Rimanere (to remain, to stay, to be left) is one of those Italian verbs that English struggles to translate cleanly. It can mean physically staying somewhere (rimango a casa stasera), being left over (è rimasto solo un pezzo di pane), being struck by an emotion (sono rimasto sorpreso), or holding a position or state (la porta è rimasta aperta tutta la notte). The English mind reaches for "stay," "remain," "be left," or even "end up" depending on context — Italian uses one verb for all of them.
The paradigm is irregular in three places: a -g- insertion in the 1sg and 3pl of the present (rimango, rimangono); a -si / -se / -sero passato remoto with the special participle rimasto; and a contracted -rr- future stem (rimarrò). Crucially, rimanere does not take the e → ie vowel shift that tenere and venire show — the a of the stem is stable across the whole paradigm.
Indicativo presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | rimango |
| tu | rimani |
| lui / lei / Lei | rimane |
| noi | rimaniamo |
| voi | rimanete |
| loro | rimangono |
The -g- appears only in rimango and rimangono — the two forms whose ending begins with -o. Everywhere else the stem is plain riman-. Notice that, unlike tenere, there is no vowel shift — the stem vowel a stays stable across all six persons. This makes the paradigm a bit easier than its cousins, since you only need to track the -g- alternation.
Rimango ancora una mezz'ora, poi devo andare.
I'll stay another half hour, then I have to go.
Quanti soldi ti rimangono sul conto a fine mese?
How much money do you have left in your account at the end of the month?
Rimaniamo in contatto, mi raccomando.
Let's stay in touch, please.
Voi rimanete a cena? Ho fatto la pasta al forno.
Are you guys staying for dinner? I made baked pasta.
Imperfetto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | rimanevo |
| tu | rimanevi |
| lui / lei / Lei | rimaneva |
| noi | rimanevamo |
| voi | rimanevate |
| loro | rimanevano |
Fully regular on the rimane- stem. The imperfect describes habitual past staying, ongoing past states, or what was left over at a given moment.
Da studente rimanevo in biblioteca fino alla chiusura.
As a student I used to stay in the library until closing time.
Non rimaneva quasi niente nel frigo, dovevamo fare la spesa.
There was almost nothing left in the fridge, we had to go grocery shopping.
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | rimasi |
| tu | rimanesti |
| lui / lei / Lei | rimase |
| noi | rimanemmo |
| voi | rimaneste |
| loro | rimasero |
This is the classic 1-3-3 "-si / -se / -sero" pattern that dozens of Italian irregular -ere verbs follow: prendere → presi, prese, presero; chiudere → chiusi, chiuse, chiusero; decidere → decisi, decise, decisero. The 1sg, 3sg, and 3pl take a contracted stem ending in -s- plus stressed endings; the 2sg, 1pl, and 2pl revert to the regular rimane- stem. The participle rimasto is built from the same -s- stem, with a -t- added.
Dopo la festa, rimanemmo a parlare in cucina fino all'alba.
After the party, we stayed talking in the kitchen until dawn.
Quando lessero il testamento, rimasero tutti senza parole.
When they read the will, they were all left speechless.
Futuro semplice
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | rimarrò |
| tu | rimarrai |
| lui / lei / Lei | rimarrà |
| noi | rimarremo |
| voi | rimarrete |
| loro | rimarranno |
Like tenere → terrò and venire → verrò, rimanere contracts to rimarr- in the future stem. The unstressed e of the infinitive (rimanere) drops out and the consonants assimilate (rimaner-rò → rimarrò). The double r is essential — write a single r and you get rimarò, which is not a word. As with all Italian futures, the 1sg and 3sg carry a grave accent (rimarrò, rimarrà) marking the stressed final vowel.
Rimarrò a Roma fino a domenica sera.
I'll stay in Rome until Sunday evening.
Quel ricordo rimarrà con me per sempre.
That memory will stay with me forever.
Condizionale presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | rimarrei |
| tu | rimarresti |
| lui / lei / Lei | rimarrebbe |
| noi | rimarremmo |
| voi | rimarreste |
| loro | rimarrebbero |
Same rimarr- stem as the future. As always, watch the rimarremo (future) vs rimarremmo (conditional) trap — the double m is the only orthographic clue between "we will stay" and "we would stay."
Rimarrei volentieri ancora un po', ma ho il treno alle nove.
I'd happily stay a bit longer, but I have a train at nine.
Senza di te, la festa non sarebbe la stessa — rimarremmo tutti tristi.
Without you, the party wouldn't be the same — we'd all be sad.
Congiuntivo presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (che) io | rimanga |
| (che) tu | rimanga |
| (che) lui / lei | rimanga |
| (che) noi | rimaniamo |
| (che) voi | rimaniate |
| (che) loro | rimangano |
Built from the 1sg present stem (rimang-) plus regular subjunctive endings. The three singular forms collapse into rimanga, so subject pronouns are usually needed.
Voglio che tu rimanga calma, qualunque cosa succeda.
I want you to stay calm, no matter what happens.
Spero che rimangano amici nonostante tutto.
I hope they remain friends despite everything.
Congiuntivo imperfetto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (che) io | rimanessi |
| (che) tu | rimanessi |
| (che) lui / lei | rimanesse |
| (che) noi | rimanessimo |
| (che) voi | rimaneste |
| (che) loro | rimanessero |
Regular on the rimane- stem. Used in hypotheticals and after past-tense triggers.
Se rimanessimo qui un altro giorno, potremmo visitare anche Pompei.
If we stayed here another day, we could also visit Pompeii.
Imperativo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | rimani |
| Lei (formal) | rimanga |
| noi | rimaniamo |
| voi | rimanete |
| loro (formal pl.) | rimangano |
The 2sg rimani is the same as the indicative — typical for -ere verbs. The polite Lei form rimanga appears regularly in service settings: Rimanga seduto, prego ("Please stay seated").
