Learn Italian: Questa è la cartella. Ci ho messo i file importanti. - This is the folder. I put the important files there.

Questa è la cartella. Ci ho messo i file importanti.

This is the folder. I put the important files there.

Breakdown of Questa è la cartella. Ci ho messo i file importanti.

Questions & Answers about Questa è la cartella. Ci ho messo i file importanti.

What does ci mean in the second sentence? Doesn't it usually mean 'us'?

While ci often means 'us', here it acts as a location word meaning 'there' or 'in it'. It replaces a place that was just mentioned, which in this case is la cartella (the folder).

Why doesn't the word file change its spelling to show it is plural?

File is a borrowed English word. In Italian, foreign loanwords ending in a consonant do not change their spelling in the plural. You can tell it is plural here because it uses the plural article i and the plural adjective importanti.

Why is the adjective importanti used instead of importante?

Adjectives that end in '-e' in the singular, like importante, always change their ending to '-i' in the plural. This happens for both masculine and feminine words. Since i file is plural, the adjective becomes importanti.

What is the infinitive (dictionary form) of the verb messo?

It comes from mettere (to put). It has an irregular past participle, which is why the past tense form is ho messo (I put / I have put) instead of following the regular '-uto' pattern.

Is cartella used for computer folders or physical folders?