Breakdown of Non ne abbiamo abbastanza, ci vogliono due kimono a settimana.
non
not
abbastanza
enough, quite
avere
to have
due
two
la settimana
the week
ne
of it / of them / some (pronoun)
volerci
to take (time, impersonal)
a
per (rate, e.g. per meter)
il kimono
the kimono
Questions & Answers about Non ne abbiamo abbastanza, ci vogliono due kimono a settimana.
Why do we use ci vogliono here instead of abbiamo bisogno di?
The verb volerci expresses general, objective necessity—stating what "is required" or what "it takes" in a given situation. If we used abbiamo bisogno di, it would focus on a personal lack ("we need"), whereas ci vogliono simply states the objective rule or fact that the situation demands two kimonos.
Why is ci vogliono conjugated in the plural form?
What exactly is the role of ne in the first half of the sentence?
Why doesn't the word kimono change its ending to match the plural number due?
Why do we use the preposition a in a settimana to say "a week" or "per week"?
To express rates and frequencies, Italian typically uses the preposition a (e.g., "al giorno", "al mese"). While many of these time expressions combine a with a definite article, a settimana is a fixed idiom that is used without the article.
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