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Oggi ci metteremo meno tempo, oppure restiamo a casa.

Oggi ci metteremo meno tempo, oppure restiamo a casa.
Today we will take less time, or else we’ll stay home.
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Questions & Answers about Oggi ci metteremo meno tempo, oppure restiamo a casa.

What does the "ci" in "ci metteremo" do? Is it "us"?

Here "ci" is the fixed particle of the pronominal verb metterci, which means "to take (time)". It does not mean "us". The subject is shown by the verb ending.

  • Examples:
    • Io ci metto un’ora. (I take an hour.)
    • Loro ci metteranno poco (tempo). (They will take little time.)
  • Note: This "ci" stays the same for all persons: ci metto, ci metti, ci mette, ci mettiamo, ci mettete, ci mettono.
Can I drop "ci" and say just "Metteremo meno tempo"?

No. Without "ci", mettere does not mean "to take (time)". Use:

  • Ci metteremo meno tempo. (with metterci), or
  • Impiegheremo meno tempo. (with impiegare), or
  • Impersonal: Ci vorrà meno tempo.
What’s the difference between metterci and volerci?
  • Metterci focuses on the person doing the activity:
    • Noi ci metteremo due ore. (We will take two hours.)
  • Volerci is impersonal; time is the grammatical subject:
    • Ci vorranno due ore. (It will take two hours.) Both are very common; choose depending on whether you want to highlight the doer (metterci) or the time needed (volerci).
Why is one clause future (metteremo) and the other present (restiamo)? Shouldn’t both be future?

Both are possible, with a nuance difference:

  • Oppure restiamo a casa uses the present as a proposal/decision (effectively “or else let’s stay home”), which is very natural in Italian.
  • Oppure resteremo a casa treats both as future possibilities, more neutral and symmetrical. Neither is wrong; the present here sounds a bit more immediate or decisive.
Is oppure the same as o? When should I use which? What about altrimenti or sennò?
  • o = or (neutral)
  • oppure = or, or else (often a bit clearer/stronger; common in offering alternatives)
  • altrimenti / sennò = otherwise (introduces a consequence if the first option doesn’t work) In your sentence, oppure offers an alternative. You could also say o (more neutral) or altrimenti/sennò (if you mean “otherwise”).
Should there be a comma before oppure?

A comma is optional and often used to mark a pause before an alternative, as in your sentence. Without the comma is also fine:

  • Oggi ci metteremo meno tempo oppure restiamo a casa. Use a semicolon for a bigger pause: … meno tempo; oppure restiamo a casa.
Where does "ci" go with other verb forms of metterci?
  • Before a conjugated verb: ci metteremo, ci metto, ci ho messo.
  • Attached to an infinitive/gerund/imperative:
    • metterci (infinitive), mettendoci (gerund),
    • mettiamoci meno tempo! (Let’s take less time!)
  • With compound tenses, put it before the auxiliary: ci ho messo un’ora.
How do I specify what we’ll take less time to do?

Use a + infinitive after metterci:

  • Ci metteremo meno tempo a finire il lavoro.
  • Ci mettiamo poco a prepararci. Using per + infinitive is more natural with impiegare: Impiegheremo meno tempo per finire il lavoro.
Why is it a casa and not alla casa or in casa?
  • a casa is an idiomatic, article-less set phrase for “home”: vado a casa, sono a casa, resto a casa.
  • in casa means “inside the house/indoors,” focusing on being inside rather than the destination “home.” Both are correct but slightly different in nuance.
Can I say stiamo a casa or rimaniamo a casa instead of restiamo a casa?

Yes:

  • restare and rimanere are near-synonyms here.
  • stare a casa is also common and idiomatic. Minor nuances exist (stare = stay/being located; restare/rimanere = remain/not leave), but in this context all three work.
Is meno tempo the only option? What about di meno?

Both are possible, with a small difference:

  • meno tempo uses the noun “time”: Ci metteremo meno tempo.
  • di meno is an adverb meaning “less (of it)”: Ci metteremo di meno. Use meno tempo if you want to name the quantity; di meno if you’re speaking more elliptically.
How do I say “less time than yesterday/last time”?
  • With nouns/pronouns, use di (often contracting to del/della…):
    • meno tempo di ieri
    • meno tempo dell’ultima volta
    • meno tempo di te
  • With verbs/clauses, use che or di quanto:
    • meno tempo che pensavo
    • meno tempo di quanto pensassi
Can I move oggi somewhere else?

Yes. All are fine, with only slight changes in emphasis:

  • Oggi ci metteremo meno tempo.
  • Ci metteremo meno tempo oggi.
  • Ci metteremo oggi meno tempo. (less common, but possible in speech for focus)
Could the whole thing be a question?

Yes. If you’re proposing alternatives, you can say:

  • Oggi ci metteremo meno tempo, oppure restiamo a casa? This reads like: “Today will it take us less time, or shall we stay home?”
Any quick pronunciation tips?
  • metteremo has a double T: met-te-rè-mo (stress on -re-).
  • ci sounds like “chee” [t͡ʃi].
  • oppure is op-pù-re (double P, stress on -pu-).
  • restiamo is re-stià-mo (stress on -stia-).