Why do we say: “ho, or “ce l’ho” in Italian? This peculiar form of Italian has its own reason for existing. We explain briefly and clearly in this post how to Use HO or CE L’HO.
While using the verb form to be “I have” is pretty straightforward, many students don’t always understand the use of I have it. Let’s see the differences.
HO – Verb Essere
Usiamo HO (avere) quando nominiamo l’oggetto nella frase (We use HO when we name the object in the sentence)
EXAMPLES:
Ho la macchina (espresso nella frase -> la macchina)
Abbiamo molte cose da fare (oggetto espresso nella frase -> molte cose)
CE L’ HO – Different form of Verb Essere
In this form, we have a CI that is not easily explained.
The use of CI to emphasise the verb avere is every day in informal speech and writing.
The uncontracted form is “ce lo ho,” where “ce” is a phonetic alteration of the particle “ci” in front of lo, la, li, le. As a result, “Ce” can function as a place adverb, pronominal particle, complement, or as part of peculiar spoken word expressions.
- CE is the particle CI
- L’ is the pronoun LO
- HO is the 1st person of verb AVERE
We use this verb form when the expression indicates possession and refers to something previously mentioned to avoid repetition.
We use CE L’HO it when we replace an object already named before
Examples:
Hai la macchina? Si, ce l’ho (sostituisce l’oggetto “la macchina” – già nominato)
Credevo di avere il portafoglio, invece non ce l’ho (sostituisce l’oggetto “il portafoglio”)
Se l’oggetto è plurale maschile o femminile (If the object is plural – masculine or feminine )
Examples:
HAI le chiavi? Sì, che le ho (le sostituisce “le chiavi”)
Hai i soldi? No, non ce li ho (li sostituisce “i soldi”)
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