Town, Region and Country
Describing what is in your town, where Italian makes you choose: one thing or several, because the two words for "there is" are not interchangeable.
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One, or more than one? 🏙️
English has one phrase for this and uses it everywhere: **there is** a park, **there are** two shops. Fine - except you barely notice the change. Italian makes you notice. It has **two different expressions**, and choosing between them is the first thing you do when describing your town. Better still, the choice runs on the plural rule you already know, so this is that rule earning its keep rather than a new one to learn.
Where you live 🗂️
Four words to learn, plus three that are nearly free: **la città** (the city), **la regione** (the region) and **il parco** (the park).
Match each word to its meaning
- il paese
- la via
- il negozio
- il quartiere
- a village or small town, or a country
- street
- shop
- neighbourhood or district
Two words for "there is" ☝️
**c'è** goes with **one** thing. **ci sono** goes with **more than one**. **c'è un parco** - there is a park. **ci sono due negozi** - there are two shops. **And notice what the choice depends on.** You cannot pick one without knowing whether the noun is singular or plural - which is the rule you met with il becoming i and la becoming le. This is that rule doing a job. **One exception worth knowing now**: **la città** does not change in the plural. One is la città and several are le città, so only the article tells you which is meant - and therefore whether you need c'è or ci sono.
Which is right? ❓
How do you say "there are two shops"?
- ci sono due negozi
- c'è due negozi
- c'è un negozio
- sono due negozi
The rule 📝
Italian has two ways to say there is or there are. Use _____ with a single thing and _____ with more than one. So "there are two shops" is _____. Choosing between them depends on the _____ rule you already know. And one word to watch: la città does not change, so several of them are le _____.
What would have to change? ✍️
An interactive activity.
Order them by size 🪜
An interactive activity.
Which are correct? ✅
Select the TWO correct sentences.
- c'è una via molto lunga
- ci sono tre negozi
- c'è tre negozi
- ci sono un parco
Describe your town 🧭
An interactive activity.
One, or several ↔️
The same sentence shape, with the only difference being how many there are.
The summary 🖊️
A city is _____ and a neighbourhood is _____. A street is _____ and a shop is _____. To describe what is in your town, use c'è for one thing and _____ for more than one.
Tocca a te ✍️
An interactive activity.