Rimani lì, vengo io a prenderti.
Stay there, I'll come pick you up.
Rimanga in linea, le passo l'ufficio competente.
Please hold the line, I'll transfer you to the right office.
Forme non finite
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Infinito presente | rimanere |
| Infinito passato | essere rimasto/a/i/e |
| Gerundio presente | rimanendo |
| Gerundio passato | essendo rimasto/a/i/e |
| Participio passato | rimasto/a/i/e |
The participle rimasto is irregular — built from the same -s- stem as the passato remoto (rimasi). This is not the expected rimanuto, which does not exist. Because rimanere takes essere as its auxiliary, the participle agrees with the subject in gender and number: Maria è rimasta a casa, i ragazzi sono rimasti fuori.
Compound tenses with essere
Rimanere is intransitive and takes essere as its auxiliary across all compound tenses. The participle agrees with the subject.
| Tense | Form (1sg masc.) | Form (1sg fem.) |
|---|---|---|
| Passato prossimo | sono rimasto | sono rimasta |
| Trapassato prossimo | ero rimasto | ero rimasta |
| Trapassato remoto | fui rimasto | fui rimasta |
| Futuro anteriore | sarò rimasto | sarò rimasta |
| Condizionale passato | sarei rimasto | sarei rimasta |
| Congiuntivo passato | sia rimasto | sia rimasta |
| Congiuntivo trapassato | fossi rimasto | fossi rimasta |
Sono rimasta a casa tutto il giorno per finire la tesi.
I (female speaker) stayed home all day to finish my thesis.
Quando ho aperto la porta, sono rimasto di sasso — non c'era più niente.
When I opened the door, I was stunned — there was nothing left.
Rimanere male: the emotional idiom
One of the most-used expressions with this verb is rimanere male (or its reflexive cousin rimanerci male) — to be hurt, disappointed, or let down by something someone said or did. There is no clean English equivalent: it is more pointed than "to be sad" and more personal than "to be disappointed."
- Sono rimasto male per quello che hai detto. ("I was hurt by what you said.")
- Ci è rimasta malissimo quando non l'hanno invitata. ("She was really upset when they didn't invite her.")
Other useful idioms:
- rimanere senza parole — to be left speechless.
- rimanere a bocca aperta — to be left open-mouthed (in shock or amazement).
- rimanere indietro — to fall behind, to lag.
- rimanere in piedi — to stay standing, to hold up (of an argument or building).
- non rimane (che) — there's nothing left (but to). Non ci rimane che aspettare. ("All that's left for us is to wait.")
Quando le ho detto la verità, è rimasta a bocca aperta.
When I told her the truth, her jaw dropped.
Non ci rimane che brindare.
All that's left is for us to toast.
Rimanere vs restare
In most contexts these two verbs are interchangeable. Both are intransitive, both take essere, both share the same range of meanings. The choice is largely regional and stylistic:
- Rimanere is slightly more frequent in northern Italy and in writing.
- Restare is more common in central and southern speech.
- For the idiom rimanere male, rimanere is the dominant form (though restarci male also exists).
- For "to be left over" (after a calculation, a meal, etc.), both work: Mi rimangono / mi restano dieci euro.
There is no situation where choosing one over the other will be marked as wrong by a native speaker. Pick whichever feels more natural in the moment.
Common mistakes
❌ Io rimano qui.
Incorrect — the 1sg requires the -g- insertion.
✅ Io rimango qui.
Correct — rimango, with -g-.
❌ Domani rimanerò a casa.
Incorrect — the future stem is contracted to rimarr-.
✅ Domani rimarrò a casa.
Correct — rimarrò with double r.
❌ Lei è rimanuto sorpreso.
Incorrect twice — the participle is rimasto, not rimanuto, and it must agree with the feminine subject.
✅ Lei è rimasta sorpresa.
Correct — rimasta agrees with the feminine subject.
❌ Ho rimasto a casa ieri sera.
Incorrect — rimanere takes essere, not avere.
✅ Sono rimasto a casa ieri sera.
Correct — sono rimasto, with essere as auxiliary.
❌ Penso che rimane ancora un po' di pane.
Incorrect — penso che triggers the subjunctive.
✅ Penso che rimanga ancora un po' di pane.
Correct — rimanga is the congiuntivo presente.
Key takeaways
Three irregularities: -g- in 1sg/3pl present (rimango, rimangono), -si / -se / -sero passato remoto with the participle rimasto, and the contracted future stem rimarr-. There is no vowel shift in this verb.
Auxiliary is always essere — rimanere is intransitive, so the participle agrees with the subject.
The participle is rimasto, not rimanuto. This is the form learners forget most often.
Rimanere male is the emotional idiom you cannot avoid in real Italian. It means "to be hurt" or "to be let down" and has no smooth English equivalent.
Rimanere and restare are near-synonyms. Choose by region, register, or instinct.
Pair this verb with restare to internalise the contrast, and review the auxiliary-choice rules to cement why intransitive verbs of state pattern with essere.
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Essere: Full ConjugationA1 — Complete paradigm of essere (to be) across every tense and mood — the most irregular and one of the two most-used verbs in Italian.
- Tenere: Full ConjugationA1 — Complete paradigm of tenere (to hold, keep) — a high-frequency irregular verb that anchors the entire family of compounds (mantenere, ottenere, sostenere, contenere).
- Passato Remoto: The -si Pattern (Strong Perfects)B1 — The single most productive irregular pattern in the Italian passato remoto — one rule that conjugates dozens of high-frequency -ere verbs from prendere to scrivere to leggere.