In our previous lesson, we tackled a unique Italian grammar collision: using a reflexive verb inside an impersonal statement. This happens when two conditions meet:
1) We use a reflexive verb like vestirsi (to dress oneself), where si is part of the verb.
2) We want to speak impersonally ("people in general"), which also requires the subject si.
When these two si particles collide, the first one changes to ci:
si + si veste → ci si veste
Other Ways to Say the Same Thing:
To see, close up, how this structure compares to other common subject pronouns and nouns, let's look at these alternative options:
Uno si veste a cipolla per fare trekking. (using the singular pronoun uno (someone): "One dresses in layers...")
Una persona che va a fare trekking si veste a cipolla. (using a singular noun una persona: (a person dresses...)
La gente, quando fa trekking, si veste a cipolla. (using the collective singular noun la gente: "People dress...")
Le persone che fanno trekking si vestono a cipolla. (using the plural noun le persone, which forces the verb into the plural si vestono).
Ci vestiamo a cipolla quando facciamo trekking. (using the "we" form: "We dress ourselves in layers when we hike." Here, ci actually does mean "us"!).
Ci si veste a cipolla quando si fa trekking. (impersonal + reflexive combo: "People dress in layers when people/they go hiking.")
The New Twist
We closed the previous lesson with this example:
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, one sits down to dinner, and one eats dishes with fish as their basis.
And like many other Italians, the evening of the twenty-fourth, around seven, people sit down to dinner, and dishes with fish as their basis are eaten.
Captions 5-8, Marika spiega La Vigilia di Natale
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Notice the second highlighted phrase:
si mangiano pietanze
Unlike ci si mette, this is not a reflexive construction. However, it is still impersonal because nobody specific is mentioned as the "actor."
❗️The important thing to notice is that the direct object (pietanze) is plural.
This creates what we might call the Plural Object Trap.
The Rule
When the direct object is singular, the verb remains singular:
Si mangia la pizza in pizzeria o a casa.
One can eat pizza in a pizzeria or at home.
Pizza can be eaten in a pizzeria or at home.
But when the direct object is plural, the verb flips to the plural:
Si mangiano tanti tipi di pizza in quella pizzeria.
One can eat many types of pizza in that pizzeria.
Many types of pizza can be eaten in that pizzeria.
➡️ A note about si passivante
If you've studied Italian grammar before, you may have come across the term si passivante.
In practice, however, you don't need to worry too much about the label. The important thing to notice is that when a plural direct object appears in relation to si, the verb agrees with it:
Si mangia la pizza.
Si mangiano molti tipi di pizza.
You can think of it this way: the focus shifts from the people doing the action to the thing being acted upon (the pizza, types of pizza). For learners (and non-grammar nerds), recognizing this plural agreement is much more useful than memorizing grammatical terminology.
And here is a great example from a Yabla video that, in one single sentence, features 3 different ways we use the impersonal reflexive. We looked at the first 2 ways in the previous lesson, so pay close attention to the 3rd way.
ci si rilassa → reflexive verb rilassarsi (to relax) in the impersonal third person.
si legge → standard verb in the impersonal (third person singular) form.
si fanno tante attività. → the object (attività) is plural, so the verb agrees with it and becomes plural: fanno.
Questa è la stanza in cui ci si rilassa, si legge, si fanno tante attività.
This is the room in which one relaxes, one reads, one does many things.
Captions 2-3, Marika spiega Il salone
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Here are two examples using the verb vedere (to see).
Singular object:
Si vede tutta la città?
Can one see the whole city?
Can the whole city be seen?
Caption 2, La compagnia del cigno S2 EP 2 - Part 13
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Plural object:
E si vedono ancora degli affreschi di allora.
And one still sees frescoes from that time.
Frescoes from that time are still seen.
Caption 14, Meraviglie EP. 1 - Part 14
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Below is an example with the verb vendere (to sell).
Singular object:
Ma l'appartamento si vende, Le interessa?
But the apartment is for sale. Are you interested?
Caption 65, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP5 Rione Serra Venerdì - Part 11
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Plural object:
I dischi non si vendono più.
CDs are no longer selling.
