What Does “Ne” Mean in Italian?
Ne is an Italian pronoun that means “of it”, “of them”, “some” or “about it”. It replaces di plus a noun that has already been mentioned, and it can also mean “from there”.
You need ne in four main situations:
| Use | Meaning | Example |
| Quantity (partitive) | some of it, of them | Ne voglio un po’. (I want some.) Ne ho tre. (I have three.) |
| Topic with di | about it, of it | Ne parlo spesso. (I often talk about it.) |
| Place | from there | Ne vengo adesso. (I’m just coming from there.) |
| Pronominal verbs | no direct translation | Me ne vado. (I’m leaving.) |
What are Pronouns?
In linguistics, a pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun or noun phrase. Italian has several types of pronouns:
- Personal pronouns: You might know these as subjects. These are the Italian io, tu, lui/lei/Lei, noi, voi, loro.
- Direct object pronouns: These are the object of transitive verbs like mangiare (to eat), comprare (to buy), vedere (to see). They are connected to verbs without the use of any preposition.
- Indirect object pronouns: These stand for the person to whom something is given, said or done, with verbs like dare (to give), dire (to say) and scrivere (to write). They are connected to the verbs with the use of a preposition, usually a.
- pronoun ci: Normally translated into “there”, is used for places.
- pronoun ne: Used to refer to topics and parts of amounts. It substitutes for objects that are introduced by the preposition di.
In this article I will focus on the pronoun ne, what it means, when it is used, and how.
“Ne” in Italian
As I mentioned before, the Italian word ne is a pronoun. It is used to refer to topics and parts of amounts, substituting for objects that are introduced by the preposition di.
As all pronouns, ne can either precede or follow the verb, depending on the verb tense and the corresponding rules for pronouns placement.
Let me show you some examples:
Pensavo di averne un’altra.
I thought I had another one of it.
Ha avuto un incidente, ma ne è uscito illeso.
He had an accident, but came out of it unharmed.
Ne vuoi un po’?
Would you like some?
How to use “ne”?
To Replace a Phrase Introduced by “di”
As I mentioned before, ne is commonly used to replace phrases introduced by the preposition di (of, about). It is used to refer to objects, topics, or people that have already been mentioned.
A) Stai parlando di politica?
A) Are you talking about politics?
B) Sì, ne parlo spesso.
B) Yes, I talk about it often.
For this very reason, ne is also used with expressions like avere bisogno di (to need), avere paura di (to be afraid of), or accorgersi di (to realize), replacing the noun that follows these expressions.
Ho bisogno di soldi / Ne ho bisogno.
I need money. / I need it.
Ho sempre avuto paura dei cani / Ne ho sempre avuto paura.
I’ve always been afraid of dogs / I’ve always been afraid of them.
Non mi ero accorta della pioggia / Non me ne ero accorta.
I didn’t notice the rain / I didn’t notice it.
To Express Quantities
Ne is used to express an amount or quantity of something that has already been mentioned. It is often paired with an indication of quantity.
-Hai delle mele?
–Sì, ne ho tre.
-Do you have some apples?
-Yes, I have three of them.
For this reason, ne is also often used to indicate a part of a whole in a partitive sense, to talk about a portion or part of something that was mentioned before.
-Vuoi del pane?
–Ne voglio un po’.
-Do you want some bread?
-I want some of it.
With Idiomatic Expressions
In Italian we have the so called pronominal verbs, which are idiomatic expressions where the verbs necessarily need one or more pronouns that have no specific translation, but are necessary for the verb to make sense. Some of these verbs use ne.
I will list here the most common pronominal verbs that use ne:
- Andarsene (to leave, go away): the verb andare (to go) is combined with the reflexive pronoun se and ne to take on the meaning of leaving from a place or situation.
Me ne vado perché è tardi.
I’m leaving because it’s late.
- Fregarsene/importarsene (to not care about something):
Non te ne frega niente di me.
You don’t care at all about me.
Non me ne importa niente di calcio.
I do not care at all about football.
- Uscirsene (to surprisingly come out with something): the verb uscire (to go out) is combined with ne to give the meaning of coming out with a statement or comment, often something surprising or out of context.
Se n‘è uscito con una battuta strana.
He came out with a strange joke.
“Ne” With the Passato Prossimo
When ne stands for a quantity in a compound tense, the past participle agrees with the noun that ne replaces. With a topic (“about it”), the participle stays masculine singular.
Hai mangiato le mele? – Sì, ne ho mangiate due.
Did you eat the apples? – Yes, I ate two of them.
Hai comprato il pane? – Sì, ne ho comprato un chilo.
Did you buy the bread? – Yes, I bought a kilo of it.
Avete parlato del progetto? – Sì, ne abbiamo parlato ieri.
Did you talk about the project? – Yes, we talked about it yesterday.
Negative Sentences and “Ne Ho Abbastanza”
To say you have none of something, keep ne in the negative sentence. You also use it in the common expression ne ho abbastanza, which means “I have had enough (of it)”.
Hai fratelli? – No, non ne ho.
Do you have siblings? – No, I don’t have any.
Ne ho abbastanza di questa storia!
I’ve had enough of this story!
“Ce Ne”: Ci and Ne Together
When ci and ne meet, ci becomes ce: ce ne. It is very common with c’è and ci sono to say “there is / there are some”. For the other combinations, read my lesson on double pronouns.
C’è del pane? – Sì, ce n’è ancora.
Is there any bread? – Yes, there is still some.
Ci sono mele? – Sì, ce ne sono tre.
Are there any apples? – Yes, there are three.
Ne or Ci?
| Compare | Ci | Ne |
| Replaces | a + place or thing (“there”, “to it”) | di + thing, or a place you come from |
| Example | Vai a Roma? – Sì, ci vado domani. (Are you going to Rome? – Yes, I’m going there tomorrow.) | Vuoi del caffè? – Sì, ne voglio un po’. (Do you want some coffee? – Yes, I want a little.) |
See my lesson on the pronoun ci for the other side of the pair.
A Common Mistake With “Ne”
In English you can say “I have three” without saying “of them”. In Italian you need ne when the quantity is the object of the sentence: Ne ho tre, not Ho tre when you mean “I have three of them”.
Practice: Add “Ne”
- Vuoi dei biscotti? – Sì, ___ voglio due.
- Parlate spesso di politica? – Sì, ___ parliamo molto.
- Hai visto i film di Fellini? – Sì, ___ ho visti tre.
- Avete una macchina? – No, non ___ abbiamo.
Answers: 1. ne 2. ne 3. ne 4. ne. In sentence 3, note the agreement: ne ho visti tre (the films are masculine plural).
Ne vs Né
In case you did not know yet, accents are very important in Italian, and here I will explain you why: ne and né are two different words in Italian with distinct meanings and uses.
As we saw, ne is a pronoun and it is typically used to replace a phrase introduced by di. Instead, né is a conjunction used in negative sentences to mean “neither…nor”.
Né is typically used to connect two or more negative ideas or alternatives. Remember that in Italian the double negation is mandatory!
Non voglio né carne né pesce.
I want neither meat nor fish.
Non ho né fame né sete.
I am neither hungry nor thirsty.
