impersonale

Impersonale is an adjective used in linguistics to describe forms and constructions that do not encode a specific personal agent. Impersonal structures present actions or states without a definite subject, or use a generic, abstract subject. They are common in many languages and are studied for their syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

In Italian, impersonal usage appears in several forms. One is impersonal verbs, whose lexical meaning denotes weather, time, or general phenomena and do not require an explicit subject, as in piove (it rains) or nevica (it snows). Another form uses the pronoun si to create impersonal or passive-like statements, such as Si dice che... (It is said that...) or Si dorme bene qui (One sleeps well here). These constructions convey general statements, norms, or reports without identifying an agent.

Across languages, similar ideas exist with different mechanisms. Spanish uses the reflexive se to form impersonal or passive constructions, as in Se habla español (Spanish is spoken [here]). French can express impersonal meaning with on or with passive forms, while English often relies on expletive or dummy subjects such as it or there to introduce weather expressions and general statements (It rains; There is a problem). The term impersonal thus covers a range of strategies for removing or generalizing the subject.

Functionally, impersonale constructions support generalization, non-specific agents, or neutral reporting. They interact with syntax, semantics, and discourse style, influencing how information is presented and interpreted in different languages.