# Tenerci a



## mateintwo

Tencerci a (to care for) is an example of verb quite common in spoken Italian but that is not mentioned in schoolbooks.

Can you give some examples how this verb is used but to me the meaning seems to be more or less the same as piacere?


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## cartaplus

TENERCI (to care for) is an example of verb quite common in spoken Italian but that is not mentioned in schoolbooks.

Can you give some examples how this verb is used but to me the meaning seems to be more or less the same as piacere?
EXAMPLES:
Ci tengo a fare una bella figura! For me it would be important........
Ci tengo per quella mia amica!


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## [ITA]Shank

- Questa é la mia nuova automobile, ci tengo tantissimo a lei.

even that phrase sounds better without "ci":

- Questa é la mia nuova automobile, tengo tantissimo a lei.

Commonly the form without "ci" is considered, how can I say it in english... more "clean"... you can understand what I'm saying??? I don't know if in english "clean" is the right term to define it. 
Anyway both the forms are commonly used.



cartaplus said:


> *TENERCI* (to care for) is an example of verb quite common in spoken Italian but that is not mentioned in schoolbooks.
> 
> Can you give some examples how this verb is used but to me the meaning seems to be more or less the same as piacere?
> EXAMPLES:
> *Ci tengo* a fare una bella figura! For me it would be important........
> *Ci tengo* a quella mia amica!



Piccolo appunto, é più corretto usare "a" che "per" in questo caso.


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## cartaplus

Grazie per la correzione!
Hai perfettamente ragione SHANK!


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## [ITA]Shank

cartaplus said:


> Grazie per la correzione!
> Hai perfettamente ragione SHANK!



np


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## danalto

*N*on *P*ervenuto? 

Scherzi a parte, ci viene chiesto di non usare abbreviazioni, a parte quelle "ufficiali", nei nostri interventi! (Sempre per agevolare i non natives)

dany, Vice Mod per un minuto


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## mateintwo

- Questa é la mia nuova automobile, tengo tantissimo a lei.

Commonly the form without "ci" is considered, how can I say it in english... more "clean"... you can understand what I'm saying??? I don't know if in english "clean" is the right term to define it. 
Anyway both the forms are commonly used.[/quote]

Clean sounds fine in English.
Can I also use the short form and say referring to the la automibile:
*Le tengo tantissimo* *or is the a + pronoun mandatory to make the meaning clean? *


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## [ITA]Shank

danalto said:


> *N*on *P*ervenuto?
> 
> Scherzi a parte, ci viene chiesto di non usare abbreviazioni, a parte quelle "ufficiali", nei nostri interventi! (Sempre per agevolare i non natives)
> 
> dany, Vice Mod per un minuto



È inglese... no problem.


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## danalto

Lo avevo capito. Ma tu hai capito quello che ho cercato di farti capire? 
_(Ora me ne vado...giuro!!!  )_


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## [ITA]Shank

mateintwo said:


> - Questa é la mia nuova automobile, tengo tantissimo a lei.
> 
> Commonly the form without "ci" is considered, how can I say it in english... more "clean"... you can understand what I'm saying??? I don't know if in english "clean" is the right term to define it.
> Anyway both the forms are commonly used.


 
Clean sounds fine in English.
Can I also use the short form and say referring to the la automibile:
*Le tengo tantissimo* *or is the a + pronoun mandatory to make the meaning clean? *[/quote]

Remember that "Tenere a" and "Tenerci a" are idioms, so you can't invert the words and say "La tengo tantissimo" , you have to say "tengo tantissimo a + subject" .

What makes the form without "ci" more clean is only as it sounds cause grammatically both forms are correct.


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## [ITA]Shank

danalto said:


> Lo avevo capito. Ma tu hai capito quello che ho cercato di farti capire?
> _(Ora me ne vado...giuro!!!  )_



Si tranquilla, grazie.


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## Alxmrphi

I've just searched for this word (tenerci) and found this thread, and I wasn't sure either, my book mentions "to be keen on". Do you all agree?
I saw someone said it meant "to care for", which, has a few meanings in English as well. Hmm...

"Ci tieni?" - Are you keen on it?
"Sì, ci tengo molto a vedere..." - Yes, I'm very keen on seeing...."

Correctissimo?


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## lsp

Alex_Murphy said:


> I've just searched for this word (tenerci) and found this thread, and I wasn't sure either, my book mentions "to be keen on". Do you all agree?
> I saw someone said it meant "to care for", which, has a few meanings in English as well. Hmm...
> 
> "Ci tieni?" - Are you keen on it?
> "Sì, ci tengo molto a vedere..." - Yes, I'm very keen on seeing...."
> 
> Correctissimo?


I'd suggest something more along the lines of _it means something to me, it matters a lot to me, I'd really like to_


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## Alxmrphi

So you'd translate this sentence:

"Si, infatti. E tu ci tieni allora?"

As what, because I'm not 100% that, it means something to me, matters, fits when asking someone else a question. Hmm.


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## lsp

Alex_Murphy said:


> So you'd translate this sentence:
> 
> "Si, infatti. E tu ci tieni allora?"
> 
> As what, because I'm not 100% that, it means something to me, matters, fits when asking someone else a question. Hmm.


Your example is very general, so it's difficult to say what it should mean. Do you have any context?


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## Alxmrphi

Here is more context:

Two people, one interviewing the other about their trip to England (exchange)



> Antonio : Allora Mirella, tu hai preso una borsa di studio e stai per andare in Gran Bretagna per fare uno scambio Erasmus. Come mai hai fatto domanda?
> Mirella : Ma, perché fare uno scambio è forse il modo migliore per imparare bene una lingua, per capire com'è la vita in un'altra nazione.
> Antonio : Si, infatti. E tu ci tieni allora?
> Mirella : Si, senz'altro - ci tengo motlo a vedere, a capire come la pensano gli inglesi e così via.
> Antonio : E dove andrai?


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## Paulfromitaly

Alex_Murphy said:


> Here is more context:
> 
> Two people, one interviewing the other about their trip to England (exchange)





> Antonio : Allora Mirella, tu hai preso una borsa di studio e stai per andare in Gran Bretagna per fare uno scambio Erasmus. Come mai hai fatto domanda?
> Mirella : Ma, perché fare uno scambio è forse il modo migliore per imparare bene una lingua, per capire com'è la vita in un'altra nazione.
> Antonio : Si, infatti. E tu ci tieni allora?
> Mirella : Si, senz'altro - ci tengo motlo a vedere, a capire come la pensano gli inglesi e così via.
> Antonio : E dove andrai?



In this specific example "e tu ci tieni?" means" are you really interested? would you really like to?"


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## Alxmrphi

So you wouldn't suggest "keen on" ? I think it fits the best but I am really interested in the fact that people don't suggest it (it's a good thing!)

I think "Do you really want to" is better than "Would you really like to", because Mirella knows she is going to England, not a "possibility" thing that "would you" implies (at least to me).

Anyway I understand the general meaning and that's all that matters.


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## Paulfromitaly

_Are you really keen on_ would fit in right.


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## underhouse

Ci tengo a dire che l'80% del lavoro è stato fatto.
Come tradurla?
Forse "I want to stress that the 80% of the job has been done"?
Grazie.


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## Ruby387

Ciao a tutti!
Ho un problema con l'espressione _tenerci a. _Come potrei tradurla in inglese?
Il contesto è informale, ma non vorrei usare la parola _important_.
Una frase in cui inserirla potrebbe essere: _Sarebbe facile per me venire a trovarti, perciò se ci tieni possiamo metterci d'accordo._
Potrei tradurla così? _It would be easy for me to come and see you, so if you're keen on it, we could talk about it...

_Grazie mille!


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## Paulfromitaly

Hai letto qui?

Dimmi che ci tieni a me


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## Ruby387

No... non avevo letto. Quindi tu diresti di usare _to care about it_?


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## Paulfromitaly

Ruby387 said:


> No... non avevo letto. Quindi tu diresti di usare _to care about it_?


Potrebbe essere una soluzione..
Oppure : if you really want to.


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## LIM

Is "ci tengo" just another way of saying "interested in" or "care about" or does it have a stonger meaning such as "it is close to my heart". For example : Ci tengo molto al tuo benessere/Mi interessa molto il tuo benessere.


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## effeundici

In my opinion _ci tengo _is stronger than _I'm interested_

_*Mi interessa quel libro*_ I'm interested because....it's interesting
*Ci tengo a quel libro* I'm interested because....my grandfather gave it to me before passing away


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## danalto

LIM said:


> Is "ci tengo" just another way of saying "interested in" or "care about" or does it have a stonger meaning such as "it is close to my heart"  For example : Ci tengo molto al tuo benessere/Mi interessa molto il tuo benessere.


Yes, you're right.


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## L'equilibrista

Can we also render it with "to be fond of" ?


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## Alxmrphi

L'equilibrista said:


> Can we also render it with "to be fond of" ?


 
Yes, like when you use it in reference to a person, right?

Tengo molto a lei. - I'm very fond of her.
(In the sense of, you like her company, maybe like a daughter you never had, want to make sure this person is ok, not really used in a sense where the two people like each other romantically)

It's, maybe not the best translation, I'd need context to decide if it fits or not.


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## L'equilibrista

Alxmrphi said:


> Yes, like when you use it in reference to a person, right?
> 
> Tengo molto a lei. - I'm very fond of her.
> (In the sense of, you like her company, maybe like a daughter you never had, want to make sure this person is ok, not really used in a sense where the two people like each other romantically)
> 
> It's, maybe not the best translation, I'd need context to decide if it fits or not.


 
Yes, well, actually I referred to a work, but I think that it would also be possible.
Ex. "ci tengo tanto alla traduzione di questo libro".
"I am very fond of translating this book". ?


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## Alxmrphi

"_Non puoi farlo lasciare il suo lavoro per viaggare con te, so che gli piace viaggiare ma lui tiene molto al suo lavoro, non si licenzierà_"

Do you mean like this? (my sentence is probably wrong but do you get the general idea?) Here I'd find it unusual to use "fond of", it's not strong enough to express this, I'd say "he's really involved in / he's really attached to his job / he cares about what he does" or something like that.


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## regno

Quote:

Two people, one interviewing the other about their trip to England (exchange)

Quote:
Antonio : Allora Mirella, tu hai preso una borsa di studio e stai per andare in Gran Bretagna per fare uno scambio Erasmus. Come mai hai fatto domanda?
Mirella : Ma, perché fare uno scambio è forse il modo migliore per imparare bene una lingua, per capire com'è la vita in un'altra nazione.
Antonio : Si, infatti. E tu ci tieni allora?
Mirella : Si, senz'altro - ci tengo motlo a vedere, a capire come la pensano gli inglesi e così via.
Antonio : E dove andrai? 
In this specific example "e tu ci tieni?" means" are you really interested? would you really like to?"
I think it means "are you serious on it?" oppure do you insist for it?"


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## L'equilibrista

Alxmrphi said:


> "_Non puoi fargli lasciare il suo lavoro per viaggare con te, so che gli piace viaggiare ma lui tiene molto al suo lavoro, non si licenzierà_"
> 
> Do you mean like this? (my sentence is probably wrong but do you get the general idea?) Here I'd find it unusual to use "fond of", it's not strong enough to express this, I'd say "he's really involved in / he's really attached to his job / he cares about what he does" or something like that.


 
Yes, I see.
I don't know the degree of force of my sentence in comparison.
Anyway ok, thanks a lot.


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## Alxmrphi

Ciao regno 

I recognise that conversation! (I actually have the book right next to me)
The book translates it as 'are you keen on it?' which I agree sounds normal as an English native, this is the translation I'd suggest.

@L'equilibrista: grazie della correzione!


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## regno

quote:- Questa é la mia nuova automobile, tengo tantissimo a lei.

in this section he is talking about car but calls it she "lei"
it means "this is my new car and i die for it"
"la voglio da morire"


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## Alxmrphi

regno said:


> quote:- Questa é la mia nuova automobile, tengo tantissimo a lei.
> 
> in this section he is talking about car but calls it she "lei"
> it means "This is my new car and I would die for it"
> "la voglio da morire"


 
Yeah, we'd need a new translation for a car, this seems quite a good one.


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## VolaVer

regno said:


> quote:- Questa é la mia nuova automobile, tengo tantissimo a lei.
> 
> in this section he is talking about car but calls it she "lei"
> it means "this is my new car and *i die for it*"
> "la voglio da morire"


Excuse me if I go out of topic, but besides the correction that Alxmrphi made, I'd like to point out that:
"la voglio da morire" would be "(To me) She is *to die for*", rather than "I'd die for it", which can be rendered with "Morirei per lei" [<- more romantic ;]


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## regno

comè _ la voglio di morire_


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## VolaVer

regno said:


> comè _ la voglio di morire_


  You said it right before "la voglio da morire".


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## MOMO2

regno said:


> [S]comè [/S]Com'è _ la voglio di morire_?


 
I want it at any cost.

I am keen on it: mi piace


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## piccola_luce

Hi,
I found this thread... I was looking for an English translation of:
Ci tengo a te = I care about you (???)
I would like to tell this sentence to a friend

Do you agree with this translation?

Many thanks


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## london calling

piccola_luce said:


> Ci tengo a te = I care about you / I'm fond of you.
> I would like to say this to a friend


It depends on the context, by what you mean by friend.

As a heterosexual female, I'd say " I care about you" to a woman friend, meaning "quello che ti succede mi interessa, mi tocca, perchè sei una mia amica". To a male friend I'd say "I'm fond of you" (non ti amo, ma ci tengo, mi interessa, mi tocca quello che ti succede).


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## piccola_luce

Hi London Calling... sorry, still trying to understand how WR works 

Yes, you got it, it was for a female friend, from me, heterosexual female.
However, if I say I care about you to a man,,, would he think I am trying to flirt with him???!!!

Thank you for your kind answer


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## lsp

If the person is important to you, you could say "you mean a lot to me" or "you're very important to me." Or, "I value your friendship (or our friendship/our relationship)."

I don't think there's any element of flirtation in those.


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