SI Passivante: What is it and How to use the Passive SI in Italian (FREE PDF 📚)

Have you ever noticed how Italians describe actions without naming who’s doing them? They use something called the SI passivante (passive si) is a simple yet powerful way Italians talk about actions without focusing on who’s doing them.

Instead of saying “Tanta pizza è mangiata in Italia” (A lot of pizza is eaten in Italy) which is grammatically correct, native Italians would say “Si mangia tanta pizza in Italia”—it’s more natural, smooth, and conversational. This is the SI passivante at work!

In this guide, you’ll learn how the SI passivante works to create natural passive sentences, how to use it with simple and compound tenses, modal verbs, and pronouns and key tips for identifying when to use the SI passivante instead of the standard passive voice.

Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that Italian ads like “Affittasi” (For rent) or “Vendesi” (For sale) are actually built with the SI passivante? Stick around to learn how this fascinating shortcut works and how it can elevate your Italian!

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.

Table to Contents

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

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What is the SI passivante in Italian?

How to use the SI passivante in Italian - Active vs passive voice The SI passivante is a unique way to form the passive voice in Italian, which is rather common in both conversation and writing. Not sure what the passive voice is? No worries, here’s a quick refresher:

The active voice follows the standard subject-verb-object pattern, with the subject doing the action of the verb, as in La ragazza legge il libro (The girl reads the book)
In the passive voice, the object becomes the subject of the sentence and receives the action of the verb, as in Il libro è letto dalla ragazza (The book is read by the girl)

The standard passive voice in Italian is formed with the verb essere (to be) followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example:

Active voice: Qui vendono la pizza al taglio — Here they sell pizza by the slice
Standard passive voice: La pizza al taglio è venduta qui — Pizza by the slice is sold here

Sometimes, the standard passive can sound a bit too formal or stiff. That’s where the SI passivante comes in. It’s a more natural, fluid way to express the passive voice, and it’s formed by using the pronoun SI combined with the verb conjugated in the third person, either singular or plural. Here’s how it works with the same example:

Qui si vende la pizza al taglio — Pizza by the slice is sold here

The SI passivante is especially useful to talk about general facts or actions in an impersonal way, because this construction doesn’t mention who is doing the action. This contrasts with the standard passive, where you can specify the agent using the preposition da (by).

5 Key characteristics of the SI passivante

The SI passivante has some distinct features that are key to understanding its function:

1. Used only with transitive verbs

The SI passivante can only be used with transitive verbs, which are those that require a direct object to complete their meaning. This is because the passive voice depends on the presence of an object that can receive the action of the verb. In contrast, intransitive verbs do not have direct objects, so they cannot form passive sentences.

Here’s an example:

Active voice: Da casa mia vedo il mare (I can see the sea from my house)
SI passivante: Da casa mia si vede il mare (literally, From my house, the sea can be seen)

In this case, vedere (to see) is a transitive verb, with il mare (the sea) as its direct object. In the passive construction, the object becomes the subject of the sentence, and the action is described as occurring to it.

2. The direct object is always mentioned

In addition to requiring a transitive verb, the SI passivante construction also needs the explicit presence of a direct object. Without it, the sentence would be incomplete or grammatically incorrect:

In campagna si vive una vita lenta — In the countryside, one lives a slow life → Here, una vita lenta (a slow life) is the direct object, and it is required to make the sentence meaningful

3. Verbs in third person (singular or plural)

The verb in the SI passivante construction agrees with the number (singular or plural) of the direct object. If the object is singular, the verb is in the third-person singular; if plural, the verb takes the third-person plural form. For example:

In questa trattoria si mangia una bistecca buonissima — In this trattoria, one eats a delicious steak → bistecca (steak) is singular, so mangia (eats) is in the singular form.
In questa trattoria si mangiano dei piatti buonissimi — In this trattoria, one eats delicious dishes → piatti (dishes) is plural, so mangiano (eat) is in the plural form.

4. The agent is never mentioned

In these types of sentences, the agent (the person or thing doing the action) is not explicitly specified, and the action is presented as general or impersonal, similar to using “one” or “people” in English. Notice the difference in these three constructions:

Active voice: In Sicilia la gente parla un dialetto molto particolare (In Sicily, people speak a very peculiar dialect)
Standard passive voice: Un dialetto molto particolare è parlato dalla gente in Sicilia (A very peculiar dialect is spoken by people in Sicily)
SI passivante: In Sicilia si parla un dialetto molto particolare (A very peculiar dialect is spoken in Sicily)

See how the agent (the people) disappears in the SI passivante, shifting the focus entirely to the action and the object. This creates a more neutral and impersonal tone.

By the way, if you’re curious about this special dialect, don’t miss my guide to Sicilian vs Italian!

5. It fits across tenses and moods

You can use the SI passivante in a variety of tenses and moods, from imperfetto and future to subjunctive or conditional:

In futuro si costruiranno più case ecologiche — In the future, more eco-friendly houses will be built (future tense)
Si comprerebbero più libri se costassero meno — More books would be bought if they cost less (conditional mood)

How to form the SI passivante in Italian

Using the SI passivante in Italian isn’t complicated. Follow these steps, and you’ll be adding it to your sentences in no time.

