The adverb and pronoun ci

Consider the following example:

Ci means there or in/to/at the place that has already been mentioned. In the example above, ci stands for in montagna. Whereas in English we often do not necessarily need to say there, in Italian it is obligatory to say ci, which is commonly used with the verb andare and in other instances when it is clear that something happens in/at a place. Consider these examples:

• Studi spesso in biblioteca? – No, ci studio solo una sera alla settimana.
• Da quanto tempo vivi in quest’appartamento? – Ci vivo da 4 anni.

Now consider the following example:

With verbs such as riuscire a [to manage to; to be able to], credere a (in) [to believe in] and provare a [to try to], ci can replace a word or phrase introduced by the prepositions a or in. In the example above, ci stands for finire il tema. 

Ci always goes before the conjugated verb, i.e.: ci vado, ci sono andato, etc.  However, when there is a verb + an infinitive, it can go either before the conjugated verb or be attached to the end of the infinitive after you have dropped the last letter of the infinite, as in andare > andar. Consider the two possible answers to the following question:

Sei già andato al nuovo ristorante in via Roma?

• No, ma ci voglio andare.
• No, ma voglio andarci.

Some common phrases with ci: