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Using the infinitive we can say

Devi passarci sopra.

"You must ignore it." Is this correct?

Than how do we conjugate "passarci sopra"?

To mean "he ignores it" can we say

Ci passa sopra

? Could you give a few examples with verbs conjugated at different tenses, and illustrating what the expression means?

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Passare sopra means ignoring/forgetting something we don't like or don't agree with, avoiding getting angry/being sad or even trying to prevent it. It could also be translated as "giving up on something". This expression is often used to console someone, acknowledging the fact that there is a problem for which it is not worth wasting any more time (because it would be exaggerated or impossible), for example:

Non sempre le cose vanno come uno vorrebbe, a volte bisogna passarci sopra (arrendersi).

La vita a volte è ingiusta, devi passarci sopra (accettarlo).

A volte capita di prendere brutte note a scuola, ma bisogna passarci sopra (farsene una ragione/dimenticare la cosa) e pensare alla prossima verifica.

Lui ti ha truffato, ma dal momento che non abbiamo i soldi per un avvocato dobbiamo passarci sopra (dobbiamo arrenderci perché impossibile fare qualcosa a riguardo).

It can also be an alternative to perdonare (forgive):

Non l'ha fatto con cattive intenzioni, perciò passaci sopra (perdonalo).

Nonostante tu mi avessi deluso moltissimo, ci sono passato sopra (ti ho perdonato).

Pay attention because passare sopra many times cannot replace ignorare, for example "Sono passato sopra Luigi" means "I stepped on him".

The conjugation is constructed like this: pronoun + "ci" + conjugation of "passare" + "sopra", for example: "Tu" + "ci" + "sei passato" + "sopra".

See here the conjugation of "passare".

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  • Thanks! Why is it always "ci" and not mi/ti/si etc.
    – kiriloff
    Commented Apr 5, 2022 at 7:58
  • "mi/ti/si" would change the meaning "mi passi sopra" means, quite literally, "you step over me". In this circumstance "ci" usually translates as "it": "ci passi sopra" means "you accept it" (literally: "you step over it").
    – Andrea M
    Commented Apr 7, 2022 at 15:26

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