Italian grammar · Intermediate (B1)
The passive and si: è stato fatto, si dice
How to say what is or was done in Italian: the passive with essere and venire, the impersonal si and the si passivante.
The passive with essere
The passive puts the focus on what happens to something, not on who does it. In Italian, it's + the past participle, and the participle agrees with the subject: , . To say who did it, use (by): .
can be in any tense. In the passato prossimo, both participles agree: (The letters have been sent).
| Tense | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| present | The trains are guaranteed. | |
| The library was opened. | ||
| imperfetto | The house was lived in by a family. | |
| future | The market will be moved. |
The passive with venire
In one-word tenses (present, imperfetto, future, conditional), can replace . It stresses the action, and it's common in the news and in instructions: (The market is being moved), (Breakfast is served at eight).
In two-word tenses, like the passato prossimo, use only : .
Impersonal si
+ the / form of the verb talks about people in general, like “you”, “people” or “one” in English: (You eat well here), … (People say that…).
With a reflexive verb, si si becomes : (On holiday you get up late). Adjectives after are plural: … (When you're tired…).
- A Siena si nasce in una contrada.In Siena you're born into a contrada.
- In Italia si cena tardi.In Italy people have dinner late.
The si passivante
When goes with a noun, the verb agrees with that noun, and the meaning is passive: (The house is for sale), but (Flats for sale). You'll see this on signs and in adverts.
In the passato prossimo, it uses , and the participle agrees: (Lots of tickets were sold).
- Qui si parlano tre lingue.Three languages are spoken here.
- Il panettone si mangia a Natale.Panettone is eaten at Christmas.
Va fatto: the passive with andare
+ past participle is a passive that adds necessity: (The filter must be cleaned), (These documents must be signed). The participle agrees with the subject. With , it means something mustn't be done: (It mustn't be switched off).
It's common in instructions and at work, and it's used only in one-word tenses, usually the present. can also go with and , and the modal verb agrees with the noun: , .
- La pasta va cotta in acqua salata.Pasta should be cooked in salted water.
- I filtri vanno puliti ogni tre mesi.The filters need cleaning every three months.