"Io me ne vado."

Translation: I am going.

[cgroothius]

Come on Duolingo. This does not do anything to demonstrate or teach clitics, but rather distracts from the topic and confuses the learner by once again introducing a previously unencountered and unconventional verb . Thanks to the poster mario.a for the very useful link to about.com and the verb andarsene which is my takeaway from this sentence, not the clitic piece.

[691.+1Xrhd27+oZB]

Thank you for stating this!!! It would make so much more sense to actually teach the concept with simple examples to get us used to it before they throw in the fancy stuff. DUH!!

[CarolPapal1]

Couldn't that answer have been "Io vado"? The accepted answer is incredibly confusing. I want to forget about this chapter. I learn one way, then it's marked wrong. I can't just memorize. There are too many nuances, and I am not a linguist. I'm frustrated.

[marlyseb]

Unfortunately, I don't think that link to the website works anymore. It didn't take me anywhere to explain any language.

[Sue98781]

About.com is now Dotdash. Showing my age, I remember when it started as the MiningCompany. Too bad. All things must pass.

[gina89514]

You are so right!!

[Jobie4]

about.com is great -- glad you mentioned it!

[youngzafara]

there is a skip button, if you dont like it. I appreciate my encounter with the question, because it causes me to go searching for answers

[Irishmolly]

I don't understand why this translates as "I am going" - what do "me" and "ne" mean here...or is it just an idiomatic expression?

[jeremyaurelius]

From what I understand, "ne" in Italian can mean "of it", or "from it", or "about it". In the case of "Io me ne vado", "ne" means "from it" or "from here". So the sentence literally means "I am going away from here", or "I am leaving".

As to why we also use the reflexive pronoun "me" (myself), it's hard to find an explanation. I suppose the verb andare just has to be used reflexively in this expression. It's a bit like saying: "I'm taking myself away from here".

Incidentally "ne" is equivalent to the French word "en". Also in French, you would get a similar construction: "Je m'en vais" (also meaning "I am leaving").

Note I am not a fluent Italian speaker though. I am only using deduction and my knowledge of French and assuming it applies to Italian too, since they are fairly similar languages.

[eesh1]

Thanks for giving the French translation now it makes complete sense to me.

[InezPdL]

Thank you! I've been going through the mud with these sentences, and your explanation really helped

[KenHutley]

jairemix: Brilliant explanation... kudos to you... and please accept a lingot. Thank you!

[Remy000]

thanks for the explanation

[KarenColle]

Grazie to vertdevrai for pointing out that this is similar in use to the French "en"! It made it so clear for for me!!!♡

[lfciao23374]

But then that mean "ne" would be an adverb not a clitic which is so confusing as ne is one of the clitics Duolingo is trying to teach so why confuse does Duolingo confuse us even more

[JackKorpi1]

Then
io me ne vado = i am leaving (this place)
io vado = i am going

If that is correct, the Duo translation is incorrect.

[AliciaEchecopar]

Thanks if you still are around. 7 years later the frase is still here, and hard to understand. Your explanation helped me a lot.

[Raquel198857]

So what would it be in spanish? Me voy is i go

[Nonna602151]

I think they're both very similar. Voy = I go, Spanish. Vado = I go in Italian. "Me voy" and "Me vado" both have that reflexive quality of "I take myself away." Me ne vado seems like "I take myself away from...[whatever the "ne"refers to].
Maybe it's like "I'm getting myself outta here," if I'm not being too hyperbolic. (But if it works, hey...!)

[Elon_the_Hittite]

In Spanish 'ir' is to go and 'irse' is to go away, so 'me voy' is I go away or, as I prefer to think of it, I make (myself) off.

[deactivated user]

Cheers mate, take a lingot ;)

[AndreiChichizola]

And those clitics exist also in Catalan, so that would be "me'n vaig"

[Tiag404339]

I am fluent in French and referred to the same construct "en" to make sense of this Italian sentence!

[AliciaEchecopar]

The same with me even though I am not fluent in French.

[jamdunk]

Thanks, jairemix, for the useful conjecture (I wish I could say this with a Glaswegian accent ala Kevin Bridges!)

[valeriaSor484144]

Thank you. Thevuse of ne threw me here even though i got it right.

[Ispirac]

yes, it is bloody idiom.:---)), something like I'm disappearing

[AnnieBosle]

Here, here!!

[springbett]

Can we not have so many idioms on the clitics? Maybe have another lesson just for these annoying idioms that don't actually teach the clitics.

[AndrDemetr]

Hmm. You're right. This third part of the 'clitic' section has gone off at a tangent.

