Italian has an unusually rich set of constructions for talking about events without specifying who performs them. English has only a few — it rains, you need to, one does — and uses them sparingly. Italian has at least seven distinct patterns, and uses them constantly. This page maps the whole landscape side by side and gives you a decision tree for choosing the right one.
The seven main constructions:
- Si impersonale — generic "one / people" subject (si dice, si mangia bene)
- Si passivante — passive-like with si and a direct object (si vendono libri)
- Ci si — impersonal + reflexive (ci si alza presto)
- Weather verbs — piove, nevica, grandina
- Fa / c'è / è + weather noun or adjective — fa caldo, c'è il sole, è sereno
- Bisogna / occorre / è necessario / conviene — impersonal necessity
- Volerci / metterci — required time/quantity
We'll walk through each, then give the decision tree.
1. Si impersonale: the generic subject
The default Italian way to say "one does X" or "people do X" is si + verb (3sg). This is the workhorse — by far the most common impersonal construction.
In Italia si mangia bene.
People eat well in Italy. / One eats well in Italy.
Come si dice 'thank you' in italiano?
How do you say 'thank you' in Italian?
The verb is in 3sg. With intransitive verbs the structure is fixed. With reflexive verbs it triggers the ci si repair (see #3 below). For full details see si impersonale.
2. Si passivante: passive-like with a direct object
When si combines with a transitive verb that has a direct object, Italian treats the object as if it were the subject of a passive sentence. The verb then agrees in number with that "object-as-subject."
Qui si vende il pane fresco.
Fresh bread is sold here.
In questo bar si vendono ottimi cornetti.
They sell great croissants in this café. (plural object → plural verb)
Si parlano molte lingue in questa città.
Many languages are spoken in this city.
The agreement is the giveaway: si vendono (plural) because cornetti is plural. Compare with the impersonal si vende (singular) when there's no object or the object is singular. The line between si impersonale and si passivante is fuzzy in everyday speech, but the agreement rule is firm in writing.
3. Ci si: impersonal + reflexive
When the impersonal si would meet a reflexive si, the first becomes ci to avoid the forbidden si si:
Ci si alza presto in campagna.
People get up early in the countryside.
Ci si abitua a tutto.
One gets used to anything.
In compound tenses, the auxiliary essere is singular but the participle is plural masculine: ci si è alzati, ci si è divertiti. See si impersonale with reflexive verbs for the full rules.
4. Weather verbs: subjectless meteorology
A small set of verbs are inherently impersonal: they exist only in 3sg, with no subject. They name a weather event directly.
Piove da tre giorni.
It's been raining for three days.
Stanotte ha nevicato.
It snowed last night.
The full list: piovere, nevicare, grandinare, tuonare, lampeggiare, diluviare, nevischiare, piovigginare. In compound tenses, both avere and essere are accepted (avere more colloquial, essere more traditional). For details see weather verbs.
5. Fa / c'è / è + weather expressions
Three parallel constructions cover the rest of the weather vocabulary. They are not, strictly speaking, impersonal verbs (the verbs are fare, esserci, essere — none of which is exclusively impersonal), but they pattern with weather verbs and have no subject in this use.
| Construction | For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| fa + noun | general weather feel | fa caldo, fa freddo, fa bel tempo |
| c'è + noun | visible weather feature | c'è il sole, c'è la nebbia, c'è vento |
| è + adjective | sky condition | è sereno, è nuvoloso, è coperto |
Oggi fa freddo, c'è la nebbia ed è nuvoloso.
Today it's cold, foggy, and cloudy. (all three constructions in one sentence)
6. Bisogna and the necessity expressions
For impersonal necessity ("it's necessary, one must"), Italian has four near-synonyms with different registers and shades:
| Expression | Pattern | Register |
|---|---|---|
| bisogna |
| colloquial, default |
| occorre |
| more formal, written |
| è necessario |
| neutral, explicit |
| conviene |
| colloquial, "you'd be wise to" |
Bisogna prenotare in anticipo.
One has to book in advance. (default colloquial)
Conviene partire presto.
You'd better leave early. (practical advice)
Bisogna che tu venga.
You have to come. (specific subject → subjunctive)
For full coverage see bisogna.
7. Volerci and metterci: time and quantity required
The final pair handles "how long it takes" — splitting the work between objective and personal framings.
| Construction | Subject | Auxiliary | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| volerci (3sg/3pl) | the required thing | essere | ci vogliono due ore |
| metterci (any person) | the person acting | avere | ci metto due ore |
Da Roma a Milano in treno ci vogliono tre ore.
From Rome to Milan by train it takes three hours. (objective)
Ci metto venti minuti per arrivare al lavoro.
I take twenty minutes to get to work. (personal)
For details see volerci and metterci.
The decision tree
When you want to express something impersonally in Italian, ask these questions in order:
1. Is it weather?
- Precipitation event (rain, snow, hail, thunder) → impersonal verb (piove, nevica, grandina, tuona)
- General feel (hot, cold, nice, ugly) → fa + noun
- Visible feature (sun, fog, wind) → c'è + noun
- Sky condition (clear, cloudy, overcast) → è + adjective
2. Is it about how long something takes or what's required?
- Objective fact about the requirement → volerci (ci vuole / ci vogliono)
- A specific person's time → metterci (ci metto / ci metti / ...)
