Rule reminder

'Mica' is a colloquial Italian emphatic negation particle derived from 'mica di pane' (a breadcrumb). It reinforces a negation or challenges an assumption. With 'non': 'Non è mica facile' (It's not that easy / It's not easy, you know). Without 'non' in emphatic inversion: 'Mica sono stupido!' (It's not like I'm stupid!). In questions: 'Mica hai finito già?' (You haven't finished already, have you?). Register: distinctly colloquial — avoid in formal writing. Position: after auxiliary or main verb in standard use; sentence-initially in emphatic inversion.