The New Impersonal Construction

Level 6

Standard: Mér var hrint. Hún var sótt. Nonstandard: Það var hrint mér. Það var sótt hana. In the standard passive, the person the action happens to moves to the front.

How It Works

Three ways to say it.

  • Active: Einhver hrinti mér. (Someone pushed me.)
  • Standard passive: Mér var hrint. (I was pushed.)
  • New construction, not standard: Það var hrint mér.

How to recognize it. Two things together mark the new construction. The object stays after the participle, and it keeps its accusative or dative case. With an accusative object, the participle also stays in the neuter form: Það var barið mig instead of Ég var barinn. The sentence does not have to start with það. Another word can come first: Síðan var borðað kökuna instead of Síðan var kakan borðuð.

How to fix it.

  • An accusative object becomes a nominative subject, and the participle agrees with it. See passive with vera. Það var sótt hana → Hún var sótt.
  • A dative object keeps its case and moves to the front, and the participle stays neuter. See dative passive. Það var sagt mér að bíða → Mér var sagt að bíða.

What is standard. Not every það var sentence is the new construction. A verb with no object can form an impersonal passive: Það var dansað alla nóttina. An indefinite subject can also stand after það as long as it is nominative and the participle agrees with it: Það voru tveir menn handteknir í nótt. See það + indefinite subject. The problem is only a pronoun or other object that keeps its accusative or dative case after the verb.

Who says it. As far as is known, it was first mentioned in print in 1979. In a study published in 2001, about 60% of 15 and 16 year olds said they could use sentences like these, but only a few percent of adults. A later survey found that over 40% of speakers under 30 thought Síðan var borðað kökuna sounded natural, while about 95% or more of speakers over 40 found it unnatural. Apart from þágufallssýki, it is probably the change that people react to most strongly. In writing and in careful speech, use the standard passive.

Examples (6)

  1. Mér var hrint á leiðinni í skólann.

    I was pushed on the way to school.

    Word by Word: To-me was pushed on the-way to the-school.

    hrinda takes a dative object, so mér stays dative and comes first. The new construction would be Það var hrint mér.

  2. Hún var sótt á flugvöllinn.

    She was picked up at the airport.

    Word by Word: She was fetched to the-airport.

    The accusative object hana becomes the nominative subject hún, and sótt agrees with it. Not: Það var sótt hana.

  3. Mér var sagt að bíða.

    I was told to wait.

    Word by Word: To-me was said to wait.

    segja takes a dative for the person told. Not: Það var sagt mér að bíða.

  4. Ég var beðinn um að vaska upp.

    I was asked to do the dishes.

    Word by Word: I was asked about to wash up.

    beðinn agrees with ég. A woman would say beðin. Not: Það var beðið mig um að vaska upp.

  5. Síðan var kakan borðuð.

    Then the cake was eaten.

    Word by Word: Then was the-cake eaten.

    kakan is nominative and borðuð is feminine to match it. Not: Síðan var borðað kökuna.

  6. Það var dansað alla nóttina.

    People danced all night.

    Word by Word: It was danced all the-night.

    This is standard. dansa has no object, so there is nothing to move to the front.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving an accusative object after the verb.

    Það var barið mig.
    Ég var barinn.

    In the standard passive, the object becomes the nominative subject ég, and the participle agrees with it.

  • Leaving a dative object after the verb.

    Það var hrint mér á leiðinni í skólann.
    Mér var hrint á leiðinni í skólann.

    A dative object keeps its case, but it moves to the front of the sentence.

  • Using the new construction after another first word.

    Síðan var borðað kökuna.
    Síðan var kakan borðuð.

    Even without það, an accusative object after the verb is the new construction. Make kakan the subject and let borðuð agree with it.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

The New Impersonal ConstructionLevel 6

Learn This First

The new impersonal builds on the impersonal and dative passives.