🔍 In short. The italian si passivante is the construction behind shop signs like si vendono case, si affittano biciclette and qui si parlano tre lingue. When a transitive verb sits next to si and the object that follows is plural, the verb itself becomes plural: it agrees with the noun, not with si. This B2 guide focuses on that one move (singular noun gives singular verb, plural noun gives plural verb), shows when word order changes the choice, handles the passato prossimo, and clears up the modal cases.
Once the plural rule is automatic, half the signs in any Italian town suddenly make sense and a long list of polite, agentless sentences (recipes, instructions, public notices, real-estate ads) becomes available in your own writing. The italian si passivante is small, but it carries a lot of everyday Italian on its back.
Cosa impareremo oggi
👆🏻 Jump to section
- What the italian si passivante actually does
- The plural rule: si vendono case
- When the noun is singular
- Word order matters: before or after the verb
- Si sono vendute: the passato prossimo
- With modal verbs: si possono affittare
- Vs the italian si impersonale
- Vendesi, affittasi: the old sign-style forms
- Cheat sheet: italian si passivante plural
- Three common mistakes
- Dialog: at the Certosa di Pavia ticket desk
- Frequently asked questions
- Related guides
What the italian si passivante actually does
Walk along the avenue that leads to the Certosa di Pavia and you read it everywhere: si affittano biciclette on a yellow board near the station, si vendono libri sulla storia dei certosini in the bookshop window, si servono risotti tipici outside an agriturismo. The structure is always the same: si plus a verb in the third person plus a noun. No author, no subject pronoun, no da chi. The action stands on its own. This is the italian si passivante, the passive engine of everyday Italian.
The construction works only with transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object): vendere, affittare, parlare (a language), servire, preparare, coltivare, conservare, organizzare. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence, and that is where the plural rule kicks in.
- Active: I monaci vendono libri. Passive si: Si vendono libri.
The monks sell books. Books are sold. - Active: La cascina prepara risotti al Carnaroli. Passive si: Si preparano risotti al Carnaroli.
The farm prepares risottos with Carnaroli rice. Risottos with Carnaroli rice are prepared. - Active: Alberto serve i clienti. Passive si: Si servono i clienti.
Alberto serves the customers. Customers are served.
An English sign in the same situations would say bicycles for hire, books on sale, typical risottos served. Italian prefers to keep the verb live and active in form but passive in meaning, using si to hide the agent. That is why the italian si passivante is so common on shop windows, in recipes (si aggiungono le verdure), in instruction sheets (si premono i due tasti) and in newspaper headlines (si cercano testimoni).
The plural rule: si vendono case
Here is the heart of the italian si passivante: when the noun that follows is plural, the verb is plural too. The verb agrees with the noun, not with si. So Italian writes si vendono case, not si vende case; si affittano biciclette, not si affitta biciclette; qui si parlano tre lingue, not qui si parla tre lingue.
- In Lomellina si coltivano centinaia di ettari di riso Carnaroli.
In Lomellina hundreds of hectares of Carnaroli rice are grown. - Alla Certosa di Pavia si organizzano visite guidate ogni mezz’ora.
At the Certosa di Pavia guided tours are organised every half hour. - In quel paese si parlano due dialetti, il pavese e il lomellino.
In that village two dialects are spoken, pavese and lomellino. - Al mercato di Vigevano si vendono ancora calzature artigianali.
At the Vigevano market handmade shoes are still sold. - Nelle aule del collegio Ghislieri si studiano materie umanistiche e scientifiche.
In the lecture halls of the Ghislieri college humanities and sciences are studied.
Look at the move carefully. The active version of si vendono case is something like qualcuno vende case, with the verb in the singular because the subject is qualcuno. The moment we drop the agent and use the italian si passivante, the noun case stops being the object and becomes the grammatical subject; the verb shifts to vendono to agree with it. That is the only piece of the puzzle that trips up English speakers, and it is the only piece worth memorising.
🔍 One rule, all of it. With the italian si passivante, the verb agrees with the noun that follows. Singular noun gives a singular verb (si vende una casa). Plural noun gives a plural verb (si vendono case). The verb never agrees with si. If you can flip the sentence into a passive with vengono (case vengono vendute), the plural is right.
