On the Verge: Stare per
When you want to express that an action is about to happen or is on the verge of occurring, Italian uses a very simple formula.
You combine the conjugated verb stare (to stay/be) with the word per, followed by the infinitive (the unconjugated dictionary form) of the action verb.
Here is a quick reminder of the present tense of stare:
| Subject | Stare |
|---|---|
| io | sto |
| tu | stai |
| lui/lei/Lei | sta |
| noi | stiamo |
| voi | state |
| loro | stanno |
This structure is especially useful for impersonal verbs like weather events, which always use the third-person singular sta.
| It is about to rain. | Sta per piovere. |
| There is a lot of wind, a thunderstorm is about to arrive. | C'è molto vento, sta per arrivare un temporale. |
| The wind is strong and the weather is about to worsen. | Il vento è forte e il tempo sta per peggiorare. |
Changing the Subject
You can use this construction with any subject. Simply conjugate stare to match who or what is about to perform the action.
| We are about to go out, but it is about to rain. | Stiamo per uscire, ma sta per piovere. |
| Are you all about to leave? It's about to snow! | State per partire? Sta per nevicare! |
Describing Emergencies
Because stare per communicates immediacy, it is incredibly common when reacting to sudden situations and emergencies. Notice how singular nouns like l'ambulanza (the ambulance), la donna (the woman), or l'incendio (the fire) also take the third-person singular sta.
| The woman is about to faint, I am calling the ambulance! | La donna sta per svenire, chiamo l'ambulanza! |
| There is a fire, but the ambulance is about to arrive. | C'è un incendio, ma l'ambulanza sta per arrivare. |
| There is a lot of smoke: something bad is about to happen. | C'è molto fumo: qualcosa di brutto sta per succedere. |
| Sir, careful, you are about to fall! | Signore, attento, sta per cadere! |
