Soprappensiero

ADVERB

Meaning and English translation 🔖

Lost in thought
🇬🇧 Being immersed in one’s own thoughts, thus not paying attention to what is happening around.
🇮🇹 Essere immerso nei propri pensieri, senza prestare attenzione a quanto accade intorno.



Example sentences 💬

Ero soprappensiero e ho chiuso la porta lasciando in casa le chiavi.
I was lost in thought and locked the door, leaving the keys inside the house.
Stava passeggiando soprappensiero e non ha visto il semaforo rosso.
She was walking distractedly and did not see the red light.


Idioms with soprappensiero 🇮🇹

Essere soprappensiero

→ To be lost in thought

Passeggiare soprappensiero

→ To walk lost in thought

Fare qualcosa soprappensiero

→ To do something absent-mindedly



Where does the word soprappensiero come from? 🔎

Soprappensiero is composed of "sopra-" (which means "above" or "over") and "pensiero" (thought). The double P makes the word smoother to pronounce.

It is also possible to write this word as sovrappensiero, which has become more common today, perhaps because it is easier to pronounce without the triple P.


⚠️
Attention In Italian, there are the expressions "soprappensiero," "pensare troppo," and also "pensarci sopra." However, they have very different meanings:
• Soprappensiero indicates a state where you are so lost in your own thoughts that you don't pay attention to what's happening around you. For example, you might be walking soprappensiero and not notice a friend waving at you.
Pensare troppo (overthinking) means thinking excessively about something, often in a negative and stressful way. For example, you might overthink an important decision and feel anxious.
Pensarci su (to think over) means calmly considering something before making a decision. It's a more thoughtful and positive action than "overthinking." For example, if you are offered a new job, you might say, "I need to think it over before accepting."


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