В прессе сообщают, что известный актёр болен.
They report in the press that the famous actor is sick.
Breakdown of В прессе сообщают, что известный актёр болен.
в
in / to (direction)
известный
famous
актёр
actor
что
that (conjunction)
Questions & Answers about В прессе сообщают, что известный актёр болен.
Where is the subject for сообщают?
There isn't one! This is an indefinite-personal clause. By using the third-person plural verb сообщают without the pronoun они (they), Russian shifts the focus to the action itself. It means 'they report' or 'it is reported' by some unspecified journalists or media outlets.
Why does the sentence use the short adjective болен instead of the full form больной?
Short-form adjectives like болен are used to describe temporary states. It means the actor is currently sick. If you used the full form больной, it would imply a permanent characteristic, meaning he is a sickly person in general or a medical patient.
Could I use the reflexive passive сообщается instead of сообщают?
Yes, в прессе сообщается (it is reported in the press) is completely natural and means the exact same thing. Indefinite-personal clauses with a third-person plural verb are just a very common, slightly less formal alternative to the reflexive passive.
Why use the imperfective present сообщают rather than the perfective past сообщили?
The present imperfective сообщают treats the reporting as an ongoing situation in the media right now. If you used the perfective past сообщили, it would point to a single, completed event, like a specific press release that was already published.