Learn Italian: Ci sono troppe macchine e c'è traffico. - There are too many cars, and there is traffic.

Ci sono means "there are" and is used before plural nouns, like macchine (cars). C'è means "there is" and is used before singular nouns, like traffico (traffic).

Why is there an apostrophe in c'è but not in ci sono?

C'è is a combination of ci (there) and è (is). Because è starts with a vowel, the i in ci is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe to make it flow better. We don't do this with ci sono because sono starts with a consonant.

Why is the word for "too many" written as troppe?

Words that describe quantity, like troppo (too much/many), have to match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Since macchine (cars) is feminine and plural, troppo takes the feminine plural ending to become troppe.

How do I know macchine is feminine and plural?