When the noun is singular in the italian si passivante
With the italian si passivante, if the noun is singular, the verb is singular too: si vende una casa a Pavia centro, si affitta un monolocale, si parla francese. Singular nouns produce singular verbs, and that is the form most learners reach for by default. The trouble is that they then keep the same singular form even when the noun goes plural, producing the wrong si vende case.
- Si vende un appartamento luminoso in via Defendente Sacchi.
A bright flat is for sale on via Defendente Sacchi. - Si affitta una stanza singola vicino all’università.
A single room is for rent near the university. - In quel ristorante si serve solo il menu del giorno.
In that restaurant only the daily set menu is served. - Qui si parla italiano e un po’ di inglese.
Here Italian and a little English are spoken.
One small wrinkle. With language names treated as uncountable nouns (italiano, inglese, francese) the verb often stays singular even when two languages are coordinated: si parla italiano e francese. But when you switch to a counted plural (tre lingue, quattro idiomi) the verb obediently turns plural: qui si parlano tre lingue. The native test is whether the noun is countable in that context.
Word order matters: before or after the verb
The default position of the noun in the italian si passivante is after the verb: si vendono case, si servono risotti, si affittano biciclette. This is the order you see on signs and in classified ads. But the noun can also come first, and when it does the construction reads even more clearly as a passive.
- Si vendono case in centro. = Le case in centro si vendono.
Houses in the centre are sold. - Si servono solo prodotti locali. = Solo prodotti locali si servono.
Only local products are served. - Si trovano belle ceramiche al mercato di Vigevano. = Belle ceramiche si trovano al mercato di Vigevano.
Nice ceramics are found at the Vigevano market.
Whichever order you pick, the plural agreement holds: the verb stays in the plural because the noun is plural, regardless of which side of the verb it lands on. The version with the noun before the verb tends to feel more written and more emphatic; the noun-after-verb order feels more like a sign or a list of services. Both are standard, both are correct.
🎯 Mini-task #1. Choose the right verb form. Each sentence uses the italian si passivante.
- Alla Certosa di Pavia (si vende / si vendono) souvenir e cartoline.
- In quel negozio (si parla / si parlano) solo dialetto pavese.
- Nel chiostro grande (si conserva / si conservano) molte tombe dei monaci.
- All’agriturismo di Sabrina (si serve / si servono) un risotto diverso ogni domenica.
- In Lomellina (si coltiva / si coltivano) soprattutto il riso Carnaroli.
- Davanti alla stazione (si affitta / si affittano) biciclette a ore.
👉 Show answers
1. si vendono (souvenir e cartoline, plural) · 2. si parla (dialetto pavese, singular) · 3. si conservano (molte tombe, plural) · 4. si serve (un risotto, singular) · 5. si coltiva (il riso, singular uncountable noun) · 6. si affittano (biciclette, plural)
Si sono vendute: the passato prossimo
In compound tenses, the italian si passivante uses the auxiliary essere and the past participle agrees with the noun. Si sono vendute tutte le case del condominio (feminine plural noun case, so the participle is vendute). Si sono serviti tre risotti diversi (masculine plural noun risotti, so the participle is serviti). The rule is the same as for any other compound verb with essere: gender and number agreement with the subject, and the subject here is the noun, not si.
- Si sono vendute molte case nel centro storico di Pavia quest’anno.
Many houses have been sold in Pavia’s historic centre this year. - Alla cena di domenica si sono preparati tre risotti al Carnaroli con verdure di stagione.
At Sunday’s dinner three Carnaroli risottos with seasonal vegetables were prepared. - Si sono affittate le ultime due biciclette poco prima delle nove.
The last two bicycles were rented out shortly before nine. - In quel paese della Lomellina si sono coltivate per secoli le stesse varietà di riso.
In that Lomellina village the same rice varieties have been grown for centuries.
The contrast with the non-agreed singular reading is worth noting: si è venduto molte case (singular auxiliary, invariant participle) is technically possible and means “one has sold many houses”, but the agreed form si sono vendute molte case is by far the dominant native choice in writing. Use the agreed form and you are always safe.
With modal verbs: si possono affittare
When a modal verb (potere, dovere, volere) joins the italian si passivante, the modal itself takes the plural ending, because the noun is still the subject. So you write si possono affittare biciclette, not si può affittare biciclette; si devono prenotare le visite alla Certosa, not si deve prenotare le visite.
