UNIT SEVENTEEN
The pronouns ne and ci
The pronoun ne
1 The pronoun ne is used to refer to a part of a whole, corresponding to ‘of it/-
them’, as in ‘some of it/them’, ‘two of them’, etc. It is normally used together
with quantities, whether expressed in numbers or in any other way (kilos,
litres, metres, slices, cups, ‘too much/little’, ‘enough’, etc.); it is always placed
before the verb:
Note, however, that ne is not used in cases where English would say ‘all of it’,
‘all of them’, etc. Compare the following examples:
La torta era molto buona e ne
ho mangiate due fette.
‘Quanti fratelli hai?’ ‘Ne ho due.’‘Ha degli euro, Signor Watt?’
‘Sì, ne ho 50.’
‘Hai tutti i CD di Frank Zappa?’
‘No, ne ho solo tre.’
‘Mangi la frutta?’ ‘Sì, ne mangio
molta.’
‘Hai abbastanza soldi?’ ‘Sì, ne ho
abbastanza.’
Se c’è ancora del te, ne prendo
un’altra tazza.
Se compri le mele, ne prendi un
chilo anche per me?
‘Volete ancora del cioccolato?’
‘No, grazie, non ne vogliamo
più.’The cake was very good, and I ate two
slices (of it).
‘How many brothers and sisters do you
have?’ ‘I have two (of them).’
‘Have you got any euros, Mr Watt?’
‘Ye s , I’ve got 50 (of them).’
‘Have you got all Frank Zappa’s CDs?’
‘No, I’ve only got three (of them).’
‘Do you eat fruit?’ ‘Yes, I eat a lot (of
it).’
‘Have you got enough money?’ ‘Ye s , I
have enough (of it).’
If there’s still some tea, I’ll have
another cup (of it).
If you’re buying apples, will you get a
kilo (of them) for me as well?
‘Do you want some more chocolate?’
‘No, thanks, we don’t want any
more (of it).’