Learn Italian: C'è un ottimo ristorante in centro. - There is an excellent restaurant downtown.

C'è un ottimo ristorante in centro.

There is an excellent restaurant downtown.

Breakdown of C'è un ottimo ristorante in centro.

Questions & Answers about C'è un ottimo ristorante in centro.

What exactly does c'è stand for?

C'è means "there is". It is a combination of ci (there) and è (is). Because ci ends in a vowel and è starts with one, they merge together with an apostrophe to make it easier to pronounce!

How would I change this sentence to say "There are excellent restaurants"?

You would use ci sono (there are) instead of c'è. The sentence becomes Ci sono ottimi ristoranti in centro. Notice that the article un is dropped, and both ottimo and ristorante change their endings to -i for the plural.

Why is ottimo placed before the noun? I thought Italian adjectives come after.

You are right that most Italian adjectives go after the noun (like un ristorante italiano). However, a few very common adjectives that describe basic qualities (like good, bad, big, small) often go before it. Ottimo means "excellent" or "very good", so it usually sits right in front of the noun.

Why is it just in centro and not "in the center" with an article?