Following Recipes
When talking about cooking, you will need to name ingredients and follow steps like mixing or cutting.
| I use oil and pepper for the recipe. | Uso l'olio e il pepe per la ricetta. |
| You must mix the milk and the sugar. | Devi mescolare il latte e lo zucchero. |
The Partitive Pronoun Ne
When you want to talk about a specific quantity or portion of something you just mentioned, you can avoid repeating the noun by using the pronoun ne. It translates roughly to "of it", "of them", or "some".
Just like other clitic pronouns, ne must be placed immediately before the conjugated verb.
| The meat is excellent, I am eating a piece of it. | La carne è ottima, ne mangio un pezzo. |
| Is there still cake? I want two slices of it, please. | C'è ancora torta? Ne voglio due fette, per favore. |
Amounts and Numbers
You will frequently use ne alongside numbers, weights (like grams), or words expressing vague amounts (like "a little" or "some"). The number or amount word stays at the end of the sentence, while ne goes before the verb to replace the noun.
| We have a hundred grams of pasta, I am cooking fifty. | Abbiamo cento grammi di pasta, ne cucino cinquanta. |
| We are out of oil, I am buying a little. | Manca l'olio, ne compro poco. |
| How many tomatoes are you buying? I am buying twelve. | Quanti pomodori compri? Ne compro dodici. |
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