La fraseologia con ci e ne: avercela, entrarci, starci

La fraseologia con ci e ne: avercela, entrarci, starci means “Idioms where ci and ne fuse into a verb with an unpredictable meaning”. This is the advanced end of the pronominal verbs (itg048): a set of very frequent idioms where ci or ne is welded to a verb and the meaning is completely non-compositional — you cannot work it out from the parts. Formation: verbi con ci/ne dal senso idiomatico non composizionale — avercela con qc = essere arrabbiato · entrarci = avere a che fare · starci = essere d'accordo/disponibile · non poterne più = essere esausto

Idioms where ci and ne fuse into a verb with an unpredictable meaning

C1

Formation

verbi con ci/ne dal senso idiomatico non composizionale — avercela con qc = essere arrabbiato · entrarci = avere a che fare · starci = essere d'accordo/disponibile · non poterne più = essere esausto

Explanation

This is the advanced end of the pronominal verbs (itg048): a set of very frequent idioms where ci or ne is welded to a verb and the meaning is completely non-compositional — you cannot work it out from the parts. avercela con qualcuno = to have a grudge against / be annoyed with someone: ce l'ho con te (I'm cross with you). entrarci = to have to do with, to be relevant: che c'entra? (what's that got to do with it?), non c'entra niente (it's totally irrelevant). starci = to be up for it / to agree: facciamo a metà? — ci sto! (shall we split it? — I'm in!); it can also mean "to fit" (in valigia non ci sta). non poterne più = to be unable to take any more, to be worn out: non ne posso più di questo caldo. These are pure vocabulary: the ci/ne no longer point at anything, they are part of the verb's identity.

Examples

Perché ce l'hai con me?
Why are you angry at me?
Questa storia non c'entra niente con me.
This business has nothing to do with me.
Andiamo al cinema stasera? — Ci sto!
Shall we go to the movies tonight? — I'm in!

Note

Don't parse the ci/ne — memorize the whole idiom and its meaning. che c'entra? and non ne posso più are everyday spoken phrases worth knowing as fixed units. This is where the clitic system stops being grammar and becomes vocabulary.

FAQ

La fraseologia con ci e ne: avercela, entrarci, starci — what does it mean and how is it used?

Idioms where ci and ne fuse into a verb with an unpredictable meaning. This is the advanced end of the pronominal verbs (itg048): a set of very frequent idioms where ci or ne is welded to a verb and the meaning is completely non-compositional — you cannot work it out from the parts. avercela con qualcuno = to have a grudge against / be annoyed with someone: ce l'ho con te (I'm cross with you). entrarci = to have to do with, to be relevant: che c'entra? (what's that got to do with it?), non c'entra niente (it's totally irrelevant). starci = to be up for it / to agree: facciamo a metà? — ci sto! (shall we split it? — I'm in!); it can also mean "to fit" (in valigia non ci sta). non poterne più = to be unable to take any more, to be worn out: non ne posso più di questo caldo. These are pure vocabulary: the ci/ne no longer point at anything, they are part of the verb's identity.

La fraseologia con ci e ne: avercela, entrarci, starci — how do you form it?

verbi con ci/ne dal senso idiomatico non composizionale — avercela con qc = essere arrabbiato · entrarci = avere a che fare · starci = essere d'accordo/disponibile · non poterne più = essere esausto

La fraseologia con ci e ne: avercela, entrarci, starci — any usage notes?

Don't parse the ci/ne — memorize the whole idiom and its meaning. che c'entra? and non ne posso più are everyday spoken phrases worth knowing as fixed units. This is where the clitic system stops being grammar and becomes vocabulary.

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