Modern Italian Grammar: A Practical Guide, Third Edition (2013)

Part B. Functions

I. Giving and seeking factual informatio

11. Talking about existence, occurrence and availability

11.1 Introduction

There are various ways of saying in Italian whether something or someone exists, takes place or is available. One of the simplest ways is to use ci ‘there’ and essere ‘to be’, while another way, often used in shops or restaurants, is to use the verb avere ‘to have’; both are shown in this simple dialogue:

All'ufficio turistico

T = Turista ‘tourist’, I = Impiegato ‘employee’

TBuongiorno, avete una piantina della città?

ISì, c'è questa, che costa quattro euro; è compreso anche l'elenco dei monumenti. Oppure questa qua, che è gratuita.

TPrendo questa, grazie. Dunque, noi vorremmo vedere l'Aida all'Arena. Ci sono dei biglietti per stasera?

IPer stasera, no, purtroppo … non ce ne sono. Ma se per voi va bene, ce ne sono due nella platea per domani sera.

TSì, per noi va bene. Quanto costano?

ITrenta euro ciascuno.

TVa bene, li prendo. Senta, c'è una trattoria vicino al teatro?

ISì, ce n'è una molto buona proprio a due passi dal teatro. Si chiama ‘Da Alfredo’. Se vuole, posso chiamare e prenotare un tavolo.

TNo, grazie, non fa niente.

IPrego, signore. Arrivederci.

At the tourist information office

T = Tourist, E = Employee

THello, do you have a map of the town?

EYes, there's this one, which is four euros; the list of monuments is included too. Or else this one, which is free.

TI'll take this one, thanks. Now, we'd like to see Aida at the Arena. Are there any tickets for this evening?

ENot for this evening, no, unfortunately. But if it's all right for you, there are two tickets in the stalls for tomorrow evening.

TYes, that's fine for us. How much are they?

EThirty euros each.

TOK, I'll take them. Listen, is there a restaurant near the theatre?

EYes, there's a very good one very near the theatre. It's called ‘Da Alfredo’. If you want, I can call and book a table.

TNo, thank you, it doesn't matter.

EAll right, sir. Goodbye.

11.2 Talking about existence and/or presence

Depending on the circumstances, you can use one or other of the following verbs or verb phrases:

11.2.1 Essere + ci

The most common way of saying something is there (or not) is to use essere and ci. The present tense forms are c'è ‘there is’, ci sono ‘there are’ (see 2.2.3 and 6.2.5). Note how in the singular form, the ci before è is elided to c'è.

The plural form is:

You can ask about a specific person or thing, or one known to you, using the definite article il/la (see 1.3.3):

You can ask about an unknown or unspecified person or thing using the indefinite article un/una (see 1.3.2) in the singular and dei/delle (see 1.3.4) in the plural (optional):

Scusi, c'è un gabinetto? Sì, c'è un gabinetto lì in fondo.
Excuse me, is there a toilet? Yes, there's a toilet over there.

Ci sono ospiti? Sì, ci sono degli ospiti appena arrivati.
Are there any guests? Yes, there are some guests just arrived.

Of course, ci can be used with all the other tenses of essere, for example:

Future
Ci sarà qualcuno in ufficio?
Will there be anyone in the office?

Imperfect
Il pomeriggio, non c'era mai nessuno in ufficio.
In the afternoon, there was never anyone in the office.

Passato prossimo
Ci sono stati problemi?
Have there been any problems?

11.2.2 Esistere

Esistere ‘to exist’ can be used in certain contexts:

Per quanto riguarda l'alloggio, esistono varie sistemazioni.
As for accommodation, there are various arrangements.

Ma sono esistiti i dinosauri o no?
But did the dinosaurs exist or not?

11.2.3 Essere presente/i

The phrase essere presente/i is often used for resources found naturally, as well as for other more general contexts:

I giacimenti di metano sono presenti in grandi quantità nella valle padana.

Deposits of methane are present in large quantity in the Po Valley.

Mio marito non era presente quel giorno.

