Impersonal English sentences. How to translate impersonal sentences into English

The English language is rich in idioms and interesting phrases, but not only them. Often we need to say simple sentences that seem easy to speak, but for some students are problematic in construction. For example, how do you say in English about the weather “sunny”, “evening” or “winter”? As you noticed, there is no person in such sentences, they are impersonal. Impersonal offers in English language, these are sentences in which not only the person who performs the action is often missing, but also the action itself is missing. Confused? Just! Let's consider the features of the formation of impersonal sentences, get acquainted with striking examples and shed light on frequently asked questions.

To learn impersonal offers, first you need to understand the construction features simple sentences, gradually taking on more complex ones. As examples, we use the above sentences ‘’Sunny’’. ‘It’s getting evening’. ''Winter''. In English it will be like this => It is sunny. It is getting dark. It's winter.

On a note! Most often, impersonal sentences in English are used to indicate weather phenomena and natural conditions.

What does the construction of an impersonal sentence consist of if there is no active person in it? Pronoun it+ verb to be- the main active members of the proposal.

But! Remember that the verb to be can be used in different times– past, present and future. The exact time can be determined from the context. For example, it is, it was, it will be – verb variations tobe in different times (present, past and future).

Here are some examples:

Verb to be plays the role of the predicate, and the role of the subject belongs to the pronoun it. Pronoun it performs the function of the subject always and everywhere (in all types of impersonal sentences).

To better understand the principle of the formation of impersonal sentences, let us explain the situation with examples:

• Autumn => It is autumn.
• Spring will come soon => It will be spring soon.
• Warmth => It is warm.
• Cold => It is cold.
• It's hot => It is hot.
• It will be cool in summer => It will be cool in summer.
• It was getting dark => It was getting dark.

A specific tense (the form of the verb to be) is chosen depending on the specific situation or based on the context. The particle it remains unchanged for all temporary forms.

Constructions it is, it was, it will be used for translation different offers, which contain an adverb. For example, how to translate sentences that contain adverbs close, far, impossible, Maybe, difficult, easily etc.? Let's explain everything with examples:

Interrogative form of impersonal sentences

To form interrogative form, verb to be should be placed at the beginning of the sentence:

• Is it already dark? => Is it already dark?
• Is it near the window? => Is it next to the window?
• Is it drizzling? => Drizzle?

Please note that the verb to be will have different shapes (is, are, am ).

To form negative form, you just need to add a particle not .

• It was not raining. => There was no rain.
• It is not snowing. => It's not snowing.

Impersonal sentences: where they are used and when they are appropriate to use

1. If you need to answer the question: “What time is it?”, it is appropriate to use impersonal sentences:

• It is 9 o’clock now => It’s nine o’clock now.
• It was half past 5 => It was half past five.
• When I return it will be 11 o’clock => When I return it will be 11 o’clock.

1. If you need to talk about the weather, describe it, then we use impersonal sentences with verbs to snow, to rain, to drizzle, to hail etc.:

• It is snowing days and nights => It snows days and nights.
• It often rains these days => It often rains these days.
• It will be drizzling => It will drizzle.

1. If you need to say how long it will take to perform a particular action:

• It takes me half a day to get to the station=> It takes me half a day to get to the station.
• It will take some time to learn so many rules => It will take some time to learn so many rules.

Note! We use the design i t takes… to... . If there is such a construction, it automatically means that you need to use an impersonal sentence.

1. If you need to describe an action where the infinitive is used. The following words are often used in such sentences => to seem, to appear, to happen, to turn out, never:

• It is hard for me to say ‘’hello’’, but it is never late => It’s hard for me to say “Hello,” but it’s never too late (I’ll still have time to say hello).
• It happened to be clear and sunny => It turned out that the weather was clear and sunny.
• It turned out funny but this young director is my close friend => It turned out funny, but this young director is my close friend.

1. If you need to express modality with verbs must, may, can. In this situation, the subject is the word one:

• One cannot cope with everything at once => You cannot cope with everything at once.
• One have to wash hands before his dinner => You need to wash your hands before lunch.
• One must sign in here => Here you need to register (log in).

On a note! When translated into Russian, the word one is omitted (it is not translated in any way).

Let's sum it up

By doing the exercises every day, you will quickly learn the intricacies of forming an impersonal sentence. It is important to change the words in sentences each time, create different situations and use all possible words in your vocabulary. Regular exercise, patience and effort will lead you to success and new knowledge. Learn and improve!

