Learn Hardcore Italian: Quante sedie ci sono in giardino? - How many chairs are there in the garden?

In Italian quanto must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Since sedie is feminine plural, you use quante (feminine plural) rather than quanto (masculine singular).

What is the role of ci in ci sono?

The ci is an expletive pronoun (sometimes called the “locative” or “existential” pronoun) used in sentences that express existence. Combined with sono (they are), ci sono literally means there are. In the singular you’d see c’è (from ci è) to mean there is.

Why are there no articles before sedie and giardino?

We drop the article before sedie because we’re asking about an indefinite number of chairs. As for in giardino, Italian often omits the article in fixed place-expressions (e.g. a casa, a scuola, in giardino) when referring to a general location.

Why can’t we say Quante sedie sono in giardino?

Existential sentences in Italian require the expletive ci as the subject. You need ci sono to mean there are; saying sono alone would sound like they are rather than there are.

Can we invert the word order to Ci sono quante sedie in giardino?

Technically it’s possible, but it sounds very unnatural. In Italian, wh-words like quante usually come at the very beginning of the question.

Could we say nel giardino instead of in giardino?

Yes—nel giardino (in + il + giardino) is grammatically correct and emphasizes a specific garden. However, when talking about your own or any garden in general, Italians prefer the article-less form in giardino.

Why is there an apostrophe in c’è but none in ci sono?

The apostrophe in c’è marks the contraction of ci + è, showing the i has been dropped. There is no contraction in ci sono, so no apostrophe is needed.

How would you say “There is one chair in the garden” in Italian?

You’d switch to the singular existential: C’è una sedia in giardino.