My husband was not present that day.

11.2.4 Trovarsi

Trovarsi is used mainly when referring to geographical position:

La mia casa si trovava vicino al mare.

My house was near the sea.

Oggi ci troviamo in un piccolo paese della Basilicata.

Today we are in a small village in Basilicata.

11.3 Talking about occurrence

The following verbs and verb phrases describe events occurring, regularly or on a one-off basis:

11.3.1 Accadere, capitare, succedere

Three verbs in particular are used to talk about things happening. All three verbs take essere when used in compound tenses: è accaduto, è capitato, è successo.

Molti incidenti stradali accadono nel momento del rientro dalle vacanze.

Many road accidents take place when people come back from their holidays.

Il paese è molto tranquillo. Non succede mai niente.

The village is very quiet. Nothing ever happens.

È mai capitato un incidente del genere?

Has an accident like that ever happened?

Both succedere and capitare can be followed by a dependent clause introduced by che or by di and a dependent infinitive. In the final example, the subjunctive is used, in order to emphasise the improbability of such an event:

Ti è mai successo di amare e odiare allo stesso tempo qualcuno?
(Literally) Has it ever happened to you to love and hate someone at the same time?
(Have you ever loved and hated someone at the same time?)

Può succedere che si dimentica di spegnere il gas.
(Literally) It can happen that one forgets to turn off the gas.
(One sometimes forgets to turn off the gas.)

Ti è mai capitato di vedere un fantasma?
(Literally) Has it ever happened to you to see a ghost?
(Have you ever seen a ghost?)

Ti è mai capitato che il parrucchiere ti abbia rovinato i capelli?
(Literally) Did it ever happen to you that the hairdresser ruined your hair?
(Have you ever had the hairdresser ruin your hair?)

11.3.2 Aver luogo, svolgersi, tenersi

When talking about an event which is taking place or has taken place, you can use the verbs aver luogo, svolgersi, tenersi:

I funerali avranno luogo giovedì alle 17.00.

The funeral will take place on Thursday at 5pm.

Il Palio di Siena si svolge due volte all'anno nella Piazza del Campo.

The Palio of Siena takes place twice a year in the Piazza del Campo.

La settimana scorsa si è svolto il congresso dei giovani democratici.

Last week the congress of young democrats took place.

La Fiera di Milano si tiene nel quartiere di San Siro.

The Milan Trade Fair takes place in the San Siro district.

11.3.3 Fare

Fare in the 3rd person plural form is often used specifically to refer to films, TV programmes, etc. which are being shown or broadcast:

Che fanno stasera alla televisione?

What's on TV tonight?

Cosa facevano al cinema Ariston?

What were they showing at the Ariston cinema?

You can also use the verb fare with the si passivante to make a passive construction meaning ‘to be held’:

Le gare si facevano ogni anno nello stesso periodo.

The competitions were held every year at the same time.

11.3.4 Verificarsi/ricorrere

The verb ricorrere (‘to recur’) is used when an event occurs regularly, for example every year:

La festa dell'Assunzione ricorre il 15 agosto.

The feast day of the Assumption is on the 15th of August every year.

When talking about either a single occurrence or a regular event, you can use verificarsi:

A Napoli il miracolo di San Gennaro si è verificato anche quest'anno davanti a migliaia di fedeli.

In Naples the miracle of San Gennaro took place again this year in front of thousands of the faithful.

11.4 Talking about presence, attendance and participation at an event

In addition to essere (ci), or trovarsi (see above), you can use the verbs listed below. Although intransitive, both assistere and partecipare take avere in compound tenses: ho assistito, ho partecipato.

11.4.1 Assistere

This verb can have the same meaning as the English ‘assist’ but here it is used meaning ‘to watch’ or ‘to be present’.

All'ultimo concerto di Pavarotti, hanno assistito 30.000 spettatori.

30,000 spectators were at Pavarotti's final concert.

11.4.2 Partecipare

This verb implies a more active role:

Il Capo di Stato ha partecipato al Vertice del G7 a Napoli.

