How to Say "There" in Italian

lì

/ˈli/

The English word 'there' can be translated into Italian using lì, là or ivi.

Meaning: in or at that place (position) (adv)

Ways to say it

All these forms are adverbs used to indicate a position in or at a specific place.

While lì and là both mean 'there', ivi is a formal or literary version of 'there' and is rarely used in everyday spoken Italian.

/ˈli/

The word lì can be used in the phrase lì lì, which means 'almost' or 'just about' rather than referring to a place.
The word ivi comes from the Latin ibi, which is the same root used in the English legal term 'alibi', meaning 'elsewhere'.
If you use the word ivi in a casual conversation, you might sound like a character from a 19th-century novel rather than a modern speaker.

Ma non è lì.
But you're not there.
This sentence shows how to use lì to indicate someone is not in a place.
Tatoeba #3010949 by Guybrush88, translation #53546 by CK
So che è lì.
I know that it's there.
This sentence shows how to use lì to state that something is located in a place.
Tatoeba #4990000 by Guybrush88, translation #4977834 by CK
So che è là.
I know you're there.
This sentence shows how to use là to indicate someone is in a place.
Tatoeba #11096092 by Guybrush88, translation #6572298 by Hybrid
La piazza si trova là.
The square is located there.
Il ristorante si trova lì.
The restaurant is there.
L'ingresso del museo è là.
The entrance to the museum is there.
La chiesa si trova laggiù.
The church is located over there.
La pizzeria è lì.
The pizzeria is there.
3565 more sentences on Tatoeba

Giulia and Lorenzo are looking for a lost set of keys in a living room.

Sources

Wiktionary, “there” translations and entries lì, là, ivi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries ivi, là, lì, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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