When reading tabloids or discussing celebrity gossip, we often use phrases like "they say," "people are talking," or "it is reported." In these cases, "they" isn't a specific group of people; it represents unspecific agents, the media, or the general public.
In Russian, you express this using indefinite-personal clauses (неопределённо-личные предложения).
Dropping the Pronoun
To form an indefinite-personal clause, use the third-person plural form of the verb and drop the subject pronoun.
If you use the pronoun они (they), it must refer back to a specific group of people already mentioned. By leaving the subject out, the verb shifts to mean an unspecific "they," "people," or "someone."
This structure is extremely common with verbs of speech and communication, such as говорят (they say), пишут (they write), and сообщают (they report).
| They say that they are getting divorced because of money. | Говорят, что они разводятся из-за денег. |
| They report in the press that the famous actor is sick. | В прессе сообщают, что известный актёр болен. |
You will also see this structure when talking about general public behavior, like spreading rumors or discussing scandals.
| Why do they always spread dirty rumors about her? | Почему про неё всегда распускают грязные слухи? |
Past Tense
This works exactly the same way in the past tense. Use the plural past tense verb without a subject pronoun to say that an unspecific group did something.
English frequently uses the passive voice for these situations (e.g., "the tour was canceled," "the actor wasn't paid"). In Russian, it is much more natural to use an active verb with an unspecific "they" (literally: "they canceled the tour," "they didn't pay the actor").
| They report that her summer tour was canceled. | Сообщают, что её летние гастроли отменили. |
| Yesterday they reported that the actor wasn't paid his fee. | Вчера сообщили, что актёру не заплатили гонорар. |