Caption 51, Chi m'ha visto film - Part 2
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One verb you'll encounter all the time in this construction is parlare. Walk through a city like Rome or Florence and you may see signs that say:
Qui si parla inglese.
English is spoken here.
They speak English here.
The object (inglese) is singular, so the verb remains in the singular.
In these examples, Marika is playing the teacher, and Anna, the student.
Singular object:
Che dialetto si parla a Milano?
What dialect do they speak in Milan?
What dialect is spoken in Milan?
Caption 37, L'Italia a tavola Interrogazione sulla Lombardia
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Plural object:
In Puglia si parlano tanti dialetti.
In Puglia, many dialects are spoken.
In Puglia, they speak many dialects.
Caption 32, L'Italia a tavola Interrogazione sulla Puglia
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What Should You Listen For?
When you hear an impersonal construction with si, your first instinct may be to expect a singular verb:
Si mangia.
Si parla.
Si vede.
And most of the time, you will be right.
But now you know the trap.
If a plural direct object enters the sentence, the verb often switches to the plural:
Si mangiano pietanze.
Si vedono affreschi.
Si parlano dialetti.
Si fanno attività.
The good news is that you don't have to stop and analyze whether you're dealing with a si impersonale or a si passivante. Instead, try training your ear to notice a simpler pattern:
Singular object → singular verb
Si parla inglese.
Si vende l'appartamento.
Si vede la città.
Plural object → plural verb
Si parlano molti dialetti.
Si vendono i dischi.
Si vedono gli affreschi.
As you watch Italian videos and listen to native speakers, keep an ear out for these forms. The more examples you hear, the more natural they will begin to sound. Before long, you'll stop thinking of them as grammar rules and start recognizing them as just another way Italians talk.
Alla prossima!
Thanks for reading. You can write to us at [email protected].
We love to hear from you. Ci piace tantissimo sentirvi!
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!
One word leads to another. Since some of Yabla's videos have included scenes of construction, the topic of scaffolding has come up from time to time, even though it's certainly not a topic you run into every day. But there is a false cognate we may run into whenever we go to a supermercato (supermarket) or grande magazzino (department store), so a closer look might be merited.
One word for "scaffolding" is il ponteggio or, more often, i ponteggi. We can detect the noun il ponte (the bridge) in the word, and can easily imagine the wooden planks as "bridges" from one set of poles to the next.
Ha ceduto un ponteggio.
Some scaffolding collapsed.
Caption 35, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 3
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Impalcatura is often used in the singular, as a generic term, but can also be used in the plural. Here, we might detect the noun il palco, which can mean "the stage" (as in a theater) or "the platform." L'impalcatura is a series of platforms on top of each other.
È caduto da un'impalcatura del cantiere.
He fell from a scaffold at the construction site.
Caption 9, La Ladra EP. 7 - Il piccolo ladro - Part 3
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No, Spartacus, non credo che gli faccia piacere avere un ricevimento in mezzo a impalcature e betoniere.
No, Spartacus, I don't think he is happy to have a reception in the middle of scaffolding and cement mixers.
Captions 66-67, Sposami EP 4 - Part 24
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"Platform" has a cognate, too: la piattaforma (the platform, the board).
La parte centrale del Colosseo, dove accadeva tutto, era una piattaforma lignea che veniva, eh, riempita di sabbia,
The central part of the Colosseum, where everything took place, was a wooden platform that was, uh, filled with sand,
Captions 25-27, Marika e Daniela Colosseo, interno - Part 1
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But, when we find the word scaffale in Italian, it doesn't mean "scaffolding." It is, instead, the kind of shelving you find in a store, supermarket, or department store.
Se andate a fare la spesa in un supermercato italiano, vi troverete davanti allo scaffale del riso indecisi sul tipo di riso da comprare,
If you go grocery shopping in an Italian supermarket, you'll find yourselves facing the rice shelf, uncertain about the type of rice to buy,
Captions 1-3, L'Italia a tavola Risotto alla milanese - Part 2
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It's used a lot in the plural as a general term: gli scaffali.
