ce n'erano

there were some

→ ce

phrase Rare #21,239

there were some Used to say that a certain number or quantity of previously mentioned things or people existed or was present. The pronoun ne means “of them” or “of it,” while ce indicates existence or presence.

IT: In quella scatola ce n'erano ancora cinque.

EN: There were still five of them in that box.

Ce n'erano a migliaia!

There were thousands of them!

— La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano (1998)

Ce n'erano tante.

There were many of them.

— Un giorno di ordinaria follia (1993)

Ce n'erano circa otto o nove.

There were about eight or nine of them.

— Il vento che accarezza l'erba (2006)

E ce n'erano altri sotto.

And there were others underneath.

— Il buco (2019)

E dentro ce n'erano solo due.

And there were only two inside.

— Il ragazzo e l'airone (2023)

Una volta ce n'erano di più.

There used to be more of them.

— Lo Hobbit: La desolazione di Smaug (2013)

Ce n'erano molti?

Were there many of them?

— Il vento che accarezza l'erba (2006)

Viene da quel campo in cui ce n'erano tante.

It comes from that field where there were so many of them.

— Il ragazzo e l'airone (2023)

Ricordate quanti ce n'erano?

Do you remember how many there were?

Ce n'erano alcune davvero ottime, credimi.

There were some really excellent ones, believe me.

— Oh Boy - Un caffè a Berlino (2012)

Non ce n'erano più alla base?

Weren’t there any more at the base?

— Wolf Call - Minaccia in alto mare (2019)

Ricorda quanti ce n'erano?

Do you remember how many there were?

Ce n'erano due.

There were two of them.

— Quasi amici - Intouchables (2011)