- Davanti all’ingresso della Certosa si possono noleggiare audioguide in cinque lingue.
In front of the entrance to the Certosa, audio guides can be hired in five languages. - In agriturismo si devono prenotare le cene del fine settimana con due giorni di anticipo.
At the agriturismo weekend dinners must be booked two days in advance. - In Lomellina si possono visitare numerose cascine storiche aperte al pubblico.
In Lomellina many historic farmhouses open to the public can be visited.
The si can also attach to the infinitive (possono affittarsi biciclette), but the modern, ordinary version puts si before the modal and lets the modal carry the plural ending. The classified-ad style affittasi appartamenti survives on real-estate signs and feels archaic in speech (more on that below).
Vs the italian si impersonale
The other si construction, the italian si impersonale, looks identical at first glance (same si, same third person) but it stays in the singular because the verb is intransitive (no direct object). Si mangia bene a Pavia stays singular; si parte alle otto stays singular; si dorme male stays singular. There is no plural noun to agree with, so the verb does not move.
- A casa di Sabrina si mangia bene tutti i giorni.
At Sabrina’s place people eat well every day. - All’agriturismo si mangiano risotti molto saporiti.
At the agriturismo very tasty risottos are eaten. - In quella zona si dorme bene per il silenzio della campagna.
In that area people sleep well because of the silence of the countryside. - In quel collegio si studiano molte materie scientifiche.
In that college many scientific subjects are studied.
Quick test: ask yourself whether there is a direct object after the verb. Si mangia bene: bene is an adverb, no object, so the verb stays singular (impersonale). Si mangiano i risotti: i risotti is a direct object that becomes the grammatical subject, so the verb is plural (passivante). If you want the full picture on the impersonal construction and how it differs from the italian si passivante, the B2 sister guide Italian Si Impersonale covers it in depth.
Vendesi, affittasi: the old sign-style forms
On real-estate signs and old shop windows you still see vendesi, affittasi, cercasi, offresi and their plurals vendonsi, affittansi, cercansi. These are the italian si passivante with si attached at the end of the verb, an old word order kept alive by advertising. Modern Italian writes si vende, si affitta, si cerca; nobody speaks the attached-si forms in conversation any more, even though they are the same italian si passivante underneath.
- Vendesi appartamento ristrutturato a Pavia centro. (sign style) = Si vende un appartamento ristrutturato. (modern)
Refurbished flat for sale in central Pavia. - Vendonsi case nel parco del Ticino. (sign style) = Si vendono case nel parco del Ticino. (modern)
Houses in the Ticino park for sale. - Cercasi commessa parlante inglese e tedesco. = Si cerca una commessa che parli inglese e tedesco.
Shop assistant wanted who speaks English and German.
The plural agreement rule of the italian si passivante applies here too: a singular noun gives vendesi, a plural noun gives vendonsi. You will see plenty of signs that ignore the rule and use vendesi for everything; that is sloppy classified-ad style, not a model to copy.
🎯 Mini-task #2. Fix the verb so it agrees correctly.
- In quel paese si parla tre lingue.
- Al ristorante si è preparato tre risotti diversi per la festa.
- Si può visitare le celle dei monaci solo con la guida.
- All’agriturismo si serve risotti, salumi e dolci della tradizione.
- In via Defendente Sacchi si vende un appartamento al secondo piano.
- Si è venduto tutte le case del lotto in tre mesi.
👉 Show answers
1. si parlano tre lingue · 2. si sono preparati tre risotti diversi · 3. si possono visitare le celle · 4. si servono risotti, salumi e dolci · 5. ✓ correct (un appartamento, singular) · 6. si sono vendute tutte le case
Cheat sheet: italian si passivante plural
One table for every move of the italian si passivante covered above. Keep it next to you the next time you write a sign, a recipe or an instruction in Italian.
