Learn Italian: Ehi, come stai?

Ehi, come stai?

Hey, how are you?

Breakdown of Ehi, come stai?

come

how