In giardino non c’è neppure una sedia.

In the garden there isn’t even a chair.

Breakdown of In giardino non c’è neppure una sedia.

• la sedia: the chair
• in: in
• il giardino: the garden
• non: not
• esserci: there is
• neppure: even

Questions & Answers about In giardino non c’è neppure una sedia.

Why is there no article before giardino (why in giardino and not nel giardino)?

• In giardino is used for a generic or unspecified location, similar to “in the garden” in English when you’re speaking in general.
• Nel giardino (in + il giardino) implies a specific garden, often followed by more detail (e.g. nel giardino di Maria).

What exactly is c’è? Is it two words?

• c’è is a contraction of ci
  • è.
• ci is a locative particle meaning “there,” and è is the third-person singular of essere (“to be”).
• Together c’è means “there is.”
• The apostrophe shows that the vowel of ci has merged with è.

What does neppure mean in this sentence?

• neppure is an adverb that intensifies a negation: “not even.”
• Here, non c’è neppure una sedia literally means “there isn’t even one chair.”
• Synonymous words are nemmeno and neanche, all meaning “not even.”

Why is it una sedia (singular) instead of sedie (plural)?

• Using the singular una sedia emphasizes “not even one chair.”
• If you said non ci sono neanche sedie, you’d mean “there aren’t even any chairs,” which is also correct but less focused on the idea of “a single one.”
• Singular after “not even” stresses the minimum unit (“one”).

Could I put neppure before the verb, as in non neppure c’è una sedia?

• The most common word order is non + verb + neppure, so non c’è neppure…
• Placing neppure before the verb (non neppure c’è) sounds literary or archaic.
• If you want a slightly more colloquial feel, you can also say non c’è neanche una sedia.

Are neppure, nemmeno, and neanche interchangeable?

• Yes, they all mean “not even,” but there are style differences:
  • neanche is the most colloquial
  • nemmeno is neutral
  • neppure is a bit more formal or emphatic
• You can choose based on register, but the meaning remains the same.

Can I move in giardino to the end: Non c’è neppure una sedia in giardino? Does the meaning change?

• Yes, you can say Non c’è neppure una sedia in giardino.
• Italian word order is flexible: placing in giardino at the end shifts the focus slightly onto the absence of chairs rather than the location.
• Both versions are correct; it’s a matter of emphasis.

Why is the particle ci spelled as ce in c’è?

• When the locative pronoun ci precedes a vowel, it often changes to ce for euphony.
• The two vowels merge, and the apostrophe marks the dropped vowel.
• So ci è becomes ce è, written as c’è and pronounced /tʃɛ/.