4.2.2. The si passivante

The si passivante is similar to the si impersonale in that it is used to describe what people (in general) do but it has one major difference: the si passivante requires a subject (singular or plural), and the form of the verb (third person singular or plural) agrees with that subject:

Non si beve il vino rosso freddo.

You don’t drink cold red wine.

Si effettuano traduzioni dal tedesco e dal francese.    

They do translations in German and French.

Si mangiano i tortellini in brodo o al sugo.

You eat tortellini in broth or with (red) sauce.

The si passivante is formed with transitive verbs.