Learn Hardcore Italian: Il documento può essere inviato via email.

Può is the third-person singular present of potere (“can” or “to be able to”), and essere inviato is the passive infinitive (“to be sent”). Together they literally mean “can be sent.” So Il documento può essere inviato = “The document can be sent.”

Why is the passive voice used here? Could we switch to active?

The passive focuses on the document itself rather than the sender. In Italian, when who performs the action is unknown or unimportant, the passive is common. An active equivalent would be:
• Qualcuno può inviare il documento via email. (“Someone can send the document by email.”)
• Puoi inviare il documento via email. (“You can send the document by email.”)

Why is there no article before via email?

Phrases like via email function adverbially (they tell you how something is sent) and do not require an article. It’s treated like “by email” in English, so you never say la via email or similar.

Can I say per email or tramite email instead of via email?

Yes. Both per email and tramite email are correct. In more formal or technical texts you might even see per posta elettronica, but in everyday and business Italian via email is perfectly natural.

Is email masculine or feminine in Italian?

In Italian email is feminine. You say l’email or un’email, and the plural is le email (unchanged in spelling).

How do I include the recipient (e.g., “to Mario”) in this passive sentence?

You add an indirect object with a after the verb:
• Il documento può essere inviato a Mario via email.
If you prefer a pronoun:
• Il documento può essergli inviato via email. (where gli = “to him”)

Can I use a clitic pronoun with this passive construction?

Yes. Attach the unstressed pronoun to the infinitive:
• Il documento può esserti inviato via email. (“The document can be sent to you by email.”)
Or front the pronoun:
• Ti può essere inviato il documento via email.

How would I say the active version “You can send the document via email” in Italian?

Use the second-person singular of potere plus the active verb:
• Puoi inviare il documento via email.
For an impersonal/general “you,” you can also say:
• Si può inviare il documento via email.