The irregular verb "stare"
The verb stare is one of the most important verbs in Italian. It generally translates to "to stay," "to remain," or "to feel" (when talking about health). Like andare, it is an irregular verb in the present tense.
| Subject pronoun | stare |
|---|
| io | sto |
| tu | stai |
| lui / lei / Lei | sta |
Talking about health
While English uses "to be" to describe how you feel (e.g., "I am well"), Italian uses stare combined with adverbs like bene (well), male (unwell), or così così (so-so).
You can use the formal Lei with the sta form to politely ask someone older or in authority how they are doing.
To describe a change in health, use words like meglio (better) and peggio (worse).
Physical states and conditions
Stare is also used with certain adjectives to describe keeping or staying in a particular physical state, such as being still (fermo), keeping quiet (zitto), or paying attention (attento).
Because these words are adjectives, remember to change their endings to match the gender and number of the person you are describing (e.g., zitto for a man, zitta for a woman).
General health and being alone
To talk about health as a general concept, use the noun la salute. When you want to express that someone is staying or living alone, use stare with the phrase da solo.
