Impersonal verbs in German use as subject the pronoun "es".
The pronoun "es" usually means "it" but it has no meaning in the context of impersonal verbs but rather just a grammatical function of a subject.
Verbs that deal with nature are impersonal verbs:
Es dunkelt schon
It's getting dark
Heute kann es regnen
It might rain today
Gestern hat es geschneit
It snowed yesterday
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| blitzen | to flash (lightning) |
| dämmern | to dawn |
| donnern | to thunder |
| dunkeln | to get dark |
| frieren | to freeze |
| gewittern | to storm |
| hageln | to hail |
| nieseln | to drizzle |
| gießen | to flood/downpour |
| regnen | to rain |
| schneien | to snow |
| tauen | to melt |
As you see in the following examples, verbs dealing with noise can be impersonal:
Wo hat es geknallt?
Where was the bang?
Was tun, wenn es im Ohr pfeift?
What to do if there is a whistling (noise) in your ear?
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| klingeln | to ring |
| knallen | to make a bang/explode |
| läuten | to sound the bells |
| pfeifen | to whistle |
| rauschen | to whisper |
These verbs don't necessarily have to always be impersonal if you specify the origin of the noise (that's why it doesn't have the pronoun "es")
Nachts pfeift der Wind ums Haus
At night, the wind whistles around the house
Many verbs that deal with the senses in German are impersonal:
Es tut mir leid
I'm sorry
Es hat mir geschmeckt
I liked the food/ It tasted very well
Copulative verbs, meaning "sein", "werden" and "bleiben", can behave like impersonal verbs if they are accompanied by adjective or adverbs that:
Gestern war es sonnig
It was sunny yesterday
Es ist zu heiß
It's too hot
Wie spät ist es?
What time is it?
It is very common to find the verb "geben" acting as an impersonal verb:
Be careful with "geben" which means to give but also behaves like an impersonal verb meaning "there is/are"
Es gibt keine Lösung
There is no solution