How to Say "Is There" in Italian

c'è

/ˈt͡ʃ‿ɛ/

To say is there in Italian, say c'è.

c'è asks or states whether something exists or is present somewhere. To make it a question, raise your voice at the end.

What does it mean word for word?

c'è is a contraction of ci è, where ci means there and è means is.

Vi è is a formal version used in academic or careful writing. C'è davvero means is there really and shows surprise.

It is pronounced /ˈtʃ‿ɛ/, as one syllable.

c'è is only for a single thing. For plural subjects use the plural form meaning there are.

If you walk into a room and say Che c'è? to someone, you are not asking 'what is there?', but are instead challenging them with 'What's your problem?' or 'What do you want?'
To say 'there is some of it', Italians add the particle ne to create ce n'è. This construction is a common stumbling block for students because the meaning shifts from simple existence to quantity.
In formal Italian writing, you may see the version vi è instead of the common c'è. Using this formal version in a casual setting like a bakery would make you sound like a character from a 19th-century novel.

C'è un cane qui?
Is there a dog here?
C'è un cane qui? asks whether there is a dog here.
Tatoeba #7018476 by Guybrush88, translation #6357462 by CK
C'è un open bar?
Is there an open bar?
Here C'è asks about an open bar.
Tatoeba #12479423 by Guybrush88, translation #12475169 by Miktsoanit
Che c'è da capire?
What is there to understand?
In Che c'è da capire? the phrase means what is there.
Tatoeba #1437900 by Guybrush88, translation #1437906 by caspian
Vi è una sala conferenze in questo albergo?
Is there a conference room in this hotel?
C'è davvero un negozio aperto a quest'ora?
Is there really a shop open at this hour?
C'è veramente bisogno di andare al supermercato adesso?
Is there truly a need to go to the supermarket now?
632 more sentences on Tatoeba

Chiara and Francesco are at a cafe.

Sources

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