Learn Italian: Manca l'olio, ne compro poco. - We are out of oil, I am buying a little.

Manca l'olio, ne compro poco.

We are out of oil, I am buying a little.

Breakdown of Manca l'olio, ne compro poco.

poco

little, few, not very

comprare

to buy

mancare

to be missing / to lack

l'olio

oil

Questions & Answers about Manca l'olio, ne compro poco.

Why does manca l'olio translate to "We are out of oil"? Where is the word for "we"?

There is no "we" in the Italian sentence! The verb mancare (to be missing or to lack) works similarly to piacere. The literal translation is "The oil is missing." Because l'olio is the grammatical subject, the verb takes the "he/she/it" form manca. The translation "We are out of oil" just sounds more natural in English.

Why do we need the word ne here?

Ne is used here to mean "of it" (specifically, "of the oil"). In Italian, when you state the quantity of a noun that was just mentioned (poco in this case), you must use ne to link the quantity back to that noun. You are literally saying, "I am buying a little of it."

Where exactly does ne go in the sentence?

Like most other pronouns you have learned (such as mi, ti, lo, or la), the general rule is to put ne directly before the conjugated verb. That is why it sits right in front of compro.

Could I use un po' instead of poco?

Yes, but the meaning is slightly different. Poco is usually translated as "little" or "not much," emphasizing that the amount is very small. Un po' means "a little" or "a bit," which is a more neutral way to express a small quantity without highlighting the lack of it.