The Italian “si”
Before I dive into a detailed explanation of the Italian impersonal si, I want to give you a quick overview of all the different si you can find in Italian.
The Italian pronoun si can behave as:
-
- Reflexive pronoun
- Passive pronoun
- Impersonal pronoun
It is used as a reflexive pronoun with reflexive verbs, of course. In this case, it takes on the meaning of “self”, expressing that the subject and the object of the verb are the same. For instance:
Lavinia si addormenta ovunque.
Lavinia falls asleep anywhere.
It is used as a passive pronoun in passive constructions where the agent (the action do-er) is not mentioned, as in the example:
Il pane si compra al panificio.
Bread is bought at the bakery.
Finally, it is used as an impersonal pronoun, as I will explain in this article.
“Si” Impersonale in Italian
What is the “si” Impersonale
First, I want to introduce a new linguistic concept that for me is fundamental to properly grasp this topic: in linguistics, all sentences must have a subject. Also in languages like Italian where you can omit the subject, a grammatical subject is always available.
This is why I want to differentiate between a logical subject – the subject that is conceptually linked to the verb – and a grammatical subject – the subject that agrees with the verb.
Be aware that this is my personal interpretation of the phenomenon, that I use when explaining this topic to my students!
In most cases these two subjects overlap, but in impersonal constructions they do not. Let me show you an example:
Gli italiani mangiano la pasta.
Italians eat pasta.
In Italia si mangia la pasta.
In Italy pasta is eaten.
As you can see, in the first Italian sentence the grammatical and logical subject overlap: the verb mangiano is conjugated in the third person plural because the subject is the third person plural gli italiani.
In the second Italian sentence, instead, there is no logical subject. You can spot it by asking yourself: who eats pasta? You will see that you cannot explicitly answer this question.
However, a grammatical subject is mandatory, and it is a third person singular subject, since the verb mangia is conjugated in the third person singular.
This is when the impersonal si in Italian is used: where there is no logical subject and you want to generalize an action or occurrence. As a matter of fact, the name stands specifically for that: no person.
Remember that subjects are also called personal pronouns, which explains why these constructions are called impersonal.
You might have understood already that this topic is relatively hard. I will not lie: it is, but I will also explain why.
When you are dealing with impersonal constructions, your brain has to work harder because it has to interpret a sentence from different perspectives. In fact, there is no linear causality as to who did what.
Based on this, there are scientific reasons to believe that Italian impersonal si constructions might be interpreted as subjective. It is undoubtable that mental representation of subjective sentences is cognitively more complex than objective relations, because you have to understand someone’s perspective.
So if you will be struggling with this topic, do not worry! It is not your fault.
How to use the “si” Impersonale
The use of this impersonal construction can substitute generalized subjects like:
- La gente (people):
In Francia si parla francese – In Francia la gente parla francese.
In France people speak French.
- Tutti (everyone):
D’estate si va in vacanza = D’estate tutti vanno in vacanza.
In summer everyone goes on holiday.
-
Nessuno (no one):
Non si lavora la domenica = Nessuno lavora la domenica
No one works on Sundays.
An important thing to keep in mind is that when you are using this impersonal construction with a transitive verb like parlare, that verb can be conjugated either in the third person singular or plural, depending on the subject.
This happens because in the corresponding personal sentence – the sentence where logical and grammatical subject overlap – you can have either a singular or plural object.
What happens is that in the corresponding impersonal sentence, that object became the grammatical subject. Let me show you an example to better understand.
La gente compra le magliette al mercatino dell’usato.
People buy t-shirts at the second-hand shop.
Here, the sentence follows a standard order: subject (la gente), transitive verb (comprare), direct object (le magliette).
Look at this sentence now:
Al mercatino dell’usato si comprano le magliette.
At the vintage shop one buys t-shirts.
Here, we are using the impersonal si construction because we do not have a logical subject. In fact, we do not know who buys the t-shirts.
Here, the object of the previous sentence, le magliette, has now became the grammatical subject of the impersonal sentence. This transformation requires the verb to agree with the number.
Instead, when you are using this impersonal construction with an intransitive verb like andare (to go) that verb is always conjugated in the third person singular.
This happens because singular is the default number in Italian, meaning it is the number you use unless it must be plural.
La gente va in spiaggia d’estate.
