The Italian Particles CI and NE

"Ci" and "ne" are two small words that, despite being important elements of the Italian grammar, often appear mysterious, deceitful, sometimes confusing even those who consider themselves advanced learners. They not only have several meanings, they can also be placed in different positions of the same sentence, assuming functions that are sometimes related to pronouns, sometimes related to adverbs, and sometimes are totally idiomatic.

These particles may represent a bit of a challenge for foreigners, because they don't usually have a direct correlate in other languages.

Some students may decide to neglect "ci" and "ne", thinking their use is not essential. In fact, you could very well speak Italian without ever using any of these particles. However, your expression would, at certain points, sound weird to a native Italian - maybe even unacceptable. That's because Italians use "ci" and "ne" all the time, simply because they help them be more concise and convey a message faster.

Mastering these two little words will help you improve your Italian considerably, making your Italian sound way more natural when you speak the language.

With all their quirkiness, you may be thinking that it is almost impossible to learn the Italian particelle thoroughly. However, once you understand what they stand for, what their purpose is and when yo use them, you'll see that it is perfectly possible to have them under control as part of your foreign language skill set.