Siamo nella cantina, ma non possiamo uscirne.
We are in the basement, but we cannot get out of there.
Breakdown of Siamo nella cantina, ma non possiamo uscirne.
essere
to be
ma
but
non
not
in
in / made of (material)
uscire
to go out
potere
can, to be able to
la cantina
the cellar
ne
from there
Questions & Answers about Siamo nella cantina, ma non possiamo uscirne.
What does the ne at the end of uscirne do in this sentence?
Here, the clitic ne acts as a locative pronoun meaning "from there" or "out of it" (referring to the basement). To attach it to the infinitive verb uscire, you drop the final -e of the verb and add ne directly to the end.
Since there is a modal verb (potere), could I put the ne before it instead?
Yes! Because possiamo is a modal verb (a helping verb like can, want, or must), you have two choices for placing the clitic. You can attach it to the infinitive (non possiamo uscirne) or place it before the conjugated modal verb (non ne possiamo uscire). Both are perfectly correct and mean the exact same thing.
Would the sentence still make sense if I just said non possiamo uscire without the ne?
Is cantina related to the English word "canteen"?
No, it's a classic false friend! In Italian, a cantina is a cellar, basement, or winery. If you are looking for a school or workplace canteen (cafeteria), the word you need is mensa.
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