Significado
To move on from a past conflict.
Contexto cultural
In Italy, 'mettere una pietra sopra' is often a way to preserve 'la bella figura'. It allows people to end a public conflict without anyone having to lose face by admitting total defeat. The concept of 'pietra sopra' mirrors the religious idea of absolution. Once a sin is confessed and forgiven, it is meant to be 'buried' and not brought up again, similar to the divine forgetting of sins. In large Italian families, long-standing feuds (faide) are common. The act of 'putting a stone over it' is a significant ritual, often facilitated by a matriarch or patriarch to restore family unity. While the phrase is standard Italian, in the South, the concept of 'rancore' (grudge) can be very strong, making the act of 'mettere una pietra sopra' a much more formal and serious commitment than in the North.
Use 'Ci' for Fluency
Native speakers almost always say 'mettiamoci' or 'mettici' instead of the full 'mettere una pietra sopra a questa cosa'. It sounds much more natural.
Don't use for secrets
This phrase isn't for 'keeping a secret' (that would be 'acqua in bocca'). It's for ending a conflict that everyone knows about.
Significado
To move on from a past conflict.
Use 'Ci' for Fluency
Native speakers almost always say 'mettiamoci' or 'mettici' instead of the full 'mettere una pietra sopra a questa cosa'. It sounds much more natural.
Don't use for secrets
This phrase isn't for 'keeping a secret' (that would be 'acqua in bocca'). It's for ending a conflict that everyone knows about.
The weight of the stone
When you say this, you are making a promise. In Italian culture, bringing up a 'buried' argument is seen as a breach of social contract.
Ponte a prueba
Complete the sentence with the correct form of the idiom.
Dopo quel brutto litigio, abbiamo deciso di ______ una pietra sopra.
The verb 'mettere' (to put/place) is the only verb used in this idiom.
Which sentence is the most natural way to suggest reconciliation in spoken Italian?
How do you say 'Let's put a stone over it'?
The pronominal form 'metterci' is the most idiomatic and common in spoken Italian.
Match the situation to the most appropriate use of the idiom.
Situation: A company decides to stop pursuing a lawsuit against a former employee to save on legal fees.
'Pietra tombale' is often used in formal/legal contexts to indicate a definitive end.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 'Non riesco a perdonarlo per quello che ha fatto.' B: 'Lo so, è stata dura, ma per la tua salute mentale dovresti ______.'
Both 'metterci una pietra sopra' and 'farci/metterci una croce sopra' work here, though 'pietra' is slightly more focused on reconciliation.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Ayudas visuales
Banco de ejercicios
4 ejerciciosDopo quel brutto litigio, abbiamo deciso di ______ una pietra sopra.
The verb 'mettere' (to put/place) is the only verb used in this idiom.
How do you say 'Let's put a stone over it'?
The pronominal form 'metterci' is the most idiomatic and common in spoken Italian.
Situation: A company decides to stop pursuing a lawsuit against a former employee to save on legal fees.
'Pietra tombale' is often used in formal/legal contexts to indicate a definitive end.
A: 'Non riesco a perdonarlo per quello che ha fatto.' B: 'Lo so, è stata dura, ma per la tua salute mentale dovresti ______.'
Both 'metterci una pietra sopra' and 'farci/metterci una croce sopra' work here, though 'pietra' is slightly more focused on reconciliation.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Preguntas frecuentes
10 preguntasIt is neutral. You can use it with friends, but also in a business meeting to signal that a dispute is settled.
No, you put a stone over the *relationship* or the *conflict*. If you want to say you're done with a person, you'd say 'ci ho messo una croce sopra'.
'Pietra tombale' is much more definitive and often used for things like laws, careers, or historical eras. It's 'dead and buried' forever.
Yes, usually: 'Mettere una pietra sopra A qualcosa'. However, in the pronominal form 'mettiamoci una pietra sopra', the 'a' is implied by 'ci'.
Yes, it is a standard Italian idiom understood from Milan to Palermo.
No, it is almost exclusively used for negative things (arguments, failures, debts) that you want to end.
Just say: 'Vabbè, mettiamoci una pietra sopra.'
Yes, very similar, but 'bury the hatchet' is specifically about enemies, while 'pietra sopra' can be about personal mistakes too.
It's possible and understood, but 'sopra' is the standard idiomatic form.
Usually, yes. It implies a cessation of hostility and a decision to move forward.
Frases relacionadas
Farci una croce sopra
similarTo give up on something or someone.
Voltare pagina
similarTo turn the page; to start fresh.
Sotterrare l'ascia di guerra
synonymTo bury the hatchet.
Lavarsene le mani
contrastTo wash one's hands of it.
Mettere una pietra tombale
specialized formTo put a tombstone over something.
