To express that you care deeply about something or attach importance to it, Italian uses the pronominal verb tenerci.
| to care about / attach importance to (pronominal) | tenerci |
Tenerci a + Noun
Conjugate tenerci exactly like tenere, placing the pronoun ci before the verb (e.g., ci tengo, ci tieni). To specify what you care about, use the preposition a.
When followed by a noun, a usually combines with a definite article to form an articulated preposition (such as al, alla, or all').
| I care a lot about the family's honor and pride. | Ci tengo molto all'onore e all'orgoglio della famiglia. |
| He does not care about ethics, and not even about consistency. | Non ci tiene all'etica, e neanche alla coerenza. |
Tenerci a + Infinitive
To say you care about doing something, follow a directly with an infinitive verb.
| We care about preserving the authenticity of this dish. | Ci teniamo a preservare l'autenticità di questo piatto. |
Tenerci in Other Tenses
Tenerci works in any tense or mood. The pronoun ci continues to sit right in front of the conjugated verb, whether you are speaking in the imperfect or the subjunctive.
| Despite being tired, grandfather cared about craftsmanship. | Pur essendo stanco, il nonno ci teneva all'artigianato. |
| I thought you cared about our ethics. | Credevo che tu ci avessi tenuto alla nostra etica. |
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