‘Ne ho
bevuta una tazza [fs].’
‘Quanto caffè [ms] hai bevuto?’ ‘Ne
ho bevuto una tazza.’
‘Quanto pane hai mangiato?’ ‘Ne ho
mangiata una fetta [fs].’
‘Quanto pane [ms] hai mangiato?’
‘Ne ho mangiato una fetta.’
‘Quante caramelle hai mangiato?’ ‘Ne
ho mangiato un pacchetto [ms].’
‘Quante caramelle [fp] hai mangiato?’
‘Ne ho mangiate un pacchetto.’
‘Quanti biscotti hai mangiato?’ ‘Ne ho
mangiata una scatola [fs].’
‘Quanti biscotti [mp] hai mangiato?’
‘Ne ho mangiati una scatola.’ ‘How much coffee did you drink?’
‘I drank a cup.’‘How much bread did you eat?’
‘I ate a slice.’‘How many sweets did you eat?’
‘I ate a packet.’‘How many biscuits did you eat?’
‘I ate a box.’