Talking About People in General (the ci si formula)
When you want to talk about people in general and what they do, there are various options in Italian. Let's kick off the lesson with a common fact: Italians eat a lot of pasta.
We can say:
Gli italiani mangiano tanta pasta (Italians eat a lot of pasta).
In Italia, quasi tutti mangiano la pasta (in Italy, almost everyone eats pasta).
But we have another very popular option. Instead of specifying anyone in particular with nouns like "Italians" or "everyone," we can use a special formula to talk about what "people in general" do. We do this by placing the little word (also called a "particle") si right before a third-person singular verb. Here it is in action:
In Italia, si mangia tanta pasta.
Even though it translates to "In Italy, people eat a lot of pasta," this formula with si functions a bit like the English word "one" (as in, "one eats a lot of pasta in Italy"). The basic rule for this general si structure is that the verb stays in the third-person singular almost all the time (with some exceptions we'll get to later).
And if you are ever a guest in an Italian home, you will definitely hear someone call out:
"Si mangia!" It means "it's time to eat!" or "The food's on the table!"
Literally, it translates to "one eats," making it the ultimate everyday example of this structure in action.
Now we know that when we're talking about people in general performing an action, we can just put si in front of the third-person singular verb, such as si mangia (one eats/people eat) or si viaggia (one travels/people travel).
"Ormai si viaggia più spesso in aereo",
"These days, one travels more and more often by plane,"
Caption 32, Corso di italiano con Daniela La forma passiva - Part 3
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The Grammar Collision: When Reflexive Verbs Join the Party
So far, the verbs we've talked about have been, let's say, standard verbs. But what happens when the verb we want to use with a si formula is already a reflexive verb? That's when the "collision" happens.
That's because we also use this same particle, si, when conjugating reflexive verbs, those verbs in which the subject and the object are the same. ➡️ Learn about reflexive verbs in this lesson, and how to conjugate them in this lesson.
When we conjugate a verb like svegliarsi (to wake up), we need si.
Tutte le mattine si sveglia con il cuscino pieno di lacrime.
Every morning she wakes up with her pillow full of tears.
Caption 42, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 2 - Part 15
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So when we have a conjugated reflexive verb where we need si AND an impersonal formula where we need si, we have a unique kind of grammar collision.
In other words:
1) We use a reflexive verb like vestirsi (to dress oneself), where si is part of the verb. For example: Di solito, una persona che fa trekking si veste a cipolla (usually, a person who goes hiking dresses in layers).
2) We want to speak impersonally ("people in general"), which also requires the subject si (as we illustrated earlier in the lesson).
In essence, we want to combine the impersonal subject with a reflexive verb. So we try it out: Di solito si si veste a cipolla...
But that does not cut it. It is not good Italian. To Italians, repeating si - si doesn't work. To make it sound better, Italian grammar requires always changing the first particle in a double-pronoun chain. Since the reflexive pronoun si is stuck tightly to the verb, it stays where it is, and it is actually the first si (the impersonal one) that changes to ci.
So this is the process:
⚠️ It's easy to confuse this grammatical ci with the word ci meaning "us." In fact, this is just one of the many ways we use ci in Italian! ➡️ For more on ci, see this lesson!
Real-World Examples from the Wild
Let’s look at how we use this ci-si trick with everyday verbs: divertirsi (to have fun), svegliarsi (to wake up), riposarsi (to rest), sentirsi (to feel).
A Dixieland ci si diverte con poco e nulla.
At Dixieland one has fun with next to nothing.
Caption 30, Dixiland La magia di Tribo
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E, no. -No, domani è domenica, ci si sveglia tardi, -E sì. -ci si riposa.
No. -No, tomorrow is Sunday, one wakes up late, -Yes. -one rests.
Captions 45-46, La compagnia del cigno S2 EP 2 - Part 11
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E... volevo chiederti, come ci si sente da sposati?
And... I wanted to ask you, how does one feel, married?
Captions 52-53, Sposami EP 5 - Part 16
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In this next example, the speaker is using the impersonal form to speak in general about modern life, using "one" in the third-person singular.
Note that the last 2 verbs are reflexive verbs: vestirsi (to dress) and pettinarsi (to style one's hair), so for the first 2 verbs — viaggiare (to travel) and parlare (to talk), there is just the impersonal si, and for the last 2, we find ci si, in other words, both the impersonal si transformed into ci and the reflexive si.
Perché qua sta cambiando un po' tutto. -Sì, e... Come si viaggia, come si parla, come ci si veste, come ci si pettina.
Because here, everything is kind of changing. -Yes, and... The way one travels, the way one talks, the way one dresses, the way one styles one's hair.
