Si impersonale
Impersonal “si”
“…la vera carbonara non si fa così”
(…the real carbonara is not made like that)
The construction “si fa” used in this sentence, in Italian is known as the “si impersonale” or “impersonal si”, and it is used to express general rules, instructions or conventions that are not attributed to any specific person.
For example, the sentence above can be translated as “the real carbonara is not made like that.”
The use of “si fa” indicates a general rule or convention about how to make a traditional carbonara dish.
In this construction, “si” is an impersonal pronoun that refers to anyone or no one in particular, so it doesn’t indicate a specific subject. The verb that follows is in the third person form, and agrees with the noun that follows it.
Here are a few examples:
- In Italia la pizza si fa con la mozzarella di bufala. (In Italy, pizza is made with buffalo mozzarella.)
- Per fare la lasagna si cuoce la pasta prima. (To make lasagna, the pasta is cooked first.)
- In Italia si mangia molto bene. (In Italy you eat very well.)