People go to the beach in summer.
This personal sentence is composed of a subject (la gente), the intransitive verb (andare), and the indirect object introduced by a preposition (in spiaggia). Look at the impersonal sentence now:
D’estate, si va in spiaggia.
In summer, people go to the beach.
The verb andare is conjugated in the third person singular, because in the standard sentence there was no direct object that could become the grammatical subject of the impersonal sentence. Therefore, the grammatical subject is singular.
Still confused? Let me show you some more examples:
In questa scuola gli studenti leggono molti libri.
In questa scuola si leggono molti libri.
In this school students read many book.
In Germania le persone viaggiano in camper.
In Germania si viaggia in camper.
In Germany people travel by camper.
A Roma i cittadini guidano male.
A Roma si guida male.
In Rome people drive badly.
Impersonal “si” with Reflexive Verbs
So far, we saw how the Italian impersonal si behaves with transitive and intransitive verbs. Let’s now see how it behaves with reflexive verbs, which are a special class of transitive verbs.
Follow me in this reasoning:
- When you use this impersonal construction, the verb is conjugated in the third person, either singular or plural
- If you use this construction with a reflexive verb, that reflexive verb, by rule, will be conjugated in the third person, either singular or plural
- The reflexive pronoun for third person singular and plural is si
- The impersonal pronoun for this impersonal construction is si
Then, how can we make sure we do not mix them up? Easy, the reflexive pronoun si becomes ci.
In Italia le persone si vestono bene.
In Italia ci si veste bene.
In Italy people dress well.
In the first sentence, the reflexive verb vestirsi is conjugated in the third person plural, therefore it needs the reflexive pronoun si. In the second sentence we are generalizing by using the impersonal si construction but we must change the reflexive si into ci.
That’s all! Easy, right? Even easier if you think about the fact that reflexive verbs are transitive verbs where the subject and the object overlap. The consequence is that impersonal constructions with reflexive verbs are always singular!
“Si” Impersonale and Compound Verbs
When used with compound verbs, the impersonal sialways used essere as auxiliary verb, regardless of the verb that follows. This is different from personal structures where the choice between essere and avere depends on whether the verb is transitive or intransitive.
Since we use essere as auxiliary verb, the direct consequence is that the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject if it is explicitly mentioned. If the subject is not stated, the past participle defaults to masculine singular.
Let’s see some examples:
Si è discusso a lungo.
People have discussed for long.
Here, there is no explicit subject, so discusso remains masculine singular.
Si sarà capito tutto.
Everything will be understood.
Again, no explicit subject, so capito remains masculine singular.
Si sono viste le stelle.
The stars have been seen.
Here, viste agrees with stelle, feminine plural.
Other Impersonal Constructions
Generic “Uno” (One)
This structure is similar to the English generic “one”. It provides a generic reference to any person, often used to make broad statements, to discuss general habits, rules, or situations.
When we use this construction, the verb is always conjugated in the third person singular.
Uno studia tanto e poi non passa l’esame!
One studies hard and then does not pass the exam!
Passive Form
The passive form is used to emphasize the action without specifying who performed it, focus on the verb rather than the agent. It is often used when the agent is unknown, irrelevant, or obvious from the context.
The verb must agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.
Le decisioni sono state prese.
The decisions have been made.
Third Person Plural Verbs
Here, you can create an impersonal tone by using third-person plural forms without specifying who the subjects are. This construction doesn’t specify who “they” are, making it an impersonal reference. It’s very similar to the passive voice, but it is less formal.
Dicono che sarà un inverno freddo.
They say it will be a cold winter.
Si Impara Molto!
One learns a lot!
Today you have learned that the impersonal si in Italian is used to generalize about events or situations without specifying the subject of the action.
This construction plays a significant role in shaping the meaning and interpretation of sentences. By removing explicit subjects, not only does it depersonalize the action, but it also broadens its applicability.
I find fascinating the fact that Italian – and other languages as well, like French – allow for this construction: it really shapes the way speakers of these languages perceive some sentences.
This provides further evidence for the belief that speaking different languages shapes speakers’ perceptions!
Now, keep in mind the conjugation of the verb: the number when the grammatical subject is singular or plural, and the gender when dealing with compound verbs. And you are ready to talk generally!