The Head of State took part in the G7 Summit in Naples.

11.4.3 Frequentare

Regular attendance at a place, for example school or a café, can be expressed by frequentare:

I miei figli frequentano una scuola privata.

My children go to a private school.

I miei colleghi frequentavano il bar di fronte.

My colleagues always went to the café opposite.

11.5 Talking about availability

When talking about availability or non-availability, most of the verbs and verb phrases listed below, with the exception of avere, can be used to refer either to a person or to a thing:

11.5.1 Avere

In shops, restaurants, hotels or similar situations, c'è, ci sono can be replaced by the verb avere ‘to have’ to express or enquire about availability:

Avete una mappa della città?

Do you have a map of the town?

Abbiamo questa qui, che costa €6.

We have this one, which costs six euros.

When avere is used with a direct object pronoun such as lo, li, the particle ci is usually added (see 3.4.5); this is a purely idiomatic use and does not change the meaning. Ci becomes ce before direct object pronouns or ne:

11.5.2 Rimanere

The concept of ‘quantity remaining’ is expressed by rimanere (see Appendix III Irregular verb forms):

È rimasto un po' di dolce?

Is there any cake left?

Del vecchio paese di prima, non è rimasto più niente.

There's nothing left now, of the old village that was.

Sono rimaste ancora due o tre persone nella sala.

There are still two or three people left in the hall.

11.5.3 Essere disponibile/i

The adjective disponibile ‘available’ is often used in shops or business contexts. As an adjective, it has to agree in number with the noun referred to but the masculine and feminine forms are the same:

Le buste sono disponibili in vari formati.

The envelopes are available in various formats.

Il direttore sarà disponibile dopo la riunione.

The director will be available after the meeting.

11.5.4 Essere libero, occupato, impegnato

The adjectives libero ‘free’, occupato ‘occupied, engaged’ can be used both for a person and for an object. Impegnato ‘busy’ is only used for a person. The adjectives have to agree in number and gender with the person or object referred to:

La linea è occupata. Può attendere in linea?

The line is busy. Can you hold?

Il professore è impegnato in questo momento. Può richiamarLa quando sarà libero?

The professor is busy right now. Can he call you back when he's free?

11.6 Expressing ‘some, any’

There are various ways of saying how much is available and of expressing ‘some’ in Italian, depending on whether you are referring to countable nouns or uncountable nouns.

A ‘countable’ noun refers to people or things that can be counted; you can put a number in front of them and they can be singular (un biscotto) or plural (due biscotti). An ‘uncountable’ noun is something that cannot usually have a number before it and therefore is normally singular, for example pane ‘bread’, zucchero ‘sugar’, vino ‘wine’ (although of course it is possible to talk about i vini italiani ‘Italian wines’).

11.6.1 Del, dei, etc.

The partitive article del (plural dei) etc. (see 1.3.4) can be used with both countable nouns and uncountable nouns.

With ‘countable’ nouns, the plural forms dei, delle, degli are used, the form varying according to the noun they accompany (see also 1.3.4 and 4.2):

Ci sono dei fichi?

Are there any figs?

Ci sono delle sedie?

Are there any chairs?

Ci sono degli studenti italiani all'Università.

There are some Italian students at the University.

Ci sono degli alberghi economici a Bologna?

Are there any cheap hotels in Bologna?

With ‘uncountable’ nouns, the singular forms del, dello, della, dell' are used:

C'è del vino?

Is there any wine?

C'è dello zucchero?

Is there any sugar?

Per colazione, c'è della marmellata di fichi.

For breakfast, there is fig jam.

Alla festa c'era solo dell'acqua da bere!

At the party there was only water to drink!

11.6.2 Un poco di, un po' di

This phrase is used with uncountable nouns such as caffè, pane, vino, zucchero in the singular:

È rimasto ancora un po' di vino.

There's still a little wine left.

C'è un poco di caffè anche per me?

Is there some coffee for me too?

It can also be used with countable nouns such as monete, libri in the plural:

Dammi un po' di monete!

Give me some coins!

Porto un po' di libri in vacanza.

I'm taking a few books on holiday.

11.6.3 Qualche

Qualche (see 3.9.2) can only be used with countable nouns, not with uncountable nouns like ‘zucchero’. Qualche means ‘a few, some’, but although it has a plural meaning, it is always used with a singular noun. Its form is the same for both masculine and feminine nouns:

C'è qualche programma interessante alla televisione stasera?

Are there any interesting programmes on TV tonight?

Tra i meccanici c'è anche qualche donna.

There are even some women amongst the mechanics.

11.6.4 Alcuni, alcune

The adjectives alcuni/alcune ‘some, a few’ (see 3.9.3) can be used with countable nouns, in the plural only:

Ci sono alcuni programmi televisivi educativi, ma i bambini preferiscono guardare i cartoni animati.

There are a few educational TV programmes, but children prefer to watch cartoons.

Tra i meccanici ci sono anche alcune donne.

There are even a few women amongst the mechanics.

11.6.5 With ne

Both alcuni/alcune (see 3.9.3) and un po' di can be used on their own, meaning ‘a few things, a few people’, and ‘a little’, with or without the pronoun ne (see 11.7 below and 3.4.4):

Ne is elided before è to form ce n'è:

11.7 Specifying the quantity available

Avere (see 11.5), essere (see 11.2) or rimanere (see 11.5) can be used with a number or other indication of quantity:

Da Roma a Napoli ci sono 190 chilometri.

From Rome to Naples is 190 km.

Sono rimasti solo due panini. Li buttiamo?

There are only two rolls left. Shall we throw them away?

With an indication of quantity, you can use the pronoun ne (see 3.4.4) to avoid repeating the noun previously mentioned:

When c'è and ci sono combine with ne, the ci changes to ce to give ce n'è or ce ne sono:

Ne can also be used where there is no indication of number or quantity, although this is less common:

11.8 Expressing ‘something/anything’, ‘someone/anyone’

While qualche ‘some’ (see 3.9.2 and 11.6.3) is always used with a noun, qualcosa ‘something, anything’ and qualcuno ‘someone, anyone’ (see 3.9.1) are used on their own:

C'è qualcosa da leggere?

Is there anything to read?

C'è qualcuno?

Is anyone there?

Qualcuno, qualcosa can be followed by a ‘qualifying’ che clause (‘someone/something, anyone/anything that …’). This can be followed either by the indicative (particularly in spoken Italian or informal writing) or by the subjunctive (see 2.2.14 and 9.3). The English translation is the same in both cases:

Cerco qualcuno che sa tradurre le lettere commerciali. (indicative)

Cerco qualcuno che sappia tradurre le lettere commerciali. (subjunctive)

I'm looking for someone who can translate commercial letters.

11.9 Specifying location, time or frequency

You can specify where something/someone is, or when or how often something happens.

11.9.1 Specifying location

You can indicate where the action is taking place, or where something is, by using adverbs or adverbial phrases referring to place, such as vicino, lontano, or position, such as dietro, davanti (see 6.3.2):

La mia casa si trova qui vicino.

My house is near here.

La sede è a due km. dal centro.

The Head Office is 2 km from the centre.

Nella riunione, il direttore era seduto davanti a me.

In the meeting, the director was sitting in front of me.

Or phrases with prepositions (see 6.2.7) which function as adverbs, such as:

11.9.2 Specifying time or date

You can indicate when the action takes place by adding an indication of date or time (see 7.7 and 7.8):

11.9.3 Specifying frequency

You can indicate how often the event or action takes place with phrases of frequency (see 36.5):

11.10 Expressing non-existence or non-availability

11.10.1 Non

The easiest way of saying that something does not exist or is not available is to add non to any of the verbs or phrases shown in the sections above, for example:

Non ci sono serpenti velenosi in questa zona.

There are no poisonous snakes in this area.

Non c'è rimasto più niente.

There's nothing left any more.

Mi dispiace, il direttore non è disponibile oggi.