[HaroldWonham]

This is an impossible section! There are so many new things introduced, which have nothing whatsoever to do with the main thrust of this section. I am now on my eighth failed attempt, and still coming across totally new things, which of course are never explained

[SirJacqi]

Five years later, it's still not changed. Way too much new in one little lesson - needs to be broken up into smaller chunks.

[lefay11]

Why not just "Vado" or "Io vado"? The translation is "I am going." No need for a reflexive pronoun. This lesson is more confusing than illuminating.

[craaash80]

You can of course say that. But you lose the "from" or "out" meaning that is expressed by "ne".
The whole sentence would be "Io me ne vado [da qui]".

A reverse example: The rather common sentence "I gotta get out of here" translates in italian perfectly with "Devo andarmene da qui" / "Me ne devo andare da qui".

[Germanlehrerlsu]

craaash80-- Along w/ how mario.a explains it above, your explanation is very helpful. Thanks.

[Puzzle36714]

Maybe its a tense thing. Like maybe io vado is simply "I go" so adding the extra me ne changes it to "I am going". Can anybody confirm?

[Ispirac]

I didn't understand what she talking about, the voice is not understandable for me.I can't catch up this because I'm only beginer.

[Kathleen262866]

I'm hearing "net", not "ne".

[chatee]

My translation: "I am out of here" makes more sense (that is what I think). Ha ha!.

[Sssssssssssssam]

I am so frustrsted with this clitics course, there should be more lessons each level to space out the learning as there is clearly a lot of information being left out and up to the guesswork of the learner. The tips page only explains maybe half of what the lessons cover, and what it does explain it does not make clear. The hints in every question are wrong and/or misleading and, despite being nearly finished the course, I basically still don't understand why certain clitics are used or how to use them myself in a new sentence. Get yourself together, Duo. You're better than this. Maybe separate the courses for direct clitics and indirect clitics.

[Anita388049]

Me too. I've done the whole section and I'm still very confused about which little words to use. The only thing I do understand is the sentence structure. I have no idea about the little words, mi, or me, ti or te etc

[CreyB]

I would have to think that this translation is shortened and misses the emphasis being placed into the sentence--at least that is what I think, and I could be wrong.

What I think this really means is "I am going there myself" or "I, myself, am going there". "ne" here would represent "there", and I think "me" is there for emphasis, to make it a stronger statement.

[mario.a]

The infinitive form "andarsene" means "to go away".
Therefore "Io me ne vado" should be understood as "I am going (away)".

See: http://italian.about.com/library/verb/blverb_andarsene.htm

[Irishmolly]

Thanks, that's very helpful and a useful link.

[thmarchi]

Yes, thanks Mario!

[Lodoviko]

Thank you.

[Eliza_Betta]

thank you! it was really very helpful

[Paul604]

Thanks that's really helpful :-)

[Andrea723110]

Most helpful and understandable piece of information on this sentence! Many thanks!

[jamdunk]

Thanks, mario.a

[Irishmolly]

Thanks, that makes more sense to me than the translation that's given

[lisa97880]

Lessons like this make me want to give up. I am pulling my hair out now. Argh!!!!

[maxntiger]

i was doing well until clitics and direct and indirect pronouns entered the scene. I've not found any useful instruction which has just made me frustrated and reluctant to continue.

[StephItaliano]

I agree

[Anita388049]

Why does this mean the same as "io vado"?
I expected it to mean something more, I'm confused. All those extra uses of little words like ci, le, li, gli, lo are difficult enough without throwing curved balls like this!

[JudyDavies2]

I had never heard of a clitic before this. DL is no good at teaching new concepts.

[Desireepotato]

I have read a lot of previous comments, and agree that it is not a helpful way to teach complex verbs. At this point I'd like to the whole verb conjugated, then I might get my head around it, certainly not introduced out of the blue in random sentences without sufficient explanation.

[Stefan_Hey]

It is not as hard as it looks like
The verb here is not andare but andarsene (to go away/to leave) and it is one of many Pronominal Verbs in Italian.
ANDARE (to go)
SE (indicates a reflexive verb and means oneself/yourself/himself and so on)
NE (out of here)

So if we conjugate this sentence we get this:
- (io) Me ne vado
- (tu) Te ne vai
- (lui/lei) Se ne va
- (noi) Ce ne andiamo
- (voi) Ve ne andate
- (loro) Se ne vanno

Please note that regular reflexive pronouns are as follow:
(io) - mi (mi lavo) (lavarsi - to wash yourself)
(tu) - ti (ti lavi)
(lui/lei) - si (si lava)
(noi) - ci (ci laviamo)
(voi) - vi (vi lavate)
(loro) - si (si lavano)
but in our sentence they change (into me, te, se, ce, ve, se) because that's the rule when they are placed before ne

If you'll try to do Italian Stories on Duo you'll find that andersene is used in couple of them.
In the story "The New Teacher":
Molti insegnanti SE NE VANNO presto - Many teachers LEAVE (the school/the workplace) early.

In the story “Visiting Paris”:
Neanch'io voglio ANDARMENE - Also I don't want TO LEAVE.

In the story “Party” Part 1/2:
Dobbiamo ANDARCENE subito - We have TO LEAVE now.

You’ll find another sentence like this one in this course:
”He never goes away”
"Lui non va mai via."

One more thing, the worst feature on Duo is the incentive to race, to get hearts, to advance to the next league.
We do not learn much if we are speeding up. If you have to spend a full day on one sentence, do it. Slow down, please.
Do online research, find more examples and memorize, memorize, memorize as many full sentences as you can. They will become the templates for creating a new ones with similar structure and grammar.
Good luck!

And some good explanation how to use NE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNkImyFbHiw
You'll find more about Pronominal Verbs here:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FeJplwbMDGE

https://italianpills.com/blog/2020/12/05/9-things-about-italian-pronominal-verbs/

[StephItaliano]

Excellent explanation. I hope you are a teacher!

[Stefan_Hey]

Oh, no.
I took advantage of the COVID lock-down to learn some Italian.
Plus I love Italy.
But DL is not the main or the best source for that.

[denisemelv1]

surely io vado is much more efficient and understandable than this contorted phrase?

[Germanlehrerlsu]

denisemelv1: it might look so, but looks don't always equate with what's actually said. We have a "MeetUp" group in our city for those wishing to speak Italian over wine/coffee/gelato and my italian instructor, a native, used that very phrase (minus the 'io') when she was about to leave. I asked her about it, since i'd seen the verb 'andarsene' and she explained that it's a very common way to express that idea. So while "io vado" might look more efficient and understandable, it's not necessarily what a native would say, nor I suspect would it be thought of a 'contorted'. So use "io vado" if you find it easier, but realize you're not necessarily helping yourself learn 'real' italian.

[denisemelv1]

Thank you for your comments. Yes I suppose it seems easier in the early stages but mightn't equate to what is being used by native speakers. I just have to get used to the many twists in another language!

[Germanlehrerlsu]

denisemelv1: good luck! And keep it up. It does get easier!

[michaelsco318887]

According to google Translate:
Io ne vado = I'm leaving; Io me ne vado = I'm leaving; Me ne vado = I'm leaving
Without the "io" or the "me", it becomes: Ne vado = I'm going
So the significant word is the "ne".

I'm think an Italian would understand you to mean "I'm outta here --- like now!"

[Germanlehrerlsu]

michaelsco...My understanding of it is the same as yours. Good explanation.

[Elon_the_Hittite]

I am a native English speaker, not totally ignorant of grammar, and I had to look up just what a 'clitic' is. Thanks, Duo, for expanding my vocabulary.

[Il_Gruggo]

I don't understand the first thing in this lesson

[RaymondWil20]

I showed this sentence to my Italian teacher at Parliamo Italiano in NYC and d he wondered if marijuana was already legalized in the City. She could not believe the explanation

[arandaneri]

Any equivalent for "ne" in Spanish? Help!!! :)

[peggy582366]

But what is the need ( or is it hust fun or prefersnce with this sentence) KISS - keep it simple __

[Duesseldutchie]

Am I imagining things? I clearly heard her say io me neD vado in the slow version.

[AndrewDost2]

Hi all, after much searching it would appear that the answer is simpler than we thought - the verb here is not andare, but andarsene, to go away.
The verb is fully conjugated here:
https://www.thoughtco.com/italian-verb-conjugations-andarsene-4083427
Io me ne vado is first person singular, present tense.

[EveGriffin3]

Oh Lord! Clitics are the very devil. I'd rather have Drupi saying 'Vado via' :)

[chris928950]

I think we should chill.
It looks weird but it's Italian not English.
Start with 'Io vado = i am going'
This weird 'ne' seems identical to the weird French 'en'and means 'of/from (something)'. Just gotta learn that!
The 'me' is for emphasis.
In the end it's: 'i am getting (going) myself from here'

[Helen525464]

I agree with all of the below. Infuriating and doesn't help me learn.

[beSpc8]

I agree. The ne conceot was not taught nor was the reflexive verb concept yet taught in a previous question that I got correct th thanks to French verbs. Just what does "Clitics" mean?

[sportive4]

I didnt understand why there is a "ne" in this sentence. "Ne" has a negative meaning in italian language. Is this an idiom??

[lou758441]

Why is ne in this sentence when it means 'some'?

[Melissa.fa]

This section is truly difficult. It's too condensed and its impossible to figure out why any of these words go anywhere. Please fix it and add explanations

[StephItaliano]

And I STILL don't know what a clitic IS!

[Paul604]

Me neither. I've been learning (slowly) Italian for 7 years now and Duolingo is the only place I've ever encountered the term "clitic". If you Google it you'll be even more confused (don't even try understanding the Wiki definition, let alone try applying it to what we're supposed to be doing here, uhhh!)

[EveGriffin3]

I hear you! I'm still not watertight certain, and it would appear, from all the tomes that I have read, that (at least in this instance) an Italian clitic is a bit different from an English one. Of what I can gather, it seems that a clitic is a word added to make an emphasis on the sentence - so maybe someone speaking more forcefully than in classic usage. So, with this sentence, presumbly, it is someone saying, in English slang speak 'I'm out of here!' There is another that I recall stumbling on, occasionally, 'Ce l'hai un ragazzo?' Literal translation doesn't help much. But if it is intended to be used for emphasis, then the supposition is that it is maybe a boy enquiring of a girl whether she has a boyfriend, or perhaps a girl, being a bit sharp, enquiring of a girl whether she has a boyfriend. There are other possibilities, of course, because there are many circumstances, aren't there. But it would seem that for 'clitic', read 'emphasis'. Now I am praying that I haven't confused you - or misadvised you!

[StephItaliano]

Thank you. I'll keep trying!

[__henri]

Unfortunately, it is stuff like this that keeps me from paying for the full experience

[ryani182]

Surely, surely "Io sono vado" is so much simpler. Stupid clitics! Rant over.

[Germanlehrerlsu]

I think it should be: (Io) sto andando. Sono andando would mean "they're going". Aside from that, the original sentence strikes me as way too difficult a concept for most students except the very advanced.

[arthurbbw]

Zero hearts, four more to go

[mariaelena256]

In Spanish,we also use the "me" for I am going = Me voy or yo me voy.

[michaelsco318887]

Io me vado (I am going away) is also correct.

[nic37750]

Io me ne vado... Ich mach mich davon...

[ThomasFAustria]

Austrian dialect: "I schleich mi"

[CodyClark19901]

Is the english translation reflective of the italian sentence? Could it be "I myself go away from it/here"?

[jaydejill]

Following

[MichaelASm314026]

why not "io vado"?

[Wulfhild1]

You can translate it to german like: "ich entferne mich davon".

[peggy582366]

Hal is now in charge

[Wulfhild1]

@jairemix,
for german speakers you can translate: ich entferne Mich Davon - me ne.

[Wulfhild1]

Or: ich mache Mich Davon

[David126947]

Why not mi? If it's me as a direct or indirect object...

[Stefan_Hey]

mi + ne = me ne
same with:
mi + lo = me lo

[chickenbel]

Is this sentence polite? E.g., "Io me ne vado la città" when speaking to a concierge or taxi driver

[NigelForst]

Can't you just say 'sto andando'?

[Tracy863477]

ugh DUOLINGO WHY????

[NSpeaksC]

French has really helped me understand this, otherwise only knowing English would be pretty tough. In French it'd be Je m'en vais = I am going from here

[Zdenko15]

These clitics or whatever are Painful, i feel like jumped from beginner to expert qualified translator. It hurts

[MartinJeffree]

the notes of frustration below say it all. Buck your ideas up Duolingo and start teaching , humiliation helps no-one

[4shblake]

cant i just say "io vado"?

[Marnie557199]

Haha, I too was flummoxed by this one. Your comments reassured me AND made me laugh.

[Colleen289785]

Is it "I myself away go.! (In my mind of course) Very confusing.

[lou758441]

Why is ne in this sentence when it means some?

[MJH69]

Yes confusing.

[MikeRutski]

So why add all those words, cant you just say "Vado" and that one word implies that "I am going" or "I go" ?? This seems super confusing

[BradHorne2]

Ffs. Just vado will do

[Geoff700121]

So I thought that "ne" was a pronoun used to replace a prep phrase beginning with "di". So what is it doing here? Does it literally translate as "I am going from it"? From what? So confusing.

[Stefan_Hey]

The verb used here is ”andarsene”
(“to leave”/“to go away”).
You are close, but it’s rather:
“I’m going from here”
Please read my previous comment:
https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/551533?comment_id=53784315

[MichaelDiS298001]

I wish you would sound it out like it is written , with a space/break between words. You say it so fast that it sounds like one word.

[xyphax]

Why not, I go into my house?
duo gave a hint for 'me' as 'into my house'?!

[Johndilio]

One more straight day and you will have a 666 day streak!!

[heidi4793]

i agree. How to discourage people from learning basics. Are you just showing off?

[heidi4793]

I agree. How to discourage people from learning basics. Are you just showing off?