Impersonal Verb

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Also Known As: Verbo impersonal in Spanish.

Definition: A verb that expresses the action of an unspecified, generally meaningless subject.

In its narrowest sense, an impersonal verb can have no subject. In English, only one such verb — "methinks" — remains in use, and then only in literature or for effect. Impersonal Spanish verbs in this narrow sense are the various weather verbs (such as llover, to rain), and conjugated forms exist only in the third-person singular (as in llueve, it is raining).

In a broader and more usual sense, however, impersonal verbs in English are those that use a meaningless it as the subject. The it, known by many (but not all) grammarians as an expletive, dummy or pleonastic pronoun, is used not to provide meaning in the sentence but to provide a grammatically necessary subject. In the sentences It snowed and It is apparent he lied, snowed and is, respectively, are impersonal verbs.

In Spanish, no equivalent of it is used with impersonal verbs, which stand alone using a third-person singular conjugation. An example of an impersonal verb usage is the es in Es verdad que estoy loco (It is true that I am crazy.)

In Spanish, sometimes plural verbs can be considered impersonal, as in a sentence such as Comen arroz en China (They eat rice in China.) However, in English, such a verb usage isn't necessarily considered impersonal.

Examples:

The verbs underline are impersonal verbs:

It is snowing. Nieve.
It is necessary to leave. Es necesario salir.
It seems messages are not arriving. Parece que los mensajes no llegan.
It is sunny. Hace sol.

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