"Si" is also used to refer to "we"."

Thank you Ron Swanson, I'm sorry to see your streak is gone. Hope you learned all you could first.

Thank you, johnrush, for a great explanation! I spent a good 45 minutes on the site you provided the link for...a jaw-dropping resource for the serious student!!!

Thank you for this!

Si in italian has the same function of "man" in German.

Unfortunately the link isn't working...

This link seems not to work ... I tried italian.about.com and got thought.co. I'm guessing it has rebranded??

It is an impersonal form.

The closest thing in english would be "When do you eat?" (not "you you", talking in general)

As pointed out by JohnRush at the top of this conversation, "si" can be used as an indefinite pronoun like "someone" or "anybody" in english.

The closest translation would be something like "When does one eat?" (If you imagine they just left out "in Italy?" it might make more sense.)

But, as pointed out below by RolandoFurioso, this phrase is used a lot as it is considered more polite than the direct question "Quando mangiamo?"

Exactly! I'd have thought the mangia would suggest a he/she eats answer, and if the correct response is we eat then mangiamo should have been used?

This sentence is simply not one where "he" can be used impersonally, even though "he" sometimes can be used in that way.

This particular sentence involves the idea that the speaker as several others will be eating together some time in the future. Since it involves the speaker and others, that means you have to use "we" if you're being particular, but "one" can be an impersonal way of asking the same question.

In other instances, "one" or "you" can be used interchangeably where the speaker is not involving himself/herself in the future action, e.g., "When you go to the train station, what's the best way of getting there?" Again, "one goes" can be substituted as an impersonal way of asking the same question.

"they" can also be used to refer to a group of people: "They're planting flowers all over the city!" You would not substitute "one" here, except in a highly stylized (and inaccurate way): "One is planting flowers all over he city." It's not incorrect English, it's just weird and unusual - the kind of thing the Queen of English might say, but not the common folk.

"he" can rarely be used to replace "they", but the focus shifts from a general group to an unknown single person: "They broke my car windows last night last night! If I find them, I will have them/him/her arrested!" You could also say, "Someone broke my windows - If I find him/her, I'll...."

In American English, one can find instances where the clauses are not matched as to person: "SomeONE broke into my car; if I find THEM, I'll...." Tecnically that's bad grammar, but since we're discussion impersonal statements, it's not completely wrong.

ok that makes sense. Grazie :)

yes

duolingo is not literally correct. Literally it means: 'When does one eat' and 'quando mangiamo?' is 'when do we eat'. But its so common do use 'Quando si mangia?' because its not so direct and therefore considered to be more polite.

That's my question too. I have si- himself, herself.

Yes, siebolt gives a great explanation for this sentence ... but I would like to be able to recognize and apply the rule to all 'reflexive verbs'. What is a reflexive verb?

Also, can someone explain the connection between 'mangiare' and 'mangiarsi'? They appear to be connected somehow ...

If you translate it as "When does he/she eat?" then the si means you have to add "himself/herself" at the end, a gruesome kind of sentence.

The same can be said for "When does it eat itself?", except that idiomatic usage transforms the sentence into an impersonal format. If we translated it as passive voice, the meaning would be both more literal and closer to the translation: "When is it eaten?" = "When does one eat?" = "When do we eat?"

It is often a key hint to an impersonal sentence when you see si in front of a 3rd person singular verb, and it's a good idea to consider translating it as 3rd person impersonal using the English "one" as the subject. That will not always be true, but it's something to always be on the lookout for.

Yes as to the French. Don't know Portuguese - yet.

Hi Mellissa, 'we' is translated from the 'si' in this construct. Si equates to 'we'( or 'one') e.g. when do we eat or when does one eat - have a look at Jeffrey's post in reply to Wagner above, it explains more. I hope this helps you.

That is the impression I got as well.
Like "Quand est-ce qu'on mange ?" / "Quand mange-on ?" in French.

See Jeffrey's reply to Wagner four months ago - this explains mangia and it's application in this instance.

There is no explanations, ever. It is similar to another mystery, 'Aspettiamo per cinque ore' in another unit which suddenly becomes 'We have been waiting for five hours.' Why does the present tense suddenly turn into 'have been'? No answer came the stern reply. But I think you deserve a lingot for a splendid phrase that I can use, being fed up to beneath my hat. Thank you, even if I am no wiser on why si mangia becomes 'we eat'.