Learn Italian: La magia? Non ci bado, ma il corno mi protegge. - Magic? I do not pay attention to it, but the horn protects me.

La magia? Non ci bado, ma il corno mi protegge.

Magic? I do not pay attention to it, but the horn protects me.

Breakdown of La magia? Non ci bado, ma il corno mi protegge.

Questions & Answers about La magia? Non ci bado, ma il corno mi protegge.

What does ci mean in Non ci bado?

In this sentence, ci replaces the preposition a plus the topic just mentioned (la magia). The verb badare (to pay attention) requires the preposition a. Instead of saying Non bado alla magia (I don't pay attention to magic), the speaker uses ci to mean 'to it'.

Why is it La magia instead of just Magia?

In English, we drop the word 'the' when talking about general categories or abstract concepts (like love, time, or magic). Italian almost always keeps the definite article for these, so 'Magic' translates to La magia.

What does bado mean on its own?

It is the 'io' form of the verb badare, which means 'to mind', 'to look after', or 'to pay attention'. Because it connects to its object with the preposition a (badare a), it naturally pairs with the pronoun ci.

Is mi in mi protegge working the same way as ci?

They are both pronouns placed right before their verbs, but they do slightly different jobs. ci replaces a phrase starting with a ('to it'), while mi is a direct object pronoun simply meaning 'me' (il corno mi protegge = the horn protects me).