I'm sorry, the manager is not available today.

No, non è libero questo posto.

No, this place isn't free.

For more on negatives, including nessuno, niente, see 16.3–7.

11.10.2 Mancare

The verb mancare means ‘to be missing, to be short’. (It can also be used in the emotional sense of missing a person or a place.) In this context, it is similar to piacere in that the object which is lacking (i fondi, il personale) becomes the grammatical subject of the sentence:

Vorremmo migliorare i nostri servizi, ma mancano i fondi.

We would like to improve our services, but funds are short.

L'ufficio rimarrà chiuso venerdì. Manca il personale.

The office will be shut on Friday. There is a shortage of staff.

Manca solo Giorgio.

Only Giorgio is missing.

Mancano i dati.

There are no facts or figures.

11.10.3 Essere assente

Chi è assente stamattina?

Who's absent this morning?

Someone who has sent his/her excuses and apologies in advance is called:

un assente giustificato

(Literally) an explained absentee

The noun l'assente can also mean ‘the dear departed’ (see 11.10.6 below).

Note the very colloquial use of the verb partire to express the idea that someone is ‘not all there’ mentally:

11.10.4 Non … più, essere esaurito, essere finito

When talking about supplies that are finished, or have run out, you can use any of the expressions listed above. Both esaurito and finito are past participles used with essere:

Non c'è più posto per stasera. È tutto esaurito.

There's no more room for tonight. It's all sold out.

Purtroppo sono esaurite le nostre scorte di candele.

Unfortunately, our supplies of candles have run out.

È finita la carta nella stampante.

The paper in the printer is finished.

11.10.5 Estinguersi, scomparire, sparire, spegnersi, sradicare

The verbs above all mean ‘to disappear’, literally or metaphorically. Sparire and scomparire are the most colloquial of these. Note how all these verbs use essere in the compound tenses.

Sono scomparse le chiavi di casa.

The house keys have disappeared.

Dov'è Alessandro? E' sparito nel nulla!

Where's Alessandro? He's disappeared into thin air!

Il morbillo è praticamente scomparso dagli USA.

Measles has practically disappeared from the USA.

The verb sradicare ‘to eradicate’ is used in the passive form to talk about a disease or other evil which has been eradicated:

Il morbillo è stato quasi completamente sradicato negli USA.

Measles has been almost completely eradicated in the USA.

When talking about a species that has died out or become extinct, use the verbs estinguersi or sparire. Note that estinto also means ‘the departed’ (see 11.10.6).

Fra 500 anni, alcune specie di animali potrebbero estinguersi.

In 500 years time, some species of animals could die out.

I dinosauri sono spariti dalla terra milioni di anni fa.

The dinosaurs disappeared from the earth millions of years ago.

Both estinguersi and spegnersi can be used with their literal meaning ‘to be extinguished’, so are often used to refer to fires, volcanoes, and — metaphorically — the fires of love:

L'amore si spegne e la passione si raffredda.

Love dies out and passion grows cold.

11.10.6 Euphemisms for death

Italian, as other western languages, has a wide range of euphemisms to express the concept of death and dying. Any of the following verbs can be used: estinguersi, mancare, scomparire, spegnersi.

The participle scomparso is the form most often used in death announcements:

È scomparso il nostro caro Alfredo.

Our dear friend Alfredo has passed away.

The noun la scomparsa ‘death’ is also used frequently in announcements placed in memory of someone who has died:

Nel terzo anniversario della scomparsa di Carlo, la mamma lo ricorda con grande amore.

On the third anniversary of the death of Carlo, his mother remembers him with love.

The verb spegnersi ‘to be extinguished’ can be used as a euphemism for morire:

Il conte si spense a mezzanotte, con i familiari attorno al letto.

The count died at midnight, with his family around the bed.

So can mancare:

È improvvisamente mancato all'affetto dei suoi cari Marco Strada.

(Literally) Marco Strada has suddenly been lost to the affection of his dear ones.

Note the use of the following present and past participles respectively: