Present
Presente · now, habits and facts
- io I am
- tu you are
- lui, lei, Lei he/she is
- noi we are
- voi you all are
- loro they are
ITALIAN VERB
stare
to be (how one is), to stay
- #12 most used
- Irregular -are verb
- Past participle: stato
- Gerund: stando
Conjugation
Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.
Past
Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”
- io I was
- tu you were
- lui, lei, Lei he/she was
- noi we were
- voi you all were
- loro they were
Imperfect
Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”
- io I used to be
- tu you used to be
- lui, lei, Lei he/she used to be
- noi we used to be
- voi you all used to be
- loro they used to be
Future
Futuro semplice · plans and guesses
- io I will be
- tu you will be
- lui, lei, Lei he/she will be
- noi we will be
- voi you all will be
- loro they will be
Conditional
Condizionale · “would”, polite requests
- io I would be
- tu you would be
- lui, lei, Lei he/she would be
- noi we would be
- voi you all would be
- loro they would be
Present subjunctive
Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”
- io (that) I be
- tu (that) you be
- lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she be
- noi (that) we be
- voi (that) you all be
- loro (that) they be
Imperative
Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi
- tu be!
- Lei be! (formal)
- noi be! (let’s)
- voi be! (all of you)
How to use stare
One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.
-
Present
Come stai? Tutto bene a casa?
How are you? All well at home?
-
Past
Sono stata a letto due giorni con l'influenza.
I stayed in bed for two days with the flu.
-
Imperfect
Stavo uscendo quando hai chiamato.
I was going out when you called.
-
Future
Starò a Bologna fino a venerdì.
I'll be staying in Bologna until Friday.
-
Conditional
Staresti meglio con un po' di riposo.
You'd feel better with a bit of rest.
-
Present subjunctive
Spero che tua madre stia meglio oggi.
I hope your mother is feeling better today.
-
Imperative
Sta' tranquillo, arrivo tra cinque minuti.
Stay calm, I'll be there in five minutes.
Good to know
- Come stai? asks how you are; sto bene is I'm fine.
- Stare per is to be about to: sto per uscire.
- Stare also makes the progressive: sto mangiando, I'm eating.
Where you hear stare
The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.
Italian · Beginner Level 2
- Come stai? How are you?
- Ieri sono stata a casa. Yesterday I stayed at home.
- Domani starò meglio. Tomorrow I'll be better.
Italian · Beginner Level 3
- Come stai? How are you?
- Ieri sono stata a casa. Yesterday I stayed at home.
- Domani starò meglio. Tomorrow I'll be better.
14
Giulia's Visit
Needs a subscription
23
Beginner Level 2 · Ciao, Laura! Come stai?
Assunta Is Unwell
Needs a subscription
14
Beginner Level 2 · Stai male?
The Roof Is Done
Needs a subscription
27
Beginner Level 3 · Stia tranquilla.
Nonna at Christmas
Needs a subscription
4
Beginner Level 3 · Buon Natale, Nonna! Come stai?
The First Service
Needs a subscription
9
Intermediate Level 1 · Scusa, Walter. Stavo per servire il tavolo quattro.
Pietro on the Phone
Needs a subscription
9
Intermediate Level 1 · Anch'io! Come sta Assunta?
The Night Before
Needs a subscription
23
Intermediate Level 3 · Stavo alla finestra. Aspettavo l'alba.
Ninety Candles
Needs a subscription
11
Intermediate Level 3 · Novanta candeline? Non ci stanno!
The Snow Begins
Needs a subscription
15
Advanced Level 2 · E se qualcuno sta male?
The Road Reopens
Needs a subscription
24
Advanced Level 2 · Nessuno è stato male. Ce l'abbiamo fatta.
The Night Before the Feast
Needs a subscription
15
Advanced Level 3 · Sì, l'ultima. Come stai, Dario?
Midnight on the Roof
Needs a subscription
Fluency Level 1 · Che freddo! Laura, stai vicino a me.
And 6 more lessons.
Verbs like this one
The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -are verb.