How to Use CI SI in Italian + PDF Cheat-Sheet 📚

Ever heard someone say Ci si vede! (See you!) in Italy as a casual farewell? This phrase isn’t just one of the many ways to say goodbye in Italian, but it actually unveils an interesting aspect of Italian grammar: the CI SI combination.

CI and SI are pronoun particles that come together when an Italian reflexive verb (those verbs where the action refers back to the subject, like mi lavo – I wash myself) is used in the impersonal form to generically express actions without pinning them to a specific subject.

Sounds complicated? Nah, it’s just a matter of understanding the role of each element. In this guide, we’ll delve into what the impersonal form entails and how it works with reflexive verbs. Once you grasp these concepts, you’ll be able to use CI SI expressions with confidence. Iniziamo (let’s start)!

But first, make sure to download your free PDF cheat-sheet, which includes all the key points we’ll cover in this guide. Just enter your email below and I’ll send it to you straight away.

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Table to Contents

Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide. Click on any title to jump to each section.

What are impersonal verbs in Italian?
When to use impersonal verbs
How to apply the impersonal form to reflexive verbs with CI SI
Other meanings of CI and SI in Italian

What are impersonal verbs in Italian?

How to use CI SI in Italian - Impersonal Verbs Unlike standard Italian verbs, which denote actions performed by someone or something, impersonal verbs operate differently. They focus solely on the action itself, without pointing to a particular person or animate entity responsible for the action. Additionally, these verbs always remain in the third person singular form. Consider these examples:

Piove da due giorni, che noia! – It’s been raining for two days, how boring!
Fa così caldo oggi! – It’s so hot today!
Sembra che il treno sia in ritardo – It seems the train is late
È necessario organizzare una riunione per discutere la questione – It is necessary to organize a meeting to discuss the issue

Notice the absence of a specific doer or person in all these sentences?

When to use impersonal verbs

Typically fall into the following key 4 categories:

1. Atmospheric phenomena

Atmospheric phenomena such as piovere (to rain), grandinare (to hail), nevicare (to snow), which describe weather conditions without pointing to who or what is causing them. For example:

Nevicherà tutta la settimana, quindi è meglio rimandare il viaggio (It will snow all week, so it is better to postpone the trip)

2. With FARE

The verb fare (to make, to do) followed by an adjective or noun to describe a condition, for instance:

Fa freddo (it’s cold)
Fa caldo (it’s hot)
Fa bello (it’s nice weather).

3. Expressions with ESSERE and ANDARE

Expressions formed by the verbs essere (to be) or andare (to go) plus an adjective, noun, or adverb. For instance:

È giusto (it’s right)
È necessario (it’s necessary),
Va bene (it’s okay)
Va male (it’s not going well)
È proibito (it’s prohibited), etc.

4. Specific Verbs

Verbs like dire (to say), pensare (to think), considerare (to consider), credere (to believe) conjugated in the third person singular and preceded by the particle si, indicating a general belief or thought, for example:

Si pensa sempre che sia troppo tardi per cambiare le cose (One always thinks that it’s too late to change things)

More generally, any verb can adopt an impersonal form by inserting the pronominal particle si, suggesting a generic subject that varies based on context (la gente – people, uno – one, tutti – everyone, etc.).

Here’s the structure to use:

SI + verb conjugated in the third person singular + adverb or infinitive verb

Now let’s see some examples:

La domenica dormiamo fino a tardi (On Sundays, we sleep late) → La domenica si dorme fino a tardi (On Sundays, people sleep late)
Gli italiani non bevono mai il cappuccino dopo le 11 (Italians never drink cappuccino after 11→ In Italia non si beve il cappuccino dopo le 11 (In Italy, people don’t drink cappuccino after 11)
Diciamo sempre così (We always say it like that)→ Si dice sempre così! (People always say it like that)
Mangiamo molto bene in questo ristorante (We eat very well in this restaurant) → Si mangia molto bene in questo ristorante (The food is really good at this restaurant)

How to apply the impersonal form to reflexive verbs with CI SI

Reflexive verbs are those that express actions performed by the subject on themselves. These verbs can also take on an impersonal form, where the action becomes generalized rather than specific to the individual.

