Significado
To cease to be remembered or discussed.
Contexto cultural
The term is a staple of Italian political journalism. It describes the 'insabbiamento' (covering with sand/burying) of legal cases or reforms that are inconvenient for the ruling class. Many 20th-century Italian authors who were popular during the Fascist era or immediately after fell into the 'dimenticatoio' for political reasons, only to be rediscovered decades later. Italians often use this phrase to express frustration with the slow and inefficient public administration, where documents literally seem to disappear into a 'forgotten bin'. The concept echoes the Roman 'Damnatio Memoriae', showing a long-standing cultural awareness of the power of forgetting as a social tool.
Use it in Writing
This phrase is a 'gold nugget' for C1 writing exams (like CILS or CELI). It shows you master idiomatic, formal Italian.
Auxiliary Check
Always use 'essere'. Saying 'Ho caduto nel dimenticatoio' is a classic giveaway that you are translating from English.
Significado
To cease to be remembered or discussed.
Use it in Writing
This phrase is a 'gold nugget' for C1 writing exams (like CILS or CELI). It shows you master idiomatic, formal Italian.
Auxiliary Check
Always use 'essere'. Saying 'Ho caduto nel dimenticatoio' is a classic giveaway that you are translating from English.
Political Irony
Use it with a sigh or a slight roll of the eyes when talking about government promises to sound like a true Italian skeptic.
Teste-se
Completa la frase con la forma corretta del verbo 'cadere' e l'espressione 'nel dimenticatoio'.
Molte promesse fatte durante la campagna elettorale ________ ________ ________ appena finite le elezioni.
The subject 'promesse' is feminine plural, so the past participle must be 'cadute' and the auxiliary must be 'sono'.
Quale di queste frasi è corretta?
Scegli l'opzione grammaticalmente corretta:
Requires the auxiliary 'essere' and the articulated preposition 'nel'.
In quale situazione è appropriato usare 'cadere nel dimenticatoio'?
Scegli la situazione corretta:
The phrase is used for collective, long-term neglect or oblivion.
Completa il dialogo.
A: 'Ti ricordi di quel progetto per il nuovo parco?' B: 'No, purtroppo il Comune lo ha ________ ________ ________.'
Since the subject is 'il Comune' (the City Hall) acting on the project, the active form 'messo' (put) is required.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Recursos visuais
Cadere vs. Mettere
Banco de exercicios
4 exerciciosMolte promesse fatte durante la campagna elettorale ________ ________ ________ appena finite le elezioni.
The subject 'promesse' is feminine plural, so the past participle must be 'cadute' and the auxiliary must be 'sono'.
Scegli l'opzione grammaticalmente corretta:
Requires the auxiliary 'essere' and the articulated preposition 'nel'.
Scegli la situazione corretta:
The phrase is used for collective, long-term neglect or oblivion.
A: 'Ti ricordi di quel progetto per il nuovo parco?' B: 'No, purtroppo il Comune lo ha ________ ________ ________.'
Since the subject is 'il Comune' (the City Hall) acting on the project, the active form 'messo' (put) is required.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Perguntas frequentes
10 perguntasNo, it is a purely metaphorical noun used only in this expression and its variations.
Yes, but it implies they are no longer famous or relevant, which can be a bit insulting depending on the context.
'Cadere' is more common and slightly more formal; 'finire' emphasizes the end result of the process.
Technically yes, to mean 'my personal list of things I've decided to ignore', but it's very rare and poetic.
Yes, very often to describe projects that were started but never finished or discussed again.
No, it is a standard, slightly formal idiom.
Only if you mean their *fame* or *work* has been forgotten, not the fact that they died.
Use 'mettere nel dimenticatoio'.
No, 'dimenticatoio' is always singular in this idiom.
Not at all. It is used daily in Italian newspapers and TV news.
Frases relacionadas
Finire nel nulla
synonymTo end in nothing/vanish.
Passare in secondo piano
similarTo take a back seat.
Rimanere impresso
contrastTo remain impressed/memorable.
Mettere nel dimenticatoio
builds onTo intentionally forget or ignore something.
Lasciare nel cassetto
similarTo leave in the drawer.