| Pattern | Verb form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plural noun after the verb | plural | si vendono case |
| Singular noun after the verb | singular | si vende una casa |
| Plural noun before the verb | plural | le case si vendono |
| Two coordinated language names | singular | si parla italiano e inglese |
| Counted plural (tre, quattro) | plural | si parlano tre lingue |
| Passato prossimo, plural noun | essere + plural participle | si sono vendute molte case |
| Passato prossimo, singular noun | essere + singular participle | si è venduta una casa |
| Modal + infinitive, plural noun | plural modal | si possono affittare biciclette |
| Modal + infinitive, singular noun | singular modal | si può affittare una bicicletta |
| Intransitive verb (no object) | singular (impersonale) | si mangia bene a Pavia |
| Sign-style attached si, singular | singular + si | vendesi appartamento |
| Sign-style attached si, plural | plural + si | vendonsi appartamenti |
Three common mistakes with the italian si passivante
Three slips with the italian si passivante flag a B2 sentence as the work of a learner. None of them is fatal, all of them are quick to fix.
Mistake 1. Keeping the verb singular when the noun is plural. Wrong: si vende case, si parla tre lingue, si affitta biciclette. Correct: si vendono case, si parlano tre lingue, si affittano biciclette. The verb agrees with the noun.
Mistake 2. Forgetting the participle agreement in compound tenses. Wrong: si è venduto molte case, si è preparato tre risotti. Preferred: si sono vendute molte case, si sono preparati tre risotti. Essere auxiliary, plural participle agreeing with the noun in number and gender.
Mistake 3. Treating the modal as fixed singular. Wrong: si può affittare biciclette, si deve prenotare le visite. Correct: si possono affittare biciclette, si devono prenotare le visite. The plural noun pulls the modal into the plural as well, because the noun is the subject.
Dialog: at the Certosa di Pavia ticket desk
Sabrina runs a small agriturismo in the Lomellina, ten kilometres south of the Certosa di Pavia. She has driven up with Alberto, a friend who has just moved to Pavia from abroad, to organise a Sunday visit for her guests. Listen for how the italian si passivante handles the practical questions: opening hours, what they sell, how many languages, what can be visited. Every plural verb in the dialogue is the italian si passivante in action.
👩🏼🦰 Sabrina: Buongiorno, vorrei organizzare una visita per domenica prossima. Si possono prenotare le guide in anticipo o si entra solo all’arrivo?
👨🏽🦱 Addetto: Per i gruppi piccoli non si prenota nulla, le visite si organizzano ogni mezz’ora dall’ingresso della chiesa. Per gruppi sopra le venti persone, invece, si compila un modulo qui in biglietteria.
👩🏼🦰 Sabrina: Saremmo undici. Una domanda banale: a che ora si chiude la domenica?
👨🏽🦱 Addetto: Alle sedici, ma le ultime visite si iniziano alle tre e mezza. Tenga conto che fra le undici e mezza e le due e mezza si fa la pausa pranzo: durante quelle ore non si effettuano visite guidate.
👱🏻♂️ Alberto: E le audioguide? Si trovano in inglese e francese?
👨🏽🦱 Addetto: Sì, si noleggiano audioguide in cinque lingue: italiano, inglese, francese, tedesco e spagnolo. Si pagano cinque euro a testa, si ritirano al banco accanto e si lasciano sempre qui all’uscita.
👩🏼🦰 Sabrina: Perfetto. I miei ospiti sono curiosi soprattutto del chiostro grande. Si possono visitare anche le celle dei monaci?
👨🏽🦱 Addetto: Solo due, e si entra esclusivamente con il padre certosino che fa da guida. Nel resto del complesso si visitano la chiesa, il chiostro piccolo, il chiostro grande e il museo della Certosa, dove si conservano sculture del Quattrocento.
👱🏻♂️ Alberto: Una cosa pratica: davanti alla stazione di Pavia si affittano biciclette?
👨🏽🦱 Addetto: Sì, alla rastrelliera vicino all’uscita laterale si affittano biciclette a ore o per la giornata. Da lì alla Certosa si pedala una mezz’ora abbondante lungo la ciclabile del Naviglio.
👩🏼🦰 Sabrina: Ottimo. Quando finiamo qui, all’agriturismo si servono tre risotti al Carnaroli e qualche piatto della tradizione lomellina. I miei ospiti saranno felici della giornata completa.
Count the italian si passivante moves: si possono prenotare le guide, si organizzano le visite, si compila un modulo, si iniziano le ultime visite, non si effettuano visite guidate, si trovano le audioguide, si noleggiano audioguide, si pagano, si ritirano, si lasciano, si possono visitare le celle, si visitano la chiesa, si conservano sculture, si affittano biciclette, si servono tre risotti. Each plural verb of the italian si passivante agrees with a plural noun; the singular pieces (si entra, si chiude, si pedala) are si impersonale because there is no direct object.
