Breakdown of In giardino ci sono undici fiori.
essere
to be
in
in
il giardino
the garden
il fiore
the flower
ci
there
undici
eleven
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Questions & Answers about In giardino ci sono undici fiori.
What does in giardino mean, and why is there no article before giardino?
in giardino literally means “in (the) garden.” In Italian, when you speak about a place in a general sense (not a specific, previously mentioned garden), you often drop the definite article. It’s similar to English saying “at school” rather than “at the school” when you mean the institution in general.
What is the function of ci sono in this sentence?
ci sono means “there are.” The particle ci expresses location or existence (“there”), and sono is the third-person plural of “to be.” Together they form an existential construction: “there are.”
Why don’t we use c’è instead of ci sono?
c’è is a contraction of ci è and is used only when the following noun is singular (“there is”). Because fiori is plural, you need ci sono (“there are”).
Can I say Ci sono undici fiori in giardino instead?
Yes. Both In giardino ci sono undici fiori and Ci sono undici fiori in giardino are correct. Italian word order is flexible in existential sentences; placing ci sono at the start just emphasizes “there are.”
Why isn’t the verb avere (to have) used, like “La giardino ha undici fiori”?
Italian usually uses the verb “to be” in existential sentences to express “there is/are,” not “to have.” So you say ci sono for “there are” rather than “the garden has.”
Could I say In un giardino ci sono undici fiori? What changes?
Yes. Adding the indefinite article un (“a”) makes it “In a garden there are eleven flowers,” implying one garden among many. Without un, it’s general: “In gardens” or “in the garden” in a broad sense.
How do you pronounce undici?
It’s pronounced /ˈun.di.tʃi/. The stress is on the first syllable UN; the “dici” sounds like “DEE-chee.”
Why is fiori plural? Could it ever be singular?
Because undici (11) is greater than one, the noun must be plural: fiori (“flowers”). If there were just one flower, you’d say In giardino c’è un fiore.
How would you ask “How many flowers are in the garden?” in Italian?
You’d say Quanti fiori ci sono in giardino?
- Quanti agrees in gender and number with fiori (masculine plural).
- The rest follows the same existential pattern.
Is it correct to write the number as a digit (11) instead of undici?
In informal contexts or tables, yes, you can write In giardino ci sono 11 fiori. In normal prose or for beginners, spelling out the number (undici) is preferred.