Se voi mangiaste meno, il supermercato sarebbe sicuramente più pieno e io non troverei gli scaffali vuoti. -Esagerata, eh!
If you ate less, the supermarket would surely be fuller and I wouldn't find the shelves empty. -Over the top, huh!
Captions 44-45, Daniela e Francesca Il verbo mangiare
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We can also use the noun lo scaffale in a house. If the shelves are for books, we'll usually say, una libreria.
False friend alert: Una libreria is also a bookshop! A library, on the other hand, is una biblioteca. If you have a dedicated room or lots of shelves for books, you can talk about una biblioteca in your house, too.
When we are speaking generically, we can use scaffale. Marika talks about lo scaffale, because, as she mentions, it contains all kinds of things.
A fianco alla televisione, ho un mobile. Questo mobile si chiama scaffale. Io lo uso per conservare tantissimi oggetti.
Alongside the television, I have a piece of furniture. This piece of furniture is called a shelving unit. I use it to store many objects.
Captions 26-28, Marika spiega Il salone
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If this web of words has brought you more confusion than anything else, just stick with learning gli scaffali. That's where you will find food and products at the supermarket, and eating is essential.
We've talked about two words to use when we need something fixed: sistemare and riparare. Here's another: accomodare. This verb looks a lot like the English verb to accommodate and while they both come from the same Latin word "accomodare" they are not true cognates.
Questa bici è vecchia ma l'ho fatta accomodare da un amico esperto e sembra nuova.
This bike is old, but I had it fixed up by a friend who's an expert, and it's just like new.
It could be that the verb accomodare is used less frequently than some others to mean "to repair" but it's good to know it exists, as you might hear it and get confused if you hadn't read this lesson!
When getting something repaired, it's common to use the verb fare (to make, to do) and the infinitive form of the verb accomodare as in our example above: fare accomodare (to get repaired). Let's keep in mind that used this way, accomodare is a transitive verb, in other words, it takes a direct object.
As with sistemare, accomodare can be used to mean to tidy up, to arrange, as in getting a bedroom ready for someone.
Ho accommodato la stanza dove dormirai.
I got the room where you'll be sleeping ready for you.
As with many verbs, there is a reflexive form of accomodare, and in this case, it has come to mean something completely different from the normal verb. Here, we can also see a connection with the adjective comodo (comfortable, at ease).
This verb is very important when someone invites you into their house. Of course, when you enter, it is always polite to say permesso. You're asking permission to come in.
Con permesso? Permesso?
May I come in? May I come in?
Caption 31, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP1 - Matrimonio con delitto
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One answer you might get is this, especially if you know the person well:
Posso? -Vieni. Accomodati.
May I? -Come in. Have a seat.
Ti ho portato i prospetti che mi avevi chiesto.
I brought the forecasts you had asked me for.
Captions 19-20, Questione di Karma - Rai Cinema
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In the example above, the reflexive accomodarsi is used in the second person singular imperative. It can mean "Have a seat" but can also mean, "Make yourself comfortable," "Get yourself settled."
If you are staying with someone, perhaps they will show you to your room. They might say:
Ti faccio accomodare qui.
You can get settled in here.
The same goes for when you have dinner.
Se ho degli ospiti a pranzo o a cena,
If I have guests for lunch or for dinner,
li faccio accomodare qui,
I have them sit here,
su [sic: a] questo tavolo.
on [sic, at] this table.
Captions 34-36, Marika spiega - Il salone
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Accomodarsi is used in the polite form as well, especially in offices, and is one way of inviting you in, but can also mean "please have a seat." In the following example, it's combined with venga — the polite singular imperative form of venire (to come).
Commissario, c'è la signora Fello.
Chief, Missus Fello is here.
Signora Fello, venga.
Missus Fello, come in.
-Permesso? -Venga, si accomodi.
-May I? -Come in, have a seat.
Captions 37-39, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP10 -La verità nascosta
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If you read our lessons regularly, you might have come across a lesson about the adjective comodo, which has a couple of different meanings. The lesson also discusses accomodarsi briefly, so check it out here.
Using accomodarsi in sentences can be challenging, but it's important to have the verb comfortably in your vocabulary toolbox. So if you have questions such as "How do I say __________ in Italian," we are here to help! Write to us at [email protected].
