impersonal passives

A form of impersonal passive — A construction that removes the subject from an intransitive verb, as in the Dutch sentence Er wordt gefloten ("[Someone] whistled"). Also known as pseudopassive.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of impersonal passive
Cite this entry
APA

impersonal passives. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impersonal%20passives

MLA

“impersonal passives.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impersonal%20passives. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “impersonal passives,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impersonal%20passives.

Source: impersonal passives on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.