Captions 11-13, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 23
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A Sneak Peek into the next lesson on this topic:
Here is an example using the verb mettersi (a very common reflexive form of mettere — to put), meaning to sit down/set oneself to a task. Pay close attention to the second half of this sentence:
E come tanti altri italiani, il ventiquattro sera, verso le sette, ci si mette a cena, e si mangiano pietanze a base di pesce.
And like many other Italians, the evening of the twenty-fourth, around seven, we sit down to dinner, and one eats dishes with fish as their basis.
Captions 5-8, Marika spiega La Vigilia di Natale
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Did you spot the twist? The phrase si mangiano refers to an object in the plural (le pietanze - the dishes), so the verb magically flips to the plural to agree with it! This takes some getting used to, and it brings us to our next big topic...
The Plural Object Trap: If people are acting on multiple objects, the verb unexpectedly flips to the plural!
Standard: Ci si prepara un caffè. (One prepares a coffee.)
The Trap: Ci si preparano tre caffè. (One prepares three coffees.)
When you are out in the wild watching Italian videos or chatting with locals, don't worry about memorizing heavy grammar terms. Just remember our two simple visual tricks:
The si-si fix: When a verb is reflexive and impersonal, change that first si to ci to keep things flowing smoothly (ci si veste).
The order rule: The front word (ci) means "people in general," and the back word (si) stays glued to the verb.
In our next lesson, we are going to dive deeper into that final example. We will unpack exactly why si mangia suddenly transforms into si mangiano when plural objects enter the room. Until then, keep your ears open for the ci-si trick. Alla prossima!
Thanks for reading. Write to us at [email protected]. We love to hear from you!
In a previous lesson, we talked about votare, a verb that has an additional meaning we rarely think of. Another verb that can bring some surprises (and confusion) is confondere (to confuse, to confound). If we think about it, we can break down confondere into two pieces. Fondere is "to melt," "to meld"; con is “with.” Thoughts, sensations, or things mix together and become unclear. We can no longer distinguish or understand individual elements.
The English verbs "to confuse" and "to confound" clearly have the same root: And we can also see "to fuse" and "fusion" in the noun "confusion." And we now know that con means "with." You might never think of the word "confusion" the same way again.
The cognate confusione exists in Italian. Sometimes it's equivalent to the English "confusion."
Perciò quando i soggetti sono diversi, questo potrebbe portare un po' di confusione.
So when the subjects are different, this could bring about a bit of confusion.
Captions 25-26, Corso di italiano con Daniela 3) Proposizioni subordinate finali - Part 2
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But often confusione means something more akin to "chaos" "fuss," "mess," or "commotion."
E, soprattutto, nella confusione nessuno si accorgerebbe di nulla.
And above all, in the chaos, nobody would notice anything.
Caption 16, Il Commissario Manara S2EP4 - Miss Maremma - Part 11
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Lupo ha detto che c'aspetta in palestra e poi era troppa confusione per lui.
Lupo said he'd be waiting for us at the gym and besides, it was too much commotion for him.
Captions 56-57, L'oro di Scampia film - Part 19
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Knowing these little connections may help you find the words when you need them, or at least recognize them when you see them. Or you might just enjoy being aware of the connections (or you might not care at all).
We often translate confondere as "to mix up."
The verb confondere can be used as a normal transitive verb: to confuse.
Tu mi sa che confondi la cocaina con l'aspirina.
I think you are confusing cocaine with aspirin.
Caption 10, Il Commissario Manara S2EP9 - L'amica ritrovata - Part 11
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The same past participle, confuso, can mean "confused." We can use the past participle of confondere as an adjective when we are confused — confuso. The ending has to agree in gender and number with what or who is being described.
Sei confusa, addolorata, ma lo sai che lui ti merita.
You're confused, aggrieved, but you know that he deserves you.
Captions 85-86, Il Commissario Manara S1EP11 - Beato tra le donne - Part 8
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When we get confused or mixed up, it's a process, and we go the reflexive route with the reflexive form of the verb: confondersi.
Sì, sì, è probabile, perché i nomi sono molto simili, Renzo, Gaetano... uno si può confondere.
Yes, yes. That's likely, because the names are very similar, Renzo, Gaetano... someone can get mixed up.
Captions 57-58, Provaci ancora prof! S1E3 - Una piccola bestia ferita - Part 13
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...e se di me non parlo e non mi ascolto, succede che poi mi confondo.
...and if I don't talk about myself and I don't listen to myself, it happens that then I get confused.
Captions 56-57, Rosalba al parco della donna gatto - Part 2
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There's an expression in Italian: confondere le acque (to muddy the water). In this case, you are not confused, but you are making something confusing on purpose. Here, confuso can be translated as "confusing."
Hanno fatto un racconto un po' confuso.
They gave a somewhat confusing account.
Caption 16, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP2 Rabbia - Part 3
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When we use the passato prossimo (which works like the present perfect), the past participle is the same as the adjective form, but the verb essere (to be) is present, too, as well as the reflexive pronoun, as opposed to a subject pronoun.
Che fai, parli ternano pure tu, adesso? -Perché mi so' [sono] confuso,
What are you doing? Are you talking Terni-ese, too, now? -Because I got confused,
Captions 59-60, Sposami EP 5 - Part 16
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So if I want to say, "You got confused," I would say, "Ti sei confuso/a".
When, in La Ladra, Eva uses the verb to talk about a spice she can’t distinguish, she uses the verb confondere but she might have meant confondersi, which can also mean "to blend in." If we want a transitive verb as a translation, "muddle" might work, too.
C'è una spezia che confonde il quadro di insieme, non so, non riesco a percepirla.
There's a spice that muddles the whole picture. I don't know, I can't manage to perceive it.
There's a spice that makes the whole picture confusing, I don't know, I'm not able to perceive it.
There's a spice that blends in with the whole picture, I don't know, I'm not able to perceive it.
Caption 32, La Ladra EP. 1 - Le cose cambiano - Part 3
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We hope you are not more confused than when you began reading this lesson!
This expression refers to when you're hyper, psyched, nervous, excited, revved up, buzzing, or in high gear... You can choose how to visualize it, according to the situation.
E va be', mi è successo di tutto. -No, perché sembri un po' su di giri, ecco.
Well OK, a lot happened to me. -No, because you seem a little revved up, that's it.
Captions 19-20, La Ladra EP. 10 - Un ignobile ricatto - Part 8
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In the previous example, we can see from the context (if we watch the video), that the person who is revved up is revved up in a good way. Eva (the one su di giri) had just had a romantic encounter with Dante and she was on cloud nine, but also very excited.
But in this next example, Nicola is talking about what he has to do in his job as a cop. He often has to visit homes where couples or family members are fighting. The expression is the same, but its nature is different.
Certo, entrare il quel momento dentro casa di queste persone, voi capie'... voi capite che, eh... gli umori sono abbastanza a terra, la rabbia è su di giri
Of course, entering at that moment into the home of these people, you understand... you understand that moods are way low, anger is wound up,
Captions 36-38, Nicola Agliastro Poliziotto
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In this next example, Manrico wants to seduce a woman, and thinks of "getting her going" with a drink.
Cocktailino [sic] per mandarla su di giri, eh? Cenetta, vino rosso...
Little cocktail to get her revved up, huh? Little dinner, red wine...
Captions 64-65, Sposami EP 5 - Part 16
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Now that we have seen a few practical examples of this little expression, let's unpack it.
We're including the verb essere (to be) in the expression, but often it's not included, or another verb is used, such as mandare (to send) as in one of the examples above.
Then we have su which is a preposition meaning "on" but it's also an adverb meaning "upwards" or "up" and that is how it is used here, and often refers to one's mood or state.
Di is a preposition meaning, primarily, "of."
Then we get to the important word: giri. It's the plural of giro, which is a rotation, or, in a mechanical sense, a revolution. That's where "revved up" comes from. More revolutions in less time!
On a car, the tachometer is called il contagiri (the tachometer or rev counter). To keep with the meaning of giri, we have used "revved up" as the translation. But there are so many other ways to interpret the expression, and this "motor" reference might not be appropriate in many situations!
Sometimes, su di giri describes one's heart beating fast (for whatever reason). Sometimes it's about not being able to stop talking, pacing, or tapping one's foot or pencil. It can be about not being able to calm down.
It might be a reason too skip that second cup of coffee.
No, grazie, sono un po' su di giri (no thanks, I'm already a bit wound up).
Are you old enough to remember hit singles? In other words, 45 rpms. This means 45 revolutions per minute on a turntable or record player, as we used to call it. In Italian, it's 45 giri.
Il quarantacinque giri più venduto di Italia è "In ginocchio da te" di Gianni Morandi.
The forty-five that sold the most copies in Italy is "On my Knees Before You" by Gianni Morandi.
Caption 57, L'Eredità -Quiz TV La sfida dei sei. Puntata 2 - Part 8
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The noun giro is a favorite of Italians and can mean so many things. See this lesson for some examples. If you do a search of the noun giro and its plural giri, and diminutives such as un giretto, you will get a sense of the variety of nuances connected to this word. And let's not forget the phrasal adverb in giro which has its own collection of nuances.
We'll also mention the verb girare (to turn, to go around). The verb, too, has a great many meanings and nuances, so check it out.
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