ce n'

there was/were; there is/are

→ ce

phrase Rare #22,643

there was/were; there is/are An elided form of “ce ne,” used before a vowel. “Ne” often means “of it” or “of them,” but the exact translation depends on the sentence.

IT: Ce n'è abbastanza per tutti.

EN: There's enough for everyone.

Non ce n'è stata l'occasione.

There hasn’t been an opportunity.

— Solaris (1972)

Ce n'è stato uno che è venuto prima di lei.

There was one who came before her.

— Ritratto della giovane in fiamme (2019)

Ce n'andremo il prossimo autunno.

We'll leave next fall.

Markinson dice che ce n'era uno sette ore prima.

Markinson says there was one seven hours earlier.

— Codice d'onore (1992)

Qualcuno ce n'è stato.

There have been some.

— C'era una volta il West (1968)

Il maestro non disse altro; ce n'andammo.

The teacher said nothing more, and we left.

Ce n'era tutto un mucchio!

There was a whole bunch of it!

— Il mio vicino Totoro (1988)

Non ce n'era motivo.

There was no reason for it.

— Non dirlo a nessuno (2006)

Ce n'è stato uno a Malibu.

There was one in Malibu.

— Una pallottola spuntata (2025)

Non potevo farmi di eroina, perché non ce n'era.

I couldn't shoot up heroin because there wasn't any.

— Dolor y gloria (2019)

Ce n'era ancora.

There was still some left.

— Send Help (2026)

Non ce n'era bisogno.

There was no need for that.

— Central do Brasil (1998)

No, non ce n'era un'altra.

No, there wasn’t another one.

— I lunedì al sole (2002)