passiveimpersonal

Passive impersonal is a cross-linguistic construction in which a clause uses passive morphology or a passive-like form while the agent is absent, unknown, or intentionally not stated. It yields an impersonal or generalized statement, rather than a description focused on a specific actor. The construction is distinct from fully specified passives that include an agent and from purely impersonal clauses that do not adopt passive marking.

In many Romance languages, the impersonal passive is often realized with a clitic such as se or si. Examples include Spanish se venden coches (Cars are sold / one sells cars) and Portuguese vendem-se carros. Italian also uses si vendono libri (Books are sold / one sells books). In languages without a dedicated impersonal passive, a similar effect can be achieved with a general or expletive subject, or with a standard passive form that drops the agent, as in English it was said or Mistakes were made. German sometimes achieves a comparable meaning with es wurde gesagt (It was said), where es is an expletive subject.

Uses and functions include generalizations, signs, instructions, formal reports, and discourse where the agent is unknown or irrelevant. The impersonal passive can increase generality, politeness, or focus on the action itself rather than the actor. It is important to distinguish this construction from semantically similar forms that have different sources, such as accidental se in Spanish or other language-specific devices, which may carry additional meanings beyond the impersonal passive sense.

See also: passive voice, impersonal construction, se-impersonal, si-impersonal.