In Russian, we can easily construct sentences consisting of one word: “It’s cold. Hot. Difficult. Late".

But how to do this in English?

After all, English has its own word order, and the sentence must have the main thing actor.

Therefore, according to the rules of the English language, we cannot translate these sentences “in Russian” in one word: “Cold. Hot. Difficult. Late."

To build them there is a special construction It is, which I will tell you about in this article.

From the article you will learn:

• How to construct impersonal sentences in English

What are impersonal sentences?

Impersonal sentences are those sentences in which no main character . Let's look at this with an example.

We use impersonal offers:

1. To describe weather and natural phenomena
For example: It's cold. Dark.

2. To indicate time, date, day of the week, etc.
For example: 6 hours. Monday.

3. To indicate distance
For example: Far. Close.

4. To express the speaker's opinion
For example: Fun. Difficult.

Attention: Confused about English rules? Find out how to easily understand English grammar.

To construct such sentences in English, you need to use construction it is.

Let's look at it in detail.

Rules for the formation of impersonal sentences in English

Such sentences are formed very simply: using the pronoun it and the verb to be at the right time. Offer outline:

It + verb to be + other parts of the sentence

It does not indicate a person and is not translated into Russian, but in the formation of a sentence it takes on the role of the main character.

Verb to be - special kind verb. We use it when we say that someone:

• Located somewhere (He's in the park)
• Is someone (She's a nurse)
• Is somehow (Gray cat)

Depending on the tense in which we use this verb, in combination with the pronoun it, it changes its form:

In present time Present Simple- It is...= It’s….

It is hot.
Hot.

It is 5 o'clock.
5 o'clock.

In the past time Past Simple- It was...

Itwas dark.
It was dark.

It was easy.
It was easy.

Itwill be...

It will be difficult.
It will be hard.

It will be fun.
It will be fun.

Negation in impersonal sentences in English

Sometimes we need to say negative sentences: "Not difficult. Not windy. Not far." To form such sentences, we need to add a negative particle not to the verb to be.

The outline of such a proposal:

It + verb to be + not + other parts of the sentence

We can construct such negative sentences in the present, past, and future tenses.

In the present tense Present Simple – It is not...= It’s not...

It's not important.
Doesn't matter.

It’ snot cold.
Not cold.

In the past tense Past Simple – Itwasnot…

It wasn't funny.
It wasn't funny.

It wasn't dark.
It wasn't dark.

INfuturetimeFuture Simple – It will not be... = It won’t be...

It won't be hot.
It won't be hot.

It won't be easy.
It won't be easy.

Interrogative impersonal sentences in English

To ask a question with sentences like these, we need to put the verb to be first.

The outline of such a proposal would be:

Verb to be + it + other parts of the sentence?

Let's look at what this will look like for each time.

In the present tense Present Simple – Isit…?

Isit easy?
Just?

Isit beautiful?
Beautiful?

In the past tense Past Simple – Wasit…?

Was it warm?
It was warm?

Was it night?
It was night?

In the future tense Future Simple –Willitbe…?

Will it be cold?
It will be cold?

Will it be windy?
Will it be windy?

So now you know what impersonal sentences are. Let's get to practice.

Reinforcement task with the It is structure

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments:

1. Friday.
2. It will be difficult.
3. Was it interesting?
4. 6 hours.
5. Not far.
6. Will it be fun?

The English language differs from the Russian language in that a sentence must have a subject and a predicate, the main clauses of the sentence.

Construction of impersonal sentences

However, often sentences lack an actor and a verb denoting action. Thus, the sentence becomes impersonal, but a subject and predicate are formally necessary to maintain the structure of the sentence. In this case, the place of the subject is replaced by an impersonal pronoun, if it can be called that, it. And the function of the predicate will be performed by a copular verb to be.

For example, It is hot today. Today it's hot.

The most common impersonal sentences in English are sentences about the weather, seasons, time, distance, etc. Today we will look at suggestions about the weather and seasons. In Russian, impersonal sentences sound like this.
It's cold outside. Winter. It's getting dark.

In English, such sentences can be constructed using general scheme: it + to be + adjective, noun.

Dictionary “Weather, seasons” (listen)

In order to learn to talk about weather and seasons, we need an active vocabulary.

Adjectives (weather)

Cold cold

Warm warm

Hot hot

Cool cool

Windy [ʹwındı] windy

Cloudy [ʹklaʋdı] cloudy

Sunny [ʹsʌnı] sunny

Rainy [ʹreını] rainy

Snowy [ʹsnəʋı] snowy

Frosty [ʹfrɔstı] frosty

Nouns (seasons)
Summer [ʹsʌmə] summer

Autumn [ʹɔ:təm] autumn

Winter [ʹwıntə] winter

Spring spring

Read all the words carefully and make sure they are pronounced correctly.

