c’è und ci sono: es gibt

C'è means "there is" and ci sono means "there are". They say that something exists or is present somewhere, exactly where English uses "there is / there are".

C'è is ci (there) + è (is), with the vowel dropped. The verb agrees with what follows, so check whether that is singular or plural: C'è una farmacia but Ci sono due farmacie. In casual English "there's two pharmacies" passes; in Italian *C'è due farmacie does not.

Questions need nothing but a question mark: C'è un supermercato qui vicino? - Is there a supermarket near here? Ci sono posti liberi? - Are there any free seats? Note that Italian has no word here for "any" or "some".

c'è or è?

English speakers mix these up because both are "is". C'è introduces something new; è says where a known thing is:

• C'è un libro sul tavolo. - There's a book on the table. (a book, new information)
• Il libro è sul tavolo. - The book is on the table. (the book we were talking about)

A useful check: if English says "a" or "some", you want c'è / ci sono; if it says "the", "my" or a name, you want è / sono.

c'è or ecco?

Ecco means "here is / here are" when you point at or hand over something: Ecco il conto. - Here's the bill. Ecco Marco! - Here's Marco! C'è states that something exists; ecco shows it.

And on the phone, C'è Giulia? is the natural way to ask "Is Giulia there?"