The impersonal 'si' (si impersonale) is used to make general statements about what 'one', 'people', or 'you' do — without specifying who does the action. It is equivalent to English 'one does', 'people do', 'you do', or the passive 'it is done'. Formation: si + verb in the 3rd person singular.
| Verb type | Structure | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intransitive | si + 3sg | Si dorme poco. | People don't sleep much. |
| Transitive (singular object) | si + 3sg | Si mangia molto. | One eats a lot. |
| Transitive (plural object) | si + 3pl | Si mangiano molte verdure. | People eat a lot of vegetables. |
| Reflexive verb | ci si + 3sg | Ci si alza presto. | One gets up early. |
When si impersonale is used with a reflexive verb, 'si' and the reflexive particle 'si' would clash. To avoid this, the impersonal 'si' becomes 'ci': ci si + reflexive verb in 3rd person singular. Examples: ci si sveglia (one wakes up), ci si veste (one gets dressed), ci si diverte (one has fun).
In compound tenses (e.g. passato prossimo, trapassato prossimo), si impersonale always uses 'essere' as the auxiliary, regardless of which auxiliary the verb normally takes. The past participle agrees in the masculine plural: si è + participio (masculine plural) for most verbs.
| Simple tense | Compound tense | English |
|---|---|---|
| Si mangia. | Si è mangiato. | One ate / People ate. |
| Si lavora. | Si è lavorato. | One worked. |
| Si parte. | Si è partiti. | One left. (verb with essere) |
| Si fa errori. | Si sono fatti errori. | People made mistakes. |
| Ci si diverte. | Ci si è divertiti. | People had fun. |
When si impersonale is followed by a predicate adjective (after essere, stare, sembrare, diventare, etc.), the adjective must be masculine plural, even when referring to a potentially mixed or female group. This is because the implicit subject of si is treated as masculine plural in this context.
Si impersonale makes a statement about what 'one' or 'people' do, with no specific direct object. Si passivante is used when the action has a specific object; the verb agrees with the object in number. Key difference: Si parla italiano (impersonal — one speaks Italian / intransitive use) vs Si parlano molte lingue (passivante — many languages are spoken). In practice, the line is blurry, but si passivante always has an explicit noun subject.
1. Reflexive verb + impersonal = ci si (not si si). 2. Compound tense of si impersonale always uses essere. 3. Predicate adjectives after si essere are masculine plural. 4. The difference between si impersonale and si passivante matters most in formal writing. 5. Si impersonale can be used in all tenses: si fa (present), si faceva (imperfect), si farà (future), si farebbe (conditional).
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Si Impersonale — Basic Formation (1)
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Si Impersonale — Basic Formation (2)
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Si Impersonale — Basic Formation (3)
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Si Impersonale — Basic Formation (4)
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Si Impersonale — Basic Formation (5)
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Si Impersonale — Basic Formation (6)
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Si Impersonale — Basic Formation (7)
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Si Impersonale — Basic Formation (8)
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Si Impersonale — Basic Formation (9)
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Si Impersonale — Basic Formation (10)
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Si Impersonale with Reflexive Verbs — Ci Si (1)
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Si Impersonale with Reflexive Verbs — Ci Si (2)
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Si Impersonale with Reflexive Verbs — Ci Si (3)
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Si Impersonale with Reflexive Verbs — Ci Si (4)
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Si Impersonale with Reflexive Verbs — Ci Si (5)
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Si Impersonale with Reflexive Verbs — Ci Si (6)
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Si Impersonale with Reflexive Verbs — Ci Si (7)
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Si Impersonale with Reflexive Verbs — Ci Si (8)
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Si Impersonale with Reflexive Verbs — Ci Si (9)
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Si Impersonale with Reflexive Verbs — Ci Si (10)
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Si Impersonale in Compound Tenses (1)
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Si Impersonale in Compound Tenses (2)
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Si Impersonale in Compound Tenses (3)
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Si Impersonale in Compound Tenses (4)
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Si Impersonale in Compound Tenses (5)
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Si Impersonale in Compound Tenses (6)
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Si Impersonale in Compound Tenses (7)
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Si Impersonale in Compound Tenses (8)
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Si Impersonale in Compound Tenses (9)
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Si Impersonale in Compound Tenses (10)
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Adjective Agreement with Si Impersonale (1)
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Adjective Agreement with Si Impersonale (2)
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Adjective Agreement with Si Impersonale (3)
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Adjective Agreement with Si Impersonale (4)
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Adjective Agreement with Si Impersonale (5)
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Adjective Agreement with Si Impersonale (6)
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Adjective Agreement with Si Impersonale (7)
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Adjective Agreement with Si Impersonale (8)
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Adjective Agreement with Si Impersonale (9)
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Adjective Agreement with Si Impersonale (10)
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Si Impersonale vs Si Passivante (1)
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Si Impersonale vs Si Passivante (2)
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Si Impersonale vs Si Passivante (3)
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Si Passivante in Compound Tenses
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Si Impersonale in Formal and Written Italian
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Advanced Si Impersonale — Complex Contexts (1)
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Advanced Si Impersonale — Complex Contexts (2)
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Advanced Si Impersonale — Mixed Review (1)
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Advanced Si Impersonale — Mixed Review (2)
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Advanced Si Impersonale — Final Challenge
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To avoid two si's clashing, the impersonal si becomes "ci" before a reflexive verb: ci si alza (one gets up), ci si veste (one gets dressed), ci si diverte (one has fun). Example: "In Italia ci si saluta con due baci" (In Italy people greet each other with two kisses). Never write "si si".
Always essere, regardless of which auxiliary the verb normally takes. The past participle is masculine plural for verbs that normally take avere: "Si è mangiato" (One ate), "Si sono fatti errori" (Mistakes were made). For verbs that take essere, the participle is also masculine plural: "Si è partiti" (We left).
When si impersonale is followed by an adjective via essere, stare, sembrare, or diventare, the adjective is always masculine plural — even when referring to women: "Quando si è stanchi, si fa fatica" (When one is tired, it's hard), "Si diventa più saggi con l'esperienza" (One becomes wiser with experience). It's a fixed grammatical convention.
Si impersonale is generic ("one/people do") and the verb is always third-person singular: "Si dorme bene qui". Si passivante has an explicit noun subject and the verb agrees with it: "Si vendono case" (Houses are sold). The line blurs in practice, but if there's a clear noun subject, it's passivante.
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