SI impersonale
The impersonal construction si + the third person singular of the verb is commonly used in Italian when the subject of a sentence is generic and not specified (you, we, they, people, one…). This construction is used with intransitive verbs, or transitive verbs without an expressed direct object:
In Italia si cena alle otto. In Italy people have dinner at 8. Qui non si fuma. No smoking here. Si deve studiare per ottenere la laurea. One must study to obtain one’s degree. Si va* sempre al cinema insieme. We always go to the movies together.
*NOTE that the impersonal si is often used instead of noi in some Italian regions:
Che si fa (= Che facciamo) stasera? Si esce (= Usciamo)? What are we doing tonight? Are we going out?
Key Points
- If an adjective follows the verb, even though the verb is singular, the adjective is in the plural masculine form (occasionally feminine plural if it refers to females only):
Quando si è stanchi, ci si sente nervosi. When one is tired, one feels nervous. A tavola si mangia seduti. At the table, one eats sitting. Si diventerà più brave se si studierà di più. We’ll become smarter if we study more (--referring to a group of female students).
- Compound tenses are always formed with ESSERE. The past participle takes a plural ending when the verb normally requires the auxiliary essere; it takes the ending –o (masculine singular) if the verb normally requires the auxiliary avere:
Si è mangiato (= abbiamo mangiato) bene a casa sua. We ate well at his house. Si è andati (= siamo andati) tutti al cinema. We all went to the movies.
- When the verb is reflexive, ci (not si) precedes si:
Per andare ad una festa ci si veste bene. To go to a party, people dress up. Quando il treno ritarda ci si innervosisce. When the train is late, one gets nervous. Ci* si diverte sempre a casa sua. We always have fun at his place.
*NOTE that all object pronouns precede si; only ne follows si, in which case se is used:
- Si usa molto burro in Toscana? - No, non se ne usa molto Do people use a lot of butter in Tuscany? No, they don’t use a lot (of it)
SI passivante
When an impersonal construction is followed by a direct object, the object determines the verb agreement, as if it were the subject of a passive construction (which is why the construction is called “si passivante”).
This construction has all the characteristics of the impersonal construction, except for the fact that the verb can be either in the 3rd person singular or in the 3rd person plural, depending on the number of the direct object following the verb.
Compare the following examples:
- Impersonal construction (always requiring the third person singular):
Si mangia bene in questo ristorante. People eat well in this restaurant. Si è mangiato bene in questo ristorante. We ate well in this restaurant.
- Impersonal construction + direct object (requiring verb agreement with the direct object):
Si mangia la pizza in questo ristorante = La pizza è mangiata in questo ristorante
People eat pizza in this restaurant = Pizza is eaten in this restaurant
→ “la pizza” is singular → verb is singular
Si mangiano buoni spaghetti in questo ristorante = Buoni spaghetti sono mangiati…
In this restaurant people eat good spaghetti = Good spaghetti are eaten…
→ “spaghetti” is plural → verb is plural
Non si è vinta* neanche una partita = Non è stata vinta neanche una partita
They didn’t win a single match = Not a single match was won
→“partita” is fem. sing. → auxiliary is sing. and past participle is fem. sing.
Si sono vinte* molte partite = Molte partite sono state vinte
They won many matches = Many matches were won
→“partite” is fem. plural → auxiliary is plural and past participle is fem. plural
*NOTE: in compound tenses the auxiliary essere is used and the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct object, which acts as if it were the subject of a passive sentence.
