Italian Phrase
Ne prepariamo uno.
Meaning
‘We’ll prepare one of them.’ The pronoun ‘ne’ points back to a previously mentioned quantity (e.g., coffee, sandwiches, drinks) and the sentence tells the listener that the speakers will make a single portion.
When to use
Use this phrase when you’re offering or deciding to make one item out of a set that has already been discussed – in a kitchen, at a bar, or when talking about any countable thing that can be prepared.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Neprepariamouno
Ne (pronome partitivo)
‘Ne’ replaces a phrase introduced by ‘di’ (of it/of them) and is placed before the verb. It refers to something already mentioned.
prepariamo (verbo)
Present indicative, first‑person plural of ‘preparare’ (to prepare).
uno (indeterminativo)
Indefinite numeral meaning ‘one’. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it replaces (masc. sing.).
🗨In Conversation
Vorrei un cappuccino, ma ne ho solo due.
I’d like a cappuccino, but I only have two left.
Ne prepariamo uno per te.
We’ll prepare one for you.
✕Common Mistakes
Lo prepariamo uno.
‘Lo’ is a direct object pronoun; it cannot replace ‘di + noun’. Use ‘ne’ instead.
Ne prepariamo uno di.
Redundant – the partitive ‘ne’ already carries the ‘di’ meaning.
Ne prepariamo una.
If the noun being replaced is masculine, you must keep the masculine form ‘uno’. Use ‘una’ only for feminine nouns.
↔Alternatives
Ne facciamo uno.
We’ll make one of them.
Ne preparo uno.
I’ll prepare one of them.
Ne prepariamo uno, per favore.
We’ll prepare one of them, please.
Cultural Tip
In Italian hospitality, ‘ne’ is extremely common when referring to portions: ‘Ne prendo due’ (I’ll take two of them) or ‘Ne voglio ancora’ (I want some more). Remember that ‘ne’ always precedes the verb, and it cannot be used with verbs that already contain a direct object pronoun – you’d need to restructure the sentence.