Italian grammar
Here, there
Say where things are with qui, qua, lì and là, point things out with ecco, and say what exists with c'è and ci sono.
Italian has two words for "here" and two for "there", plus two everyday phrases: ecco to point something out ("here it is") and c’è / ci sono to say that something exists ("there is, there are"). They look alike in English, but Italian keeps them apart.
Qui and Qua: Here
Both mean "here", close to the speaker, and you can use either one. Qui is a little more precise, qua a little more general, but in everyday speech they are interchangeable.
- Vieni qui! - Come here!
- Sono qui. - I’m here.
- Il libro è qua. - The book is here.
Neither word has an accent. You will often hear qui or qua after a noun with questo: questa sedia qui - this chair here.
Lì and Là: There
Both mean "there", away from the speaker. Là is often a bit farther away or vaguer, like "over there", but the two are usually interchangeable.
- Il negozio è lì. - The store is there.
- Metti la borsa lì. - Put the bag there.
- Vado là domani. - I’m going there tomorrow.
- Chi va là? - Who goes there?
Always write the accent. Without it, li means "them" and la means "the" or "her". Lì and là pair with quello: quella casa là - that house over there.
Ecco: Here Is, Here Are
Ecco points something out or hands it over: "here is", "here are", "there it is". It never changes, whether one thing or many follows.
- Ecco il tuo caffè. - Here’s your coffee.
- Ecco le chiavi. - Here are the keys.
- Ecco l’autobus! - There’s the bus!
- Ecco! - Here you go! / There!
Use ecco for something you can see or are handing over right now. To say that something simply exists, use c’è (there is) or ci sono (there are).
Eccolo, Eccola: Here It Is
Add an object pronoun to ecco when you don’t name the thing: it becomes one word. The pronoun matches the noun you have in mind.
| Form | English | Refers to |
|---|---|---|
| eccolo | here it is, here he is | il libro, Marco |
| eccola | here it is, here she is | la chiave, Anna |
| eccoli | here they are | i libri, gli amici |
| eccole | here they are | le chiavi |
| eccomi | here I am | |
| eccoti | here you are, there you are |
- Dove sono le chiavi? Eccole! - Where are the keys? Here they are!
- Eccoti, finalmente! - There you are, at last!
Use one or the other: ecco le chiavi or eccole. Avoid eccole le chiavi in careful Italian.
C’è and Ci Sono: There Is, There Are
Use c’è (short for ci è) with one thing and ci sono with more than one.
- C’è un problema. - There’s a problem.
- Ci sono due bar in questa strada. - There are two cafés on this street.
- Non c’è tempo. - There’s no time.
- C’è Marco? - Is Marco there?
The question is the same as the statement, with a question mark and a rising voice. For the negative, put non in front.
These phrases change tense like any verb: c’era and c’erano (there was, there were), ci sarà and ci saranno (there will be), c’è stato and ci sono stati (there has been, there have been).
- C’era molta gente. - There were a lot of people.