ce n'erano

there were

→ ce

phrase Rare #23,943

there were Used to say that some or a certain number of things existed or were present. The pronoun ne refers to things already mentioned or understood.

IT: Ce n'erano tre sul tavolo.

EN: There were three on the table.

E dentro ce n'erano solo due.

And there were only two inside.

— Il ragazzo e l'airone (2023)

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?

E ce n'erano altri sotto.

And there were others underneath.

— Il buco (2019)

Ce n'erano due.

There were two of them.

— Quasi amici - Intouchables (2011)

Ce n'erano tante.

There were many of them.

— Un giorno di ordinaria follia (1993)

Ricordate quanti ce n'erano?

Do you remember how many there were?

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)

Ce n'erano circa otto o nove.

There were about eight or nine of them.

— Il vento che accarezza l'erba (2006)

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)