Learn Italian: Ci sono sette o otto persone in questo gruppo. - There are seven or eight people in this group.

Ci sono sette o otto persone in questo gruppo.

There are seven or eight people in this group.

Breakdown of Ci sono sette o otto persone in questo gruppo.

Questions & Answers about Ci sono sette o otto persone in questo gruppo.

Do numbers like sette and otto change their endings to match the feminine word persone?

No, they don't. In Italian, numbers from two onwards (like sette for seven and otto for eight) always stay the exact same, no matter if the word they describe is masculine or feminine. Only the number one (uno, una) changes to match the gender of the noun.

Why do we use ci sono to mean 'there are'? Can't we just say sono?

If you just say sono, it simply means 'they are' or 'I am'. To say 'there are' to point out that something exists or is located somewhere, you have to add ci to make the phrase ci sono. If you were talking about just one person, you would use c'è for 'there is'.

The word persone looks like 'person'. Does Italian use the same word for 'person' and 'people'?

Yes! In Italian, the singular is una persona (a person) and the plural is persone (people). You just use the regular plural form, unlike English which changes the word completely.

Why does the sentence use questo instead of questa for 'this'?

Questo means 'this' and is used here because gruppo (group) is a masculine noun. If you were talking about a feminine noun, you would use questa.