Learn Italian: La sfortuna non esiste; non ci credo più. - Bad luck does not exist; I don't believe in it anymore.

La sfortuna non esiste; non ci credo più.

Bad luck does not exist; I don't believe in it anymore.

Breakdown of La sfortuna non esiste; non ci credo più.

non

not

più

more / anymore (with 'non')

Questions & Answers about La sfortuna non esiste; non ci credo più.

Why do we use ci here instead of translating "in it" literally?

In Italian, the verb "to believe in" a concept or thing is credere a (literally "to believe to"). To replace "to it" (referring back to bad luck), we use the pronoun ci. So ci credo means "I believe in it".

How do you form "not anymore" in Italian?

You use the structure non ... più. The non goes before the verb (and before any pronouns like ci), and più goes immediately after the verb. So, non ci credo più translates perfectly to "I don't believe in it anymore".

Why does sfortuna mean "bad luck"? Is it related to fortuna?

Exactly! In Italian, adding the prefix s- to the beginning of a word often gives it the opposite meaning, much like "un-" or "dis-" in English. Fortuna is "luck", so sfortuna becomes "bad luck".

Could I use ci if I wanted to say I don't believe a person?

Usually not. While ci replaces a + something for concepts or things, we use indirect object pronouns for people. To say "I don't believe him" or "I don't believe her", you would use non gli credo or non le credo (literally, "I don't believe to him/her").