In Italian, a challenge arises because reflexive verbs already incorporate SI, which is the reflexive pronoun for both the third person singular (himself, herself, itself) and plural (themselves). That’s why, when aiming to generalize an action to people in general, Italian introduces a clever linguistic twist: instead of using two SI pronouns, which would sound awkward, it substitutes the first SI with the particle CI.

How to use CI SI in Italian - How to apply the impersonal form to reflexive verbs with CI SI

For example, consider the verb alzarsi (to wake up):

Ci alziamo tardi la domenica (We get up late on Sundays) → Si si alza tardi la domenica → Ci si alza tardi la domenica (People get up late on Sundays)

Notice how the sentence sounds smoother when using CI SI instead of SI SI?

So, to make a reflexive verb impersonal, all you have to do is follow this structure:

CI + SI + verb conjugated in the third person singular

While SI establishes the impersonal tone, CI simply serves as a phonetic adjustment to enhance the sentence’s flow and clarity.

How to use CI SI in Italian - Formula

Let’s see some more examples:

Rilassarsi (to relax)

Ci rilassiamo sempre alla spa (We always relax at the spa) → Ci si rilassa sempre alla spa (People always relax at the spa)

Iscriversi (to sign up)

Se ti iscrivi in palestra entro luglio avrai uno sconto (If you sign up to the gym by July, you will get a discount → Se ci si iscrive in palestra entro luglio, si avrà uno sconto (Signing up for the gym by July will entitle to a discount)

Muoversi (to move)

Durante l’allenamento, dobbiamo muoverci in modo corretto per evitare infortuni (During training, we must move correctly to avoid injuries) → Durante l’allenamento, ci si deve muovere in modo corretto per evitare infortuni (During training, it’s important to move correctly to avoid injuries)

Perdersi (to lose oneself)

Mi perdo sempre quando arrivo a questo punto, dove devo girare? (I always get lost when I reach this point, where should I turn?) → Ci si perde sempre quando si arriva a questo punto, dove si deve girare? (One always gets lost when reaching this point, where should you turn?)

Truccarsi (to put on makeup)

Come ti trucchi per un colloquio di lavoro? (How do you do your makeup for a job interview?) → Come ci si trucca per un colloquio di lavoro? (How should you do your makeup for a job interview?)

Attenzione! When an impersonal reflexive verb is followed by an adjective, that adjective must be in masculine plural form, even if the verb is conjugated in the third person singular:

Ci si veste eleganti per andare alla prima della Scala di Milano – People dress elegantly to go to the premiere at La Scala in Milan
Se si dorme poco, ci si sente stanchi tutto il giorno – If one sleeps little, they feel tired all day
Perchè ci si sente spesso tristi senza un motivo apparente? – Why do people often feel sad without apparent reason?

Other meanings of CI and SI in Italian

CI and SI may seem like minor components in Italian grammar, but they are extensively used in Italian, covering different roles and meanings.

SI, for example, serves also as:

Affirmation: it is the easiest way to say yes in Italian (in this case, it is spelled with an accent – Sì)
Musical note: it represents the seventh note in the musical scale, corresponding to the English “B”
Reflexive pronoun: It functions as a reflexive pronoun in the third person singular and plural. For instance, to say “she washes herself” or “they wash themselves,” you would use lei si lava, loro si lavano
Pronominal verbs: SI is a component of pronominal verbs, where it often changes to SE when combined with another pronoun. Examples include aspettarsela (to expect something), cercarsela (to ask for trouble) or godersela (to have fun and enjoy oneself)

On the other hand, CI has other distinct roles:

Indirect object pronoun: CI functions as an indirect object pronoun meaning a noi (to us), as in Marco ci ha dato un passaggio a casa (Marco gave us a lift home)
Direct object pronoun: It can also serve as a direct object pronoun meaning noi (us), as in Ci hanno chiamato per i risultati degli esami (They called us for the exam results)
Reflexive pronoun: CI is the reflexive pronoun for the first person plural, meaning noi (us), as in Ci vestiamo e partiamo (We get dress and leave)
Pronominal verbs: CI appears in many pronominal verbs, such as pensarci (to take care of something personally), tenerci (to care about something or someone). Like SI, CI changes to CE when combined with another pronoun, for example volercene (to take effort and time) or farcela (to succeed in reaching a goal, to manage to do something)

These examples only scratch the surface of the roles of CI in Italian,
don’t miss this guide on how to use to CI and NE find out more!

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How to use CI SI in Italian - FREE Cheat-Sheet

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