B2 Idiom خنثی

voltare pagina

to turn the page

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use 'voltare pagina' to describe leaving a difficult past behind and making a fresh start in life or work.

  • Means: To move on from a situation and start anew.
  • Used in: Breakups, career changes, or after making a big mistake.
  • Don't confuse: It's usually used without the article 'la' in the idiomatic sense.
📖 + ➡️ = ✨

Explanation at your level:

This phrase is about a book. 'Voltare' means to turn. 'Pagina' is a page. Literally, you turn the page to read more. Figuratively, it means you have a new start. It is like when you finish a bad day and tomorrow is a new day. It is very simple: old thing finished, new thing starts.
You use 'voltare pagina' when you want to start something new. For example, if you leave a job you don't like, you 'voltare pagina'. It comes from books. When you finish one page, you turn it to see the next. In Italian, we don't usually say 'la' pagina in this idiom. We just say 'voltare pagina'.
This idiom is very common when talking about life changes. It means to leave the past behind, especially after a difficult period like a breakup or a failure. It’s a positive phrase because it implies that the person is ready for a fresh start. You can use it with verbs like 'bisogna' or 'è ora di' to give advice to a friend who is sad about the past.
At the B2 level, you should recognize 'voltare pagina' as a versatile idiom used in both personal and professional contexts. It signifies a definitive transition and a psychological commitment to moving forward. Grammatically, notice that it's a transitive construction where the object 'pagina' is used without an article to emphasize the idiomatic meaning of 'starting anew' rather than the literal act of turning a specific piece of paper.
This expression functions as a powerful conceptual metaphor where 'Life is a Book.' By 'turning the page,' the speaker invokes a narrative shift, suggesting that the previous events, while recorded, are no longer the focus of the current 'reading' or experience. It is often employed in sophisticated journalistic discourse to describe systemic changes in government or corporate strategy, signaling a break from previous paradigms or scandals to restore public trust.
From a cognitive linguistics perspective, 'voltare pagina' exemplifies the lexicalization of a gestural metaphor. The physical act of turning a page—a discrete, irreversible movement that obscures the preceding text—is mapped onto the abstract domain of temporal and emotional progression. Mastery of this phrase involves understanding its subtle pragmatic weight; it often carries an illocutionary force of encouragement or self-assertion, serving as a linguistic marker for the closure of a biographical or historical episode and the opening of a new teleological path.

معنی

To move on from a past situation.

🌍

زمینه فرهنگی

In Italy, 'voltare pagina' is often associated with the post-WWII era and the 'Economic Miracle,' where the country had to reinvent itself completely. The equivalent 'turning over a new leaf' has a more moralistic tone of self-improvement, whereas 'voltare pagina' is more about situational change. The concept of 'shinki itten' emphasizes the 'refreshing' of the heart, which aligns with the Italian emotional use of 'voltare pagina'. In Brazilian Portuguese, 'virar a página' is used extensively in 'Samba' lyrics to describe moving on from a lost love.

🎯

Use it without the article

To sound like a native, say 'voltare pagina' instead of 'voltare la pagina' when speaking metaphorically.

💬

Journalistic favorite

You will see this phrase in almost every Italian newspaper editorial about political change.

معنی

To move on from a past situation.

🎯

Use it without the article

To sound like a native, say 'voltare pagina' instead of 'voltare la pagina' when speaking metaphorically.

💬

Journalistic favorite

You will see this phrase in almost every Italian newspaper editorial about political change.

⚠️

Don't confuse with 'voltare le spalle'

Turning your back on someone (betrayal) is very different from turning a page (moving on).

خودت رو بسنج

Completa la frase con la forma corretta di 'voltare pagina'.

Dopo il licenziamento, Marco ha deciso di _______ e aprire un ristorante.

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: voltare pagina

The infinitive 'voltare pagina' is needed after 'deciso di'.

Quale di queste situazioni è più adatta per usare 'voltare pagina'?

Scegli l'opzione corretta:

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: Hai rotto con il tuo fidanzato dopo 5 anni.

'Voltare pagina' is used for significant life changes, not literal or trivial actions.

Completa il dialogo tra due amici.

A: 'Non riesco a smettere di pensare al mio errore al lavoro.' B: 'Dai, non essere così duro con te stesso. _______!'

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: Volta pagina

The imperative 'Volta pagina' is used to encourage someone to move on.

Abbina l'espressione al suo significato.

Match the following:

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: Voltare pagina - Iniziare una nuova fase della vita

Each idiom has a slightly different nuance of 'moving on'.

In quale contesto useresti questa frase?

'È tempo che la nostra azienda volti pagina.'

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: In una riunione di lavoro dopo un anno difficile.

