Log inSign up

Ci si offende se il tono è maleducato.

Ci si offende se il tono è maleducato.
One gets offended if the tone is rude.
From Lesson 174:Impersonal reflexives (ci si)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Ci si offende se il tono è maleducato.

Why is it ci si and not just si or si si?
The verb here is offendersi (to get offended), which is reflexive and already needs the pronoun si. To make it impersonal ("one gets offended"), you would technically need two sis together (si si offende). Because Italians don't like how that sounds, the first si changes to ci, creating ci si offende.
What is the infinitive of the verb being used in ci si offende?
It's offendersi, which means "to get offended" or "to take offense." If it were just offendere (without the reflexive ending), it would mean to offend someone else. The ci si structure tells us it is both impersonal ("one") and reflexive ("gets offended").
Does maleducato mean "uneducated"?
No, maleducato is a classic false friend! It literally means "badly brought up" and translates to "rude" or "bad-mannered." If you want to say "uneducated" (lacking formal schooling), you would use a word like ignorante or non istruito.
Could I say uno si offende instead of ci si offende?
Yes, absolutely! Uno si offende is a very common and slightly more informal way to say exactly the same thing. In that case, you just use the normal reflexive pronoun si because uno acts as a regular subject, which completely avoids the double-si problem.

Learn Ci si offende se il tono è maleducato 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 →