C’è un’emergenza all’ospedale.

There’s an emergency at the hospital.

Breakdown of C’è un’emergenza all’ospedale.

• essere: to be
• a: at
• ci: there
• l’emergenza: the emergency
• l’ospedale: the hospital

Questions & Answers about C’è un’emergenza all’ospedale.

Why is there an apostrophe in C’è?

C’è is a contraction of ci (the existential particle meaning there) + è (third-person singular of essere, is). The apostrophe marks that fusion. Without it you would spell cie, which is incorrect.

What’s the difference between c’è and ce?

c’è (with accent and apostrophe) means there is. ce (no accent) is a clitic pronoun used in other contexts (for example ce l’ho (I have it)). The accent and apostrophe distinguish the existential expression from the pronoun.

Why is è spelled with an accent, and how do I type it?

The grave accent on è indicates it is the verb is, not the conjunction e (and). To type è on Windows use Alt+0232, on Mac use Option+` then e, or long-press e on a smartphone.

Why do we say un’emergenza instead of una emergenza?

Before a vowel, the feminine article una drops its final a, becoming un’, to avoid two adjacent vowel sounds: una emergenza → un’emergenza.

How do I decide when to elide an article like una?

You elide una (to un’) whenever the next word begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u). Similarly la→l’, lo→l’, le→l’ before vowels. No elision occurs before consonants.

What does all’ospedale stand for, and why the apostrophe?

all’ is a contraction of a (to/at) + l’ (the before vowels). The full form is a l’ospedale. The apostrophe shows the dropped vowel in the article.

Can I say in ospedale instead of all’ospedale? What’s the nuance?

Yes. in ospedale (preposition in + noun) means in the hospital (inside). all’ospedale (preposition a + article) means at the hospital (location or arrival). The difference is subtle and both are common.

How would this sentence change if there were multiple emergencies?

You would use the plural existential form ci sono and the plural noun emergenze: Ci sono emergenze all’ospedale. This means There are emergencies at the hospital.

How do I pronounce C’è un’emergenza all’ospedale smoothly?

Pronounce it as [tʃe uˈnɛmerdʒɛnˈtsa al ospedaˈle]. Link C’è un’ as one phrase: [tʃe uˈnɛmerdʒɛnˈtsa]. Apostrophes show elisions, not extra pauses.

How can I tell the gender of emergenza and ospedale by their endings?

Nouns ending in -enza (Latin -entia) are almost always feminine → emergenza is feminine. Nouns ending in -ale (Latin -alis) are often masculine → ospedale is masculine. When in doubt, consult a dictionary.