🎯 Mini-challenge. Write a short sign or notice in Italian (three lines) for an imaginary shop or service in Pavia, using the italian si passivante three times with three different plural nouns. Read it out loud once to check the agreement.
Test your understanding
Take the quiz below to test what you’ve learned about the italian si passivante and the plural agreement rule.
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Frequently asked questions
Six questions about the italian si passivante plural rule turn up in every B2 cohort. The answers below draw on real classroom usage and on the Treccani vocabulary entry on si passivante as well as the Treccani encyclopaedia entry on the passive voice.
Why is it si vendono case and not si vende case?
Because in the italian si passivante the verb agrees with the noun, not with si. Case is plural, so the verb is plural: si vendono case. The active equivalent is something like qualcuno vende case (singular verb because the subject qualcuno is singular). The moment you drop the agent and use si, the noun case becomes the grammatical subject and the verb shifts to vendono. The form si vende case (singular verb with plural noun) is occasionally heard in advertisements and in some Tuscan speech, but native usage today firmly prefers the plural-agreed form and treats the singular as ungrammatical in writing.
When the noun is singular, what happens?
The verb stays singular: si vende una casa, si affitta una stanza, si parla italiano. Singular noun pulls singular verb. This is the default form most learners reach for, and it is correct as long as the noun is genuinely singular. The trouble begins when the noun is plural and the verb stays singular by inertia: that is the mistake to watch out for. So singular si vende una casa, plural si vendono case.
What about the passato prossimo: si sono vendute or si e venduto?
With the italian si passivante in compound tenses the auxiliary is essere and the past participle agrees in gender and number with the noun. Many feminine plural houses give si sono vendute molte case; three masculine plural risottos give si sono serviti tre risotti. The agreed form is the dominant native choice. The non-agreed version si e venduto molte case is technically possible (it is read as a non-passive construction) but feels colloquial and unwritten. In B2 writing use the full agreement: si sono vendute, si sono preparati, si sono serviti.
Does word order change the verb form?
No, the verb form does not change with word order. Si vendono case in centro and Le case in centro si vendono are both plural because the noun case is plural. What changes is the feel: the noun-after-verb order sounds like a sign or a list of services, the noun-before-verb order sounds more written and slightly more emphatic. Both are correct in B2 writing. A useful native test: when the noun sits in front of the verb, the construction reads even more clearly as a passive (le case si vendono = case vengono vendute).
Is vendesi or affittasi still used?
Yes, but only on signs and in classified ads, where the old attached-si forms vendesi, affittasi, cercasi, offresi and their plurals vendonsi, affittansi, cercansi survive. Nobody speaks them in conversation today. Modern spoken and written Italian writes si vende, si affitta, si cerca, with si in front of the verb. The plural agreement rule still applies in the sign style: vendesi appartamento (singular), vendonsi appartamenti (plural). Many real-estate signs ignore the rule and use vendesi for everything, but that is sloppy advertising style, not a model.
What if the verb is intransitive like parlare without a language object?
Then it is not si passivante anymore, it is si impersonale, and the verb stays singular. Si parla bene di te in citta (no object, intransitive parlare meaning to speak about) keeps the singular form. The plural si parlano only appears when there is a direct object that is plural, as in si parlano tre lingue (transitive parlare meaning to use a language, with tre lingue as the object that becomes the grammatical subject). The same split runs through si mangia bene (impersonale, intransitive, singular) vs si mangiano i risotti (passivante, transitive plural, plural verb).
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Related guides
Three guides that sit next to the italian si passivante plural rule, plus a Treccani reference for the broader passive construction.
- Italian Si Passivante: the C1 hub on the broader construction, with focus on register and subtle vs si impersonale cases.
- Italian Si Impersonale: the B2 sister guide on the impersonal si with intransitive verbs (si mangia, si dorme, si parte).
- Italian Passive Voice: the full passive system with essere, venire and andare, plus the si passivante as one of the three options.
- Treccani: Passivo: institutional overview of the Italian passive voice and the role of si passivante.