The phrase is used to signal a strategic shift in a professional setting.

🎉 امتیاز: /5

ابزارهای بصری یادگیری

سوالات متداول

10 سوال

It is neutral. You can use it with your best friend or in a business meeting.

Yes, it is a perfect synonym, though 'voltare' is slightly more common in literature.

Usually, yes. It implies that the previous 'page' was something you want to move away from.

Use 'avere': 'Ho voltato pagina'.

No, the idiom is fixed as 'voltare pagina' (singular).

It's better to save it for significant life events to avoid sounding overly dramatic.

'To turn over a new leaf' or 'to start a new chapter'.

Yes, many Italian pop songs use it to describe the end of a love story.

Only if you are literally turning a page in a physical book.

Extremely common in political and economic news.

عبارات مرتبط

🔗

chiudere un capitolo

similar

to end a phase of life

🔄

ricominciare da zero

synonym

to start from scratch

🔗

cambiare registro

specialized form

to change one's tone or behavior

🔗

metterci una pietra sopra

contrast

to bury the hatchet/forget it

کجا استفاده کنیم

💔

After a breakup

Giulia: Ancora pensi a lui? Sono passati mesi!

Luca: Hai ragione, è ora di voltare pagina.

informal
💼

Starting a new job

Capo: Benvenuto nel team. Qui facciamo le cose diversamente.

Dipendente: Ottimo, sono pronto a voltare pagina dopo la mia vecchia esperienza.

neutral
🏙️

Moving to a new city

Amico: Ti mancherà Roma?

Viaggiatore: Un po', ma sentivo il bisogno di voltare pagina e Milano è perfetta.

neutral
📉

After a business failure

Socio: Abbiamo perso molto con questo investimento.

Socio 2: Dobbiamo voltare pagina e concentrarci sul prossimo trimestre.

formal
🗳️

Political election

Giornalista: Cosa si aspetta da questo nuovo governo?

Cittadino: Spero che l'Italia possa finalmente voltare pagina.

formal
🤦

After a big mistake

Studente: Ho fallito l'esame per la terza volta.

Genitore: Non abbatterti. Studia meglio e volta pagina.

informal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of your life as a book. If you don't like the current chapter, just 'voltare' (turn) the 'pagina' (page) to start a better one.

Visual Association

Imagine a giant, heavy stone book. You are using all your strength to flip a massive page, and on the other side, the sun is rising over a beautiful new landscape.

Rhyme

Se vuoi un nuovo destino, volta pagina e segui il cammino.

Story

Marco lost his job and felt like his world ended. His grandmother sat him down, closed his old journal, and said, 'Marco, this book isn't finished. You just need to voltare pagina.' He took a deep breath, opened a new notebook, and started writing his new business plan.

Word Web

librocapitolonuovo iniziopassatofuturocambiamentoresilienza

چالش

Write a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) in Italian about a time you had to 'voltare pagina' in your life.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

pasar página

Uses 'pasar' instead of 'voltare'.

French high

tourner la page

French almost always includes the definite article.

German moderate

ein neues Kapitel aufschlagen

Focuses on the 'chapter' rather than the 'page'.

Japanese low

心機一転 (shinki itten)

Focuses on internal psychology rather than an external book metaphor.

Arabic high

طوى الصفحة (tawa al-safha)

Uses the verb 'to fold' instead of 'to turn'.

Chinese high

翻开新的一页 (fānkāi xīn de yī yè)

Emphasizes 'opening' the new page.

Korean partial

새 출발을 하다 (sae chulbareul hada)

More literal and direct about the 'start'.

Portuguese high

virar a página

Uses 'virar' which is a direct cognate of 'voltare' in this context.

Easily Confused

voltare pagina در مقابل voltare le spalle

Both use 'voltare' but have opposite meanings.

Voltare pagina is positive (moving on); voltare le spalle is negative (betraying or ignoring someone).

voltare pagina در مقابل cambiare pagina

Learners think 'cambiare' (to change) is the standard verb.

While understandable, 'voltare' or 'girare' are the idiomatic standards.

سوالات متداول (10)

It is neutral. You can use it with your best friend or in a business meeting.

Yes, it is a perfect synonym, though 'voltare' is slightly more common in literature.

Usually, yes. It implies that the previous 'page' was something you want to move away from.

Use 'avere': 'Ho voltato pagina'.

No, the idiom is fixed as 'voltare pagina' (singular).

It's better to save it for significant life events to avoid sounding overly dramatic.

'To turn over a new leaf' or 'to start a new chapter'.

Yes, many Italian pop songs use it to describe the end of a love story.

Only if you are literally turning a page in a physical book.

Extremely common in political and economic news.

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