Log inSign up

Tengo molto a questo amuleto; non dovresti rinunciarci.

Tengo molto a questo amuleto; non dovresti rinunciarci.
I care a lot about this amulet; you shouldn't give it up.
From Lesson 160:The complement clitic (ci)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Tengo molto a questo amuleto; non dovresti rinunciarci.

Why does tengo mean "I care" here instead of "I keep"?
The verb tenere on its own usually means "to keep" or "to hold". However, the specific expression tenere a (something or someone) means "to care about" or "to be attached to" it. So, tengo molto a questo amuleto means "I care a lot about this amulet."
What does the ci in rinunciarci mean here?
It stands in for "it" (or "on it"). The verb rinunciare (to give up) requires the preposition a. Because the speaker just mentioned the amulet, instead of repeating a questo amuleto ("give up on this amulet"), they replace that whole a + noun phrase with the small word ci.
Why is ci attached to the very end of rinunciarci?
When you use a little pronoun like ci with an infinitive verb (a verb in its dictionary form, like rinunciare), it attaches directly to the end of the word. The final -e of the infinitive is dropped to make it fit: rinunciare + ci = rinunciarci. This happens frequently after helper verbs like dovresti.
Is dovresti the regular present tense of dovere?
No, it is the conditional tense. While the regular present tense devi means "you must" or "you have to", the conditional dovresti softens it to mean "you should" or "you ought to".

Learn Tengo molto a questo amuleto; non dovresti rinunciarci and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →