Non ce l’ho, ma ce n’è una di scorta nel cassetto.

I don’t have it, but there’s a spare one in the drawer.

Breakdown of Non ce l’ho, ma ce n’è una di scorta nel cassetto.

• io: I
• avere: to have
• ma: but
• non: not

Questions & Answers about Non ce l’ho, ma ce n’è una di scorta nel cassetto.

Why is it Non ce l’ho and not simply Non l’ho?

Because to express possession with the verb avere plus a direct-object pronoun (lo/la/li/le), Italian uses the clitic ci (which becomes ce before another clitic). So:

• Possession: Hai la penna? — No, non ce l’ho.
• Auxiliary “have” for past tenses: L’ho vista. (“I saw it/her.”)

Without ce, l’ho is read as the auxiliary “have” and normally needs a past participle (l’ho fatto, l’ho preso, etc.). For simple “I have it / I don’t have it,” use ce l’ho / non ce l’ho.

What exactly are the pieces in ce l’ho?

It’s a clitic stack:

• ce = form of ci that appears before lo/la/li/le/ne
• l’ = elided form of lo or la (“it”)
• ho = “I have”

So: ci + lo + ho → ce l’ho. With negation: non ce l’ho (the negation comes first).

How do I say it in other persons (Do you have it? He has it? etc.)?

• I: Ce l’ho / Non ce l’ho
• You (sing.): Ce l’hai / Non ce l’hai
• He/She: Ce l’ha / Non ce l’ha
• We: Ce l’abbiamo / Non ce l’abbiamo
• You (pl.): Ce l’avete / Non ce l’avete
• They: Ce l’hanno / Non ce l’hanno

What does ce n’è mean, and why are both ce and ne there?