Questions & Answers about Non sono mai stato a Roma.
Why do we use both non and mai to say 'never'?
Where exactly does mai go when using a two-word past tense?
In the 'passato prossimo' past tense, mai goes right between the helper verb (sono) and the past participle (stato). You will do the exact same thing with other adverbs like sempre (always) and già (already).
Isn't stato the past tense of stare (to stay)? Why does it mean 'been' here?
You are right! But in Italian, stato does double duty. It is the past participle for both stare (to stay) and essere (to be). So sono stato is used for both 'I have stayed' and 'I have been'.
Would a woman say this sentence differently?
Why is it a Roma instead of in Roma?
In Italian, you always use the preposition a with cities and towns, whether it translates to 'to', 'at', or 'in' in English. The preposition in is saved for countries, states, and regions (like in Italia).
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