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pronoun

ci

/tʃˈi/

elided form of ci before a vowel (usually before forms of "essere" or "avere")

"us/to us" or "there/about it", a versatile pronoun and locative particle

Definitions

  1. 1

    Direct/indirect object pronoun meaning 'us' or 'to us'

    “Lei c'invita sempre a cena la domenica sera.”

    She always invites us to dinner on Sunday evening.

  2. 2

    Locative particle meaning 'there' or 'here', often used with 'essere' to mean 'there is/are'

    “C'è un bel parco vicino a casa mia.”

    There is a nice park near my house.

  3. 3

    Used with 'avere' or other verbs to replace a previously mentioned idea or place ('about it/of it')

    “Non c'ho mai pensato prima d'ora.”

    I never thought about it before now.

Word forms

Usage
Invariable pronoun/particle; elides to c' before words beginning with a vowel, especially forms of 'essere' (è, era) and sometimes 'avere' in casual speech.

The elided form c' is extremely common in spoken and written Italian, especially in the fixed expression c'è/c'era (there is/was). Using 'c'ho' for 'ho' is informal/colloquial.