3. Is it about necessity ("must, have to, should")?
- Generic necessity, colloquial → bisogna + infinitive
- Specific subject's necessity → bisogna che + subjunctive
- More formal version → occorre instead of bisogna
- Explicit / neutral → è necessario
- Practical advice → conviene
- Specific personal obligation → use dovere instead (devo, devi, deve...)
4. Is it a generic statement about what people do?
- Verb is intransitive or has no object → si + verb (3sg) (si mangia, si dice, si dorme bene)
- Verb has a direct object → si + verb agreeing with the object (si vendono libri)
- Verb is reflexive → ci si + verb (3sg) (ci si alza, ci si abitua)
If two paths could apply, the impersonal si is the most flexible default. The other constructions are more specialized.
Side-by-side: the same idea, different constructions
Sometimes one situation can be expressed with several different impersonal constructions. The choice changes the focus:
Per fare il pane ci vogliono quattro ingredienti.
To make bread you need four ingredients. (volerci, focus on requirement)
Per fare il pane bisogna avere quattro ingredienti.
To make bread you have to have four ingredients. (bisogna, focus on necessity)
Per fare il pane si usano quattro ingredienti.
To make bread one uses four ingredients. (si impersonale, focus on the action)
All three are correct and natural. The first emphasizes what's required, the second the necessity, the third the action. Italian speakers slide between them depending on what they want to highlight.
A complete example: a paragraph using everything
Here's a paragraph that puts seven different impersonal constructions to work — the kind of text you might read in a guidebook or hear in casual conversation about life in a small Italian town.
In questo paesino si vive bene. La mattina ci si alza presto, perché bisogna approfittare delle ore fresche. Spesso fa caldo già a colazione, e a luglio piove di rado. Per andare al mercato ci vogliono dieci minuti a piedi, ma se hai fretta ci metti meno. Si trova di tutto — frutta, verdura, pane fresco — e si chiacchiera con i vicini. Conviene andare presto, prima che ci sia troppa folla.
People live well in this little village. In the morning you get up early, because you have to take advantage of the cool hours. It's often already hot at breakfast, and in July it rarely rains. To go to the market it takes ten minutes on foot, but if you're in a hurry you take less. You can find everything — fruit, vegetables, fresh bread — and you chat with the neighbors. It's better to go early, before there's too big a crowd.
In one paragraph: si vive (si impersonale), ci si alza (ci si), bisogna approfittare (bisogna), fa caldo (fa + noun), piove (weather verb), ci vogliono (volerci), ci metti (metterci), si trova / si chiacchiera (si impersonale), conviene (necessity synonym), ci sia (esserci, here as "be present"). This density is normal for spoken Italian.
Common mistakes
❌ Si si lava le mani prima di mangiare.
Incorrect — the impersonal si meeting a reflexive si triggers the ci si replacement.
✅ Ci si lava le mani prima di mangiare.
Correct — ci si is the obligatory form.
❌ Ci vuole due ore per arrivare.
Incorrect agreement — with plural 'due ore,' the verb must be plural ci vogliono.
✅ Ci vogliono due ore per arrivare.
Correct plural agreement.
❌ Bisogno andare al supermercato.
Incorrect — 'bisogno' is the noun 'need.' The verb is bisogna.
✅ Bisogna andare al supermercato.
Correct verb form.
❌ Esso piove molto in inverno.
Incorrect — Italian uses no expletive subject for weather verbs.
✅ Piove molto in inverno.
Correct — bare verb, no subject.
❌ In Italia uno mangia bene.
Awkward — 'uno' as a generic subject feels foreign. Italian prefers si impersonale for generic statements.
✅ In Italia si mangia bene.
Natural — si impersonale is the standard generic construction.
Key takeaways
Italian impersonal constructions form a tightly organized system once you see the layout:
Si impersonale is the workhorse for generic statements. Add ci if the verb is reflexive. Add agreement with the direct object if there is one (si passivante).
Weather has its own grammar — bare impersonal verbs for events (piove, nevica), and fa / c'è / è patterns for everything else. Never insert a subject pronoun.
Necessity uses bisogna and friends, with
- infinitive
- che + subjunctive
Time-required splits volerci and metterci — objective vs. personal framing.
Use this page as your map. The individual sub-pages — si impersonale with reflexive verbs, weather verbs, bisogna, and volerci and metterci — give the deeper treatment of each region of the territory.
Now practice Italian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Si Impersonale: Impersonal SiB1 — How Italian uses si + 3rd person singular to talk about generic 'one,' 'you,' or 'people' — the grammar of proverbs, signs, and casual generalizations. With the strange ci si trick when reflexives are involved.
- Si Impersonale with Reflexive Verbs: Ci SiB2 — Why Italian writes 'ci si lava' instead of the impossible 'si si lava' — the unique impersonal-reflexive construction and its compound-tense agreement quirks.
- Weather Verbs (Impersonal)A1 — How Italian talks about the weather without an 'it' — impersonal verbs like piove and nevica, the parallel fa caldo and c'è il sole patterns, and which auxiliary to choose in compound tenses.
- Bisogna: Impersonal NecessityA2 — How Italians say 'it's necessary' without specifying who has to do it — the indispensable bisogna, its conjugation in other tenses, and how it differs from dovere, occorre, and conviene.
- Volerci and Metterci: Expressions of Time/RequirementA2 — How Italian distinguishes objective time required (volerci) from personal time taken (metterci) — two pronominal verbs that look similar but behave very differently.