Italian 'C'è' and 'Ci Sono': Saying That Something Exists or Is Present
Learn to use c'è and ci sono to state that something exists or is present in Italian, with singular and plural forms, questions, and negatives.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Italian, you do not say a park 'is' near your house when you mean it exists there; you use a special existence structure. The two forms are c'è (there is) and ci sono (there are). This lesson teaches you to form, question, and negate these statements so you can describe what exists in a place.
By the end, you can…
- say that one thing exists or is present using c'è.
- say that more than one thing exists or is present using ci sono.
- ask and answer questions about what exists in a place.
- make negative existence statements with non c'è and non ci sono.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
C'è un parco vicino a casa mia.
There is a park near my house.
cheh oon PAR-koh vee-CHEE-noh ah KAH-zah MEE-ah
Use c'è before a singular noun. Casa mia means my home; it can refer to the building or to the household, depending on context.
Ci sono due farmacie in centro.
There are two pharmacies downtown.
chee SOH-noh DOO-eh far-mah-CHEE-eh een CHEN-troh
Use ci sono before a plural noun. In centro means in the city center.
C'è un problema?
Is there a problem?
cheh oon proh-BLEH-mah
A yes/no question can have the same word order as a statement; intonation rises at the end.
Non c'è tempo.
There is no time.
nohn cheh TEM-poh
Put non before c'è to make it negative. This is common in everyday speech.
Ci sono molti turisti oggi.
There are many tourists today.
chee SOH-noh MOL-tee too-REES-tee OH-jee
Molti agrees with the masculine plural noun turisti. Use molte with feminine plural nouns.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern is c'è + singular noun and ci sono + plural noun. C'è is a contraction of ci è. Examples: C'è una banca qui. (There is a bank here.) Ci sono due banche qui. (There are two banks here.) The noun usually comes after the verb, so the focus is on existence, not on who or what performs an action.
When to use it
Use c'è and ci sono to announce that something exists or is present in a place. Use them when you introduce new information: C'è un buon ristorante in questa strada. (There is a good restaurant on this street.) Do not use essere alone for this meaning. For location of a specific known thing, Italian can use essere: Il libro è sul tavolo. (The book is on the table.)
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Scusa, c'è una farmacia qui vicino?
Excuse me, is there a pharmacy near here?SKOO-zah, cheh OO-nah far-mah-CHEE-ah kwee vee-CHEE-nohSì, ci sono due farmacie in piazza.
Yes, there are two pharmacies in the square.see, chee SOH-noh DOO-eh far-mah-CHEE-eh een PYAHT-tsahGrazie. E c'è anche una banca?
Thank you. And is there also a bank?GRAHT-tsyeh. eh cheh AN-keh OO-nah BAHN-kahNo, non c'è una banca, ma c'è un ufficio postale.
No, there is no bank, but there is a post office.noh, nohn cheh OO-nah BAHN-kah, mah cheh oon oof-FEE-choh poh-STAH-lehA little context goes a long way
C'è and ci sono are standard throughout Italy. In informal speech, ci is sometimes pronounced as ce or attached in regional ways, but learners should use the standard forms. In writing, the apostrophe in c'è is required.
One thing to watch for
Saying È un parco vicino a casa mia to mean There is a park near my house.
Try this instead: Use C'è un parco vicino a casa mia. È un parco means It is a park, which identifies something rather than stating that it exists.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say There is a bar near the station?
Show a sample answer
C'è un bar vicino alla stazione.
C'è is used because bar is singular. Vicino alla stazione means near the station. You may also hear vicino alla stazione in different word orders, but this is the standard neutral order.
2How do you say There are three churches in this city?
Show a sample answer
Ci sono tre chiese in questa città.
Ci sono is used because tre chiese is plural. Chiese is the plural of chiesa. You could also say In questa città ci sono tre chiese, which is equally correct.
3Make this sentence negative: C'è un supermercato qui.
Show a sample answer
Non c'è un supermercato qui.
Place non before c'è. The rest of the sentence stays the same. In speech, non c'è is often pronounced as one smooth unit.
Use c'è for one thing and ci sono for more than one when you state that something exists or is present. Put non before them for negatives.
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