Learning to talk about the weather

To describe the weather outside, we just need to put the pronoun at the beginning of the sentence it, linking verb to be and a necessary adjective. We know that in the present tense the verb to be has three forms (am, is, are). Let's remember what happens with the pronoun it we use form is.

It is cold today. It is cloudy today. It is cold today. Today is cloudy.

If we want to describe what the weather was like yesterday, we will need past form verb to be. We know that this verb has two forms in the past tense (was, were). With a pronoun it we use form was.

It was sunny and warm yesterday. Yesterday it was sunny and warm.

When talking about the time of year, we construct a sentence in a similar way.
It is spring now. Spring is now.

An interesting fact is that in the UK the favorite topic of conversation is the weather. Any conversation, be it a meeting of friends, colleagues or relatives, begins with questions:

It is a nice day today, isn’t it? Nice day, isn't it?

The answers to these questions that we discussed above are assumed.

Now you know that when traveling to the UK, according to the rules of etiquette, the conversation should begin with a question about the weather. In response, they will definitely ask you about the weather of the city or country where you live.

Lesson assignments

Exercise 1. Answer the question.
What is the structure of an impersonal sentence in English?

Exercise 2. Answer the following questions.
1. What is the weather like today?
2. What season is it now?
3. What is the usual weather like in winter, summer, spring, autumn in Russia?
4. What is the usual weather like in winter, summer, spring, autumn in Great Britain?
5. What is your favorite season?
6. What weather do you like?

Exercise 1.
It + to be + adjective/noun Exercise 2.
1. It is...
2. It is... (spring, summer, autumn, winter)
3. In winter it is usually cold and snowy in Russia. In spring it is usually warm and sunny in Russia. In summer it is usually hot and sunny in Russia. In autumn it is usually cloudy and rainy in Russia.
4. In winter it is usually cold in Great Britain. In spring it is usually warm and sunny in Great Britain. In summer it is usually hot and sunny in Great Britain. In autumn it is usually cloudy and rainy in Great Britain.
5. My favorite season is…
6. I like …(cold, warm…) weather.

In English, as in Russian, there are many types of different sentences. From simple and complex, which are divided into complex and complex, to impersonal. In speech, we quite often use sentences such as: “Spring. It was getting dark. It’s getting colder,” etc.

Such sentences are called impersonal (“ impersonal sentences"), since the sentence does not indicate the person performing the action, and often the action itself is missing.

We suggest you dive a little into grammar and find out all the details in this section of English. Go!

What are impersonal sentences in English?

Impersonal offers(impersonal sentences) - a special type of sentence in which the character cannot be clearly identified: (he?) is getting colder, (she?) is getting colder, (it?) is getting colder.

In Russian, compared to English, everything is much simpler, since we can freely use only one word, which will already be a whole sentence.

The grammatical structure of sentences in English is quite strict. In order to correctly construct an impersonal sentence, you need to remember that you can’t get by with just one English word. Therefore, an impersonal English sentence is essentially a sentence with formal subject « it", since the specificity of English requires the use of a holistic grammatical framework.

Thus, if in Russian we say: “Rainy”, then in English it will be: “ It's rainy" We will examine in more detail the nuances of using impersonal sentences in English below.

When to use impersonal sentences

There are quite a lot different cases the use of the pronoun “it” in impersonal sentences in English, but one of the most common examples is the weather, because the weather is the favorite topic of conversation for any self-respecting Englishman.

A few examples for clarity:

It's rainy. - It is rainy.
It's foggy. - It's foggy.
It's sunny. - Sunny.

As you can see from the above examples, "it" is always subject to, albeit formal. With the weather we can use the verb " to be» in the present tense (Present Simple), followed by adjective; or instead of simply using temporary form"Present Continuous", namely:

It's getting better.- Getting better.
It's getting foggy. - It's getting foggy.
It's getting hotter. - It's getting hotter.

Important to remember! The Simple & Continuous tense line is used in the present, past and future. Respectively:

• is - was- will be(for simple tense);
• is getting - was getting - will be getting(for a long time).

The English impersonal sentence also occurs when we mean years, days or dates. Since time is an inanimate noun, we never use pronouns such as: “ I», « you», « he" or " we" The only companion is " it" Examples:

Hey,Samantha!What time is it?-It's 2 o'clock, Sam.
Hey Samantha! What time is it now? - Two hours, Sam.