The adjective comodo (comfortable) is easy to find in the dictionary, and is easy to understand, too, in a normal context.
Che dici, sarà comodo questo letto per la tedesca con la puzza sotto il naso?
What do you say? Will this bed be comfortable for the snobbish German lady?
Captions 12-13, Sposami EP 3 - Part 5
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Quindi non dimenticatevi di indossare delle scarpe comode, un abbigliamento comodo per potervi godere questo spettacolo meraviglioso.
So don't forget to wear comfortable shoes, comfortable clothing, to be able to enjoy this marvelous show.
Captions 45-46, Marika spiega Expo 2015 - Part 2
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As you can see, comodo ends in "O." So when using it to describe a noun, you have to pay attention to both the gender and the number of the noun it's describing. There are 4 possibilities: o, a, i, and e. Here are some examples.
Questo vestito è comodo (this dress is comfortable).
Questa gonna è comoda (this skirt is comfortable).
Questi pantaloni sono comodi (these pants are comfortable).
Queste scarpe sono comode (these shoes are comfortable).
❇️
Ma perché le donne devono aver un abito così scomodo?
But why do women have to have such uncomfortable clothing?
Caption 52, L'Oriana film - Part 23
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❇️
Try doing the same exercises as above (with comodo) with scomodo. It works the same way! Make sure and say your sentences out loud, if possible.
Up until now, we have talked about things that are or aren't comfortable. We can use the verb essere (to be). But when it comes to how we are feeling, such as sitting in an armchair, we use comodo and scomodo with the verb stare, also translated as "to be." We're talking about our state of being. Let's assume a woman is talking. She might say:
Su questa sedia, sto un po' scomoda. Manca un cuscino (I'm kind of uncomfortable on this chair. There's no cushion).
Su quell'altra, sto piuttosto comoda, invece (but on that other one, I am pretty comfortable).
❇️ Food for thought:
What if a guy were talking?
What if a couple were talking together about how they feel sleeping on the ground?
What if you were asking someone if they are comfortable, when it's clear they are not comfortable?
Stare is also used with comodo in another situation. Sometimes comodo specifically implies remaining seated, as in the command:
Stai comodo (don't bother getting up).
When you get comfortable, the verb is mettersi (to put oneself). We use the reflexive form of mettere (to put) as if to say, "Put yourself" into a comfortable position or state.
Quando torno a casa, la prima cosa che faccio è mettermi comodo.
When I get back home, the first thing I do is to get comfortable.
Caption 39, Adriano Giornata
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If I invite you to my place, and you are just standing in the entranceway, I might say:
Mettiti comodo (relax, make yourself at home, take off your shoes if you want, have a seat).
There are other contexts in which comodo is used in Italian, and these might be a bit harder to grasp. Comodo can mean "convenient," as in an easy answer, as in over-simplifying.
Ho cambiato idea, me ne ero dimenticato, non gliel'ho detto?
I changed my mind, I had forgotten, didn't I tell you?
Troppo comodo, Manara.
Too convenient, Manara.
Ormai le sue dimissioni saranno già protocollate.
At this point, your resignation will have been registered.
Captions 33-35, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP12 - Le verità nascoste
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And to talk about inconveniencing someone, the verb is scomodare.
Non ti voglio scomodare (I don't want to inconvenience you).
A common expression is fare comodo (to be or to come in useful, handy, or to be convenient). So in Italian, the verb is fare, while in English it's "to be" or "to come in."
Here's an example that's close to home for Yabla users:
Fa molto comodo avere i sottotitoli in due lingue, no?
Having subtitles in two languages is very handy, isn't it?
Having subtitles in two languages comes in very handy, doesn't it?
The following example is in the past conditional. They wished they'd had a beach umbrella.
Che caldo!
It's so hot!
Certo, un ombrellone nelle ore centrali del giorno avrebbe fatto veramente comodo.
Of course, an umbrella for the middle of the day would have come in really handy.
Captions 1-2, Una gita - al lago - Part 3
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In a future lesson, we'll talk about comodo as a noun.
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