Breakdown of Ci tengo molto all'onore e all'orgoglio della famiglia.
e
and
molto
a lot of / much
la famiglia
the family
a
to / at
del
of the; than the (di + il)
tenerci
to care about / attach importance to (pronominal)
l'onore
the honor (m)
l'orgoglio
the pride (m)
Questions & Answers about Ci tengo molto all'onore e all'orgoglio della famiglia.
What exactly does the ci do in ci tengo?
It is part of the pronominal verb tenerci (to care about / to value). While tenere alone means to hold or to keep, adding the pronoun ci changes the meaning to holding importance to something. You can think of the ci as representing to it or about it.
Why do we use all' before onore and orgoglio instead of just l' or per l'?
When you specify what you care about using tenerci, you must link it with the preposition a. Because onore and orgoglio are specific nouns starting with vowels, the a combines with the definite article l' to create the articulated preposition all'.
Is it necessary to repeat all' before orgoglio? Could I just say all'onore e orgoglio?
I know importare also means to care. Could I use that instead of tenerci here?
Yes, you could say Mi importa molto dell'onore and the core meaning is the same. Just remember that importare takes the preposition di, whereas tenerci takes a. Additionally, tenerci often implies a slightly deeper, more personal sense of emotional dedication.
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