Breakdown of Ci teniamo a preservare l'autenticità di questo piatto.
questo
this (masculine)
il piatto
the plate
di
of, from
a
(linking a verb to a following infinitive)
tenerci
to care about / attach importance to (pronominal)
preservare
to preserve (protect from harm)
l'autenticità
authenticity
Questions & Answers about Ci teniamo a preservare l'autenticità di questo piatto.
Why is there a ci in front of teniamo?
The ci is part of the pronominal verb tenerci. While tenere alone usually means 'to hold' or 'to keep', adding the pronoun ci changes the meaning to 'to care about', 'to value', or 'to attach importance to'. It conjugates just like tenere, with ci placed before the conjugated verb.
Why do we use the preposition a before preservare?
When tenerci is followed by another verb to express what you care about doing, it always requires the preposition a before the infinitive. If you were linking it to a noun instead of a verb, you would still use a (for example, Ci teniamo alla tradizione).
Could I translate 'We care about' using importare instead?
Yes, but the grammar and nuance change. Tenerci conjugates to match the person who cares (noi ci teniamo). Importare works like piacere, making the action the subject: Ci importa preservare... (literally: 'Preserving matters to us'). Tenerci also often carries a stronger sense of active personal effort than importare.
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