Log inSign up

In Italia non si beve il latte con la pasta.

In Italia non si beve il latte con la pasta.
In Italy, one does not drink milk with pasta.
From Lesson 98:Impersonal subjects (si)·Italian

Questions & Answers about In Italia non si beve il latte con la pasta.

What does si beve mean here, and who is doing the drinking?
The word si is used here as an impersonal subject, meaning 'one' or 'people in general'. So si beve means 'one drinks' or 'people drink'. With the negative non, the phrase non si beve translates naturally to 'people do not drink' or 'you do not drink' in a general sense.
Why is the verb beve singular if we are talking about people in general?
When you use the impersonal si with a specific thing being acted upon, the verb actually has to match that thing. Because il latte (milk) is singular, we use the third-person singular verb beve. If the object were plural, the verb would become plural too.
Where does the negative word non go when using the impersonal si?
The non goes exactly where it is here: right before the si. The word order for a negative impersonal sentence is always non + si + verb.
Why does the sentence use il latte and la pasta instead of just latte and pasta?
In English, we usually drop the 'the' when talking about things in a general way, like 'milk' or 'pasta'. In Italian, you still need to use the definite articles (il and la) for general categories and concepts.

Learn In Italia non si beve il latte con la pasta and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →