Learn Hardcore Italian: 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.

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?

ce = the ci of the existential pattern c’è/ci sono (“there is/are”)
ne = partitive clitic (“of it/of them”)
è = “is”

Together, ce n’è means “there is (some/one) of it.” For the plural: ce ne sono (“there are some/of them”).

Why is it written ce n’è and not c’è ne, cen’è, or ce né?

Correct: ce n’è (three words). The sequence ne + è contracts to n’è.
Not: c’è ne (the ne must come before the verb, between ce and è).
Not: cen’è (they are separate words).
Not: ce né (né with an accent means “neither/nor”).

What does ne refer to in ce n’è una? Can I change number/gender?

Ne stands for “of it/of them,” referring to the previously mentioned item. You can vary number and gender:

Singular masculine: Ce n’è uno.
Singular feminine: Ce n’è una.
Plural: Ce ne sono due/alcuni/molti.

Can I say the sentence without ne? When is ne required?

If you name the noun, you can omit ne: C’è una batteria di scorta nel cassetto.
If you replace the noun with “one,” you need ne: Ce n’è una (di scorta) nel cassetto.
Without ne, una would be “floating” with nothing to refer back to.

Why is it una here and not uno?

Una is the pronoun “one” agreeing with a feminine noun understood from context (e.g., penna, batteria, chiave). If the understood noun is masculine, use uno:

Feminine: Non ce l’ho, ma ce n’è una di scorta…
Masculine: Non ce l’ho, ma ce n’è uno di scorta…

In ce l’ho, is l’ masculine or feminine?

L’ is the elided form of either lo (masc.) or la (fem.) before a vowel, so it’s ambiguous by itself. In the full sentence, una later shows the item is feminine; so here l’ stands for la.

Is di scorta a fixed expression? What else could I say?

Yes, di scorta is a set phrase meaning “spare/backup.” Common alternatives:

di ricambio
di riserva Note: una scorta means “a stock/supply,” not “a spare one.”

Why is it nel cassetto and not nello or nella cassetto?

nel = in + il (masculine singular): il cassetto → nel cassetto
nello is used with nouns that take lo (s+consonant, z, gn, ps, x, y): nello zaino, nello specchio
nella is for feminine nouns (nella borsa, nella scatola)

Can I move parts around? For example: Nel cassetto ce n’è una di scorta?

Yes. Acceptable variants include:

Ce n’è una di scorta nel cassetto.
Nel cassetto ce n’è una di scorta. Keep the clitics (ce ne) before the verb (è/sono). Don’t split them incorrectly.

How would the plural look?

Possession denied (plural): Non ce li ho / Non ce le ho (“I don’t have them,” masc./fem.)
Existence (plural): …ma ce ne sono due di scorta nel cassetto. (“…but there are two spares in the drawer.”)

Are the two ce in the sentence the same word?

They both derive from ci, but they play different roles:

In ce l’ho, ce is the form of ci used before another clitic with avere to express possession.
In ce n’è, ce is the ci of the existential c’è/ci sono (“there is/are”).

What are common mistakes learners make with this sentence?

Writing c’è ne, cen’è, or ce né instead of correct ce n’è.
Using Non l’ho for possession instead of Non ce l’ho.
Dropping ne when using “one” without naming the noun: need ce n’è una, unless you say the noun (c’è una penna).
Wrong article contraction: nello cassetto or nella cassetto instead of nel cassetto.
Gender mismatch between the hidden noun and uno/una.