C'è vs. ce vs. ci

There are two main etymologies of the Italian words ce/ci:
  • As an adverb, they mean "there" and they form part of the expressions c'è.../ci sono... ("there is.../there are..."). When a word comes between the adverb and the verb, the contraction is broken up (e.g., Ce n'è...).
  • As a pronoun, ci can have multiple different meanings (see below). The pronoun ci becomes ce when it is followed by a third person direct object clitic pronoun (lo, la, li, le, or ne).

C'è

  • there is...

    Fai attenzione. C'è una buca per strada. (Look out! There's a hole in the road.)
    Venite dentro. C'è freddo fuori. (Come inside. It's cold outside.)

Ce

  • (to) us (dative pronoun)

    Ce lo avrebbe detto. (He would've told us.)
    Ce ne andremo domani, tempo permettendo. (We'll leave tomorrow, weather permitting.)

  • (part of verbs [e.g., farcela = to manage to do something])

    Non ce la facevo a guardare. (I couldn't stand looking at it.)

  • ce n'è:

    Sto cercando una banca. Ce n'è una qua vicino? (I'm looking for a bank. Is there one near here?)
    Vuole un bicchiere? Ce n'è uno sul tavolo. (Do you want a glass? There is one on the table.)

Ci

  • ci sono...: there are...

    Ci sono molti edifici alti. (There are many tall buildings.)
    Non ci sono auto in strada. (There are no cars on the street.)

  • us (accusative pronoun)

    Non ci sentono. (They don't hear us.)
    Ci sta guardando adesso, vero? (He's looking at us now, isn't he?)

  • (to) us (dative pronoun)

    Ci paghi ogni settimana. (You pay us every week.)
    Tu ci hai mentito, vero? (You lied to us, didn't you?)

  • ourselves, each other (reflexive pronoun)

    Noi ci rilassammo in salotto. (We relaxed in the living room.)
    Ci rivedremo tra tre ore. (We'll meet again in three hours.)

  • it, to it

    Mi ci devo abituare prima. (I have to get used to it first.)
    Quanto tempo ci vuole a imparare a suonare lo xilofono? (How long does it take to learn to play the xylophone?)

  • one (replaces the indefinite personal pronoun si ["one"] before reflexive si ["oneself"])

    Ci si deve togliere le scarpe prima di entrare nelle case. (One must take off one's shoes before entering houses.)

  • (part of verbs [e.g., volerci = to require/to take])

    Ci vogliono circa 15 minuti per arrivare al mio ufficio. (It takes about 15 minutes to get to my office.)