SI passivante with simple tenses

With simple tenses like the present, futuro or imperfetto, the SI passivante follows this construction

SI + verb in third-person singular or plural + direct object

Some examples:

Dove si comprano i biglietti per l’autobus? — Where can one buy bus tickets?
Nella mia scuola si organizzano anche corsi di teatro — At my school, they also offer theatre courses
Durante il trekking, si deve bere molta acqua — During the hike, you should drink plenty of water

SI passivante with compound tenses

When using SI passivante in compound tenses such as passato prossimo or past conditional, the auxiliary verb must always be essere (to be). Additionally, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the direct object. The structure is as follows:

SI + “essere” in third-person singular or plural + past participle + direct object

Examples:

Durante la festa si è bevuto molto alcol — During the party, people drunk a lot of alcohol
Si è sentita la mancanza di Gianni — Gianni’s absence was felt
Durante il viaggio si sono mangiati tanti piatti tipici — During the trip, many typical dishes were eaten
L’anno scorso si sono vendute meno riviste — Last year, fewer magazines were sold

SI passivante with modal verbs

With the SI passivante, the modal verb is conjugated in the third-person singular or plural depending on the object they refer to, while the verb that follows remains in the infinitive form:

SI + modal verb in third-person singular or plural + verb in infinitive form + direct object

For example:

Finalmente si possono comprare le fragole! — Finally, one can buy strawberries!
Si devono obliterare i biglietti? — Do tickets need to be validated?
Si vuole fare una ricerca più approfondita — They want to conduct a more thorough research

With compound tenses, the modal verb is conjugated in the past participle and must agree in gender and number with the direct object:

SI + “essere” in third-person singular or plural + past participle of the modal verb + verb in infinitive form + direct object

For example:

Si è potuto fare il bagno — One could take a swim
Si sono dovuti comprare i biglietti in anticipo — Tickets had to be bought in advance
Non si sono volute prendere decisioni affrettate — People didn’t want to take hasty decisions

SI passivante with pronoun

Similar to the SI impersonale, the SI passivante construction can be used with other pronouns. The rules for word order remain consistent: SI is placed before the verb, and the other pronouns must be positioned before SI. For example:

Si trova il panettone? Sì, lo si trova già in molti supermercati — Can one find panettone? Yes, it can already be found in many supermarkets.
Si vede ancora la macchia? Non la si vede più — Can one still see the stain? No, it can no longer be seen.

The position of the direct object in SI passivante constructions

How to use the SI passivante in Italian - Active vs passive voice In SI passivante constructions, the direct object can appear either before or after the verb. Both positions are grammatically correct and convey the same meaning, but the choice of word order can subtly affect emphasis or style.

Placing the direct object after the verb is the most common and neutral option. In this of construction, the emphasis is generally on other elements such as time, place, or manner, depending on the context:

Venerdì si mangia il pesce – On Friday, people eat fish → In this sentence, the focus is on venerdì (Friday) as the day when fish is eaten.
La sera si guarda la TV – The TV is watched in the evening → Here, the focus is on la sera (the evening) as the time for watching TV.

On the other hand, placing the direct object before the verb shifts the focus to the object itself, highlighting it as the key element of the sentence:

Il pesce si mangia venerdì – The fish is eaten on Friday
La TV si guarda la sera – The TV is watched in the evening

4 Common uses of the SI passivante

The SI passivante in commonly used in the following contexts:

1. To talk about collective habits or customs, particularly within a specific culture or society:

In Italia non si beve il cappuccino dopo le 11 — In Italy, people don’t drink cappuccino after 11 am
Non si mette il parmigiano sul pesce — People don’t put Parmesan cheese on fish

Want to learn more about common habits in Italy? Check out my guide to Italian customs!

2. To talk about rules and give instructions

In quel supermercato non si vendono alcolici dopo le 22:00 — In that supermarket, alcohol isn’t sold after 10 pm
Prima di servire, si aggiungono sale e pepe a piacere — Before serving, add salt and pepper to taste

3. To write commercial advertisements

In Italian ads and classified listings, the SI passivante is often used in an abbreviated form, where si merges with the verb ending. This creates concise expressions like affittasi instead of si affitta (for rent), vendesi instead of si vende (for sale) and cercasi instead of si cerca (wanted):

Vendesi biglietti per il concerto di Taylor Swift — Tickets for the Taylor Swift concert for sale
Affittasi appartamento vista mare — Sea-view apartment for rent
Cercasi guida per gruppo di turisti olandesi — Guide wanted for a group of Dutch tourists

4. To ask how to say or write something properly:

Come si dice “entrata” in inglese? — How do you say ‘entrata’ in English?”
Come si scrive la parola “cielo”? — How do you spell the word “cielo”?

What’s the difference between the SI passivante and the SI impersonale in Italian

How to use the SI passivante in Italian - Active vs passive voice The SI passivante and the SI impersonale can easily be confused because their structures are almost identical in Italian. However, they serve different purposes:

SI passivante creates passive sentences where the subject of the action is not explicitly mentioned
SI impersonale is used to make general statements or describe actions done by people in general

The table below highlights the key characteristics of each construction, making it easy to distinguish between them:

SI Passivante vs SI Impersonale in Italian
Characteristics	SI PASSIVANTE	SI IMPERSONALE
Purpose	Passive construction with an unspecified subject.	General statements without a specific subject.
Verb	Only transitive verbs in third-person singular or plural	Intransitive verbs OR transitive verbs, always conjugated in third person singular
Direct object	Always present and clearly stated	Not present
Example	Si producono molti vini in Italia (Many wines are produced in Italy)	In Italia si vive bene (People live well in Italy)

How to use the SI passivante in Italian - Active vs passive voice

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How to use the SI passivante in Italian - FREE Cheat-Sheet

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