What ne replaces
To Quante birre vuoi? you answer Ne voglio due – "I want two of them". ne picks up something already mentioned and names a number, a part or the topic of it. It never changes.
Ne with a number or quantity word
The most common use: the noun disappears, the number or quantity word stays, and ne holds the place. English usually drops "of them" here ("I want two."); Italian does not.
Noun out, ne in
From the question to the answer with ne
| Question | Answer with ne | English |
|---|---|---|
| Quanti caffè prendi? | Ne prendo due. | I'll have two. |
| Hai fratelli? | Sì, ne ho tre. | Yes, I have three. |
| Hai tempo? | Ne ho poco. | I have little. |
| Hai sigarette? | No, non ne ho nessuna. | No, I don't have any. |
Ne for a part of a mass
For things you do not count – cheese, wine, time – ne replaces the noun with its partitive article (del formaggio). You add the portion: un chilo, un po', una fetta.
Il formaggio era buono, ne ho comprato un chilo.
The cheese was good, I bought a kilo of it.
C'è ancora vino? – Sì, ma ne è rimasto poco.
Is there any wine left? – Yes, but there's only a little of it left.
La torta è ottima, ne prendo un'altra fetta.
The cake is excellent, I'll have another slice of it.
If you mean the whole thing mentioned, use lo, la, li, le. If you mean a number or a part of it, use ne.
Il caffè? Lo bevo subito.
The coffee? I'll drink it right away.
Il caffè? Ne bevo troppo.
Coffee? I drink too much of it.
Le mele? Le compro tutte.
The apples? I'm buying all of them.
Le mele? Ne compro tre.
The apples? I'm buying three of them.
Ne with verbs that take di
Many verbs take di: parlare di, avere bisogno di, essere sicuro di, pensare di. When you pick up what they refer to, you use ne – in English usually "about it", "of it" or simply "it". Ask yourself: would the full sentence have a di, as in Parlo del progetto? Then the whole phrase becomes ne.
Sai del trasloco? – Sì, ne abbiamo parlato ieri sera.
Do you know about the move? – Yes, we talked about it last night.
Ti serve la macchina? – Sì, ne ho bisogno domani.
Do you need the car? – Yes, I need it tomorrow.
Ho trovato un appartamento. Che ne pensi?
I've found an apartment. What do you think of it?
Sei sicuro del prezzo? – Sì, ne sono sicuro.
Are you sure about the price? – Yes, I'm sure of it.
Where ne goes
ne goes in front of the conjugated verb, like the other unstressed pronouns. On an infinitive it attaches to the end and the -e drops.
Quanti ne vuoi? – Ne voglio tre.
How many do you want? – I want three.
Vorrei comprarne tre.
I'd like to buy three of them.
