the impersonal si

In English, when we make generalizations (as I'm doing right now!), we use one, you, we, they or people. Some examples...

You can't always get what you want.

In Quebec they speak French.

You never know.

The pronouns in these sentences aren't referring to specific concrete people, but abstractions, people in general.

Another way to make generalizations like this in English is to use the passive. For example, "Although Montreal is in Quebec, English is widely spoken there."

The best way to make generalizations like these in Italian is to use the impersonal si. Here's how you do it. Just take the pronoun si and add a verb in the lui or loro form. Some examples...

A Roma, si vedono molti turisti. In Rome you see a lot of tourists. (Or one sees, we see, etc.)

A Quebec si parla francese. In Quebec they speak French. (Or French is spoken, one speaks French, etc.)

In ufficio, si lavora. At the office, you work. (Or one works, people work, etc.)

So you always use si and always use the lui or loro form of the verb (3rd person singular or plural). But how do you know which one, lui or loro?

Well, if the noun after the verb is plural, you use the loro form. If it's singular, the lui form.

In Campania si producono molti limoni. (plural noun after the verb, plural verb)

In Canada si beve molta birra. (singular noun after the verb, singular verb)

Another tip is to start with an English passive. If your English passive uses "are", make your impersonal si verb plural. If your English passive uses "is", make your impersonal si verb singular.

For instance, suppose you wanted to say, "Where do you buy newspapers?" in Italian using an impersonal si. First change it to an English passive - "Where are newspapers bought?" Since your passive uses "are", use the plural in your Italian impersonal si: Dove si comprano i giornali?

And that's about it. One last point. You also use the impersonal si to ask questions without seeming blunt or nosey. For instance, suppose you want to ask your mother when supper will be ready. You could say, "A che ora si cena?" By couching your question in abstract general terms, you seem less direct, intrusive, confrontational, even though context makes it clear what you really mean - when will our specific supper be ready, not supper in general!

Comments

[Keith]

Hi there.
Can you answer a question for me?
You say that in English we use the passive in order to express impersonal expression, but in Italian, one uses an impersonal si construction. The passive in Italian has a completely different use right?