Learn Italian: Qualcuno diffonde quel pettegolezzo, ma non ci credo. - Someone is spreading that gossip, but I do not believe it.

Qualcuno diffonde quel pettegolezzo, ma non ci credo.

Someone is spreading that gossip, but I do not believe it.

Breakdown of Qualcuno diffonde quel pettegolezzo, ma non ci credo.

Questions & Answers about Qualcuno diffonde quel pettegolezzo, ma non ci credo.

Since this lesson is about ne, why do we use ci in non ci credo instead of ne?

The pronoun ne replaces phrases that start with the preposition di (of/about). However, the verb credere requires the preposition a when you believe a fact or story (credere a qualcosa). To replace a phrase starting with a, Italian uses ci. So, ci credo means "I believe it" (literally, "I believe to it").

Why is it quel pettegolezzo and not quello pettegolezzo?

When quello (that) is used directly before a noun, it changes its shape exactly like the definite article for "the" (il, lo, la, etc.). Because pettegolezzo starts with a single consonant, it would take the article il. Therefore, quello drops its ending to match, becoming quel.

In English, "gossip" is an uncountable noun. Is pettegolezzo countable in Italian?

Yes! In Italian, un pettegolezzo refers to a specific rumor or a single piece of gossip. Because it is countable, you can use it in the plural to talk about multiple rumors: i pettegolezzi.

What is the infinitive of diffonde?