It's Monday.It is time to get up and make breakfast.
Monday. It's time to get up and make breakfast.

It"s the 24th of March. My man and I have a wedding anniversary today.
Twenty-fourth March. Today is my husband and I's wedding anniversary.

When we talk about time, or rather about a specific period of time that is required to achieve a specific goal, it is not uncommon to use the connective “ it takes / it lasts", which may be followed by an infinitive.

Conclusion

In general, impersonal sentences in English should not present much difficulty. The main thing is to understand whether the topic of the situation really requires the use of such a sentence; use the pronoun “it” and the desired form of the verb depending on the tense and type of sentence: affirmation, negation, question.

Believe you can speak English and you're halfway there!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Studying foreign language- a rather complex process that requires concentration, a lot of time and regular practice. This is important if you want to become fluent in the language at a conversational level. Learning to assemble famous words into one sentence may seem very simple, but this is only at first glance. This is especially noticeable for those who study on their own. To do this, we advise you to understand the classification of structures.

If we talk about the types of sentences based on the subject, they are divided into:

• personal;
• vaguely personal;
• impersonal.

In our article we will dwell in more detail on impersonal sentences: we will explain why they are used, when they are appropriate or necessary, and consider the features of construction and types.

Impersonal constructions – this topic is one of the most important in English grammar. Proposals of this type are widespread. Their peculiarity lies in the absence of indication of the person who performs the action. If we talk about the Russian language, the following constructions can serve as an example: “Winter. It was getting dark. It's getting colder." Distinctive feature, with the help of which impersonal sentences are defined - it consists of only one word, which is the subject or predicate.

Unlike our native language, in English they are constructed differently, corresponding certain rules. Constructions without the main members of the sentence are not allowed here and will be perceived by foreigners as a set of unrelated words. In order for the text to carry a semantic load, it is important to follow the rules of word order. When the subject comes first and the predicate comes after it, it will be an affirmative sentence. When asking a question, the reverse word order is used: the predicate, and then the subject. Therefore, when writing or in colloquial speech set your priorities correctly. First of all, find the main members of the sentence, and only then add secondary words.

So, where to start to get it right? The pronoun it and the verb to be (sometimes other verbs are used) - here keywords, which create the basis of an impersonal grammatical construction. The phrase is built according to the principle direct order. At the same time, it is not translated in any way.

What are impersonal sentences used for?

You cannot learn something without understanding why it is needed. Here is a classification of cases in which you cannot do without impersonal structures. These include:

· Description of natural phenomena:

• It is light. – It’s light.
• It is held. - Cold.

· Weather description:

It is rainy. - It is rainy.

More complex sentences are often used in English:
It is snowing for the whole night. - It snows all night.
It often rains in autumn. - It often rains in autumn.

· Answering the question: “What time is it?”:

• It is 6.30 p.m. - It's half past six now.

· Indicating time and distance:

• It is 9 o’clock - It’s 9 o’clock now.
• It is close from here. - Close to here.
• When we reach the peninsula, it will be 1 p.m. – When we reach the peninsula, it will already be one in the morning.

· Translation of adverbs: difficult, easy, possible, early, late, far:

• It is late to go to the store. - It's too late to go to the store.
• It is easy to do sit-ups. – It’s easy to do squats.

· Indicating the amount of time required to complete an action:

• It takes me 40 minutes to go to school. – The journey to school takes me 40 minutes.
• It will take him 2 hours to repair his the car. - He will need 2 hours to fix the car.

· With the verbs believe, know, understand, expect, say, report, think, consider, used in the passive voice:.

• It is believed that the author’s cakes are difficult to prepare. – It is believed that designer cakes are difficult to prepare.
• She is expected to leave soon. “She is expected to leave soon.”

For creating interrogative sentence the pronoun and verb must be swapped.

For example: Is it interested for you to watch a movie? – Are you interested in watching the film?

To build a negative construction, use the particle not by adding it to the verb to be: It is not complicated to swim brace. - Swimming breaststroke is difficult.

Now that you are familiar with impersonal constructions, we suggest you consolidate the material you have covered yourself. Make up phrases using your lexicon. You can try to write short story with minimal inclusion of pronouns. For the first time, we recommend taking a simple topic, for example, “Seasons.” Don't forget that competent text creation is the foundation of spoken English. This is why it is important to pay Special attention rules for forming sentences and not to ignore questions that arise during lessons.