The Pronoun Ne

In brief

Italian ne replaces a previously mentioned quantity or a phrase introduced by di. With a number, it means roughly ‘of them’; with verbs such as parlare di, it means ‘about it.’ English often leaves the equivalent unstated, but Italian normally includes ne when the thing being counted or discussed is understood.

Form

Place ne before a conjugated verb: ne compro due, ne parliamo. With an infinitive after another verb, attach it to the infinitive after dropping its final -e: voglio comprarne due. Alternatively, put it before the conjugated verb: ne voglio comprare due.

Usage

• Use ne with a number or quantity to avoid repeating the noun: ne prendo tre (‘I’ll take three’).
• Use ne to refer back to a di phrase with verbs such as parlare di: ne parliamo (‘we’ll talk about it’).
• Keep the quantity after the verb; ne refers to what that quantity measures.

Examples

• Hai delle mele? Sì, ne ho tre. — Do you have any apples? Yes, I have three.
• Quanti caffè bevi? Ne bevo due al giorno. — How many coffees do you drink? I drink two a day.
• Parliamo del viaggio? Sì, ne parliamo domani. — Shall we talk about the trip? Yes, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.
• Mi piacciono questi biscotti. Voglio comprarne una scatola. — I like these cookies. I want to buy a box of them.

Common mistake

❌ Voglio ne comprare due.

✅ Voglio comprarne due.

Ne cannot stand between voglio and the infinitive. Attach it to comprare (comprarne), or put it before voglio: Ne voglio comprare due.

Remember

When a number answers ‘how many?’, ne can stand for the item being counted.