Learn Italian: L'otorino ha confermato che adesso ci sento bene. - The ENT doctor confirmed that now I can hear well.

L'otorino ha confermato che adesso ci sento bene.

The ENT doctor confirmed that now I can hear well.

Breakdown of L'otorino ha confermato che adesso ci sento bene.

Questions & Answers about L'otorino ha confermato che adesso ci sento bene.

Why is there a ci before sento? Doesn't sento already mean 'I hear'?

Sentire means 'to hear' a specific sound or thing. Adding ci creates the pronominal verb sentirci, which refers to the physical ability to hear. The sentence is about the patient's sensory capacity returning to normal, not about hearing a specific noise, so ci sento is the perfect fit.

Why wouldn't I translate 'I can hear well' using the verb potere, like posso sentire bene?

While posso sentire makes grammatical sense, it usually means you have the opportunity to hear something (for example, if the room is quiet enough). When talking about the physical, medical capacity of your senses—like having your hearing checked by a doctor—Italians use sentirci rather than a modal verb like potere.

Does the ci in this sentence mean 'us' or 'there'?

Neither! At this level, you're meeting verbs where ci is just a built-in particle that changes the verb's meaning (often called the 'ci attualizzante'). It doesn't act as a pronoun for a place or a person; it's permanently attached to sentire to focus on the physical sense.

Is otorino the formal medical term for an ENT doctor?