Learn Hardcore Italian: Il razzo resta in orbita.

All three verbs can translate as “to stay” or “to remain,” but they carry different nuances.
• Restare often emphasizes remaining in a state or place, sometimes with a formal or technical tone.
• Rimanere is the most neutral and common choice for “to remain.”
• Stare + location is more colloquial (“sto a casa” = “I’m staying at home”).
In a technical context like a rocket, resta in orbita sounds idiomatic, though rimane in orbita would also be correct.

Why is there no article before orbita? Why in orbita instead of nella orbita or nell’orbita?

In orbita is a fixed, general expression meaning “in orbit.” In such set phrases with in + place, the article is often dropped when you speak of the condition in general. Adding an article (nella orbita) would localize it (“in the specific orbit of…”), which isn’t needed here.

Why do we use in and not su (su orbita)?

In Italian, you’re “in” an orbit, not “on” it. In orbita is the standard way to say “in orbit.” Using su orbita would feel like “on orbit,” which is not idiomatic for celestial mechanics.

Why is there a definite article il before razzo? English often drops the article in general statements.

Italian requires the definite article more frequently than English, even for generic subjects. Il razzo means “the rocket,” but this also covers “rockets in general” when making factual statements. Omitting il would sound ungrammatical.

What are the genders of razzo and orbita, and how do you recognize them?

Most Italian nouns ending in -o are masculine, so razzo is masculine: il razzo. Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine, so orbita is feminine: l’orbita (but in our phrase we omit the article).

How do you pronounce the double z in razzo, and what about orbita?

In razzo, the zz is a geminate affricate, pronounced like a held ts sound: roughly RA-t(t)so. In orbita, the b is a normal voiced stop, so you say OR-bee-ta.

What tense and mood is resta, and does it imply any time beyond the present?

Resta is the third person singular present indicative of restare. It states a simple, ongoing fact (“it stays/remains”). There’s no future or past implication—just the current condition.

Can orbita be a verb form of orbitare? Why isn’t the sentence Il razzo orbita?

Italian does have the verb orbitare (“to orbit”), whose third person singular present is also orbita. You could say Il razzo orbita intorno alla Terra. In our sentence, however, orbita is a noun preceded by in to express location (in orbita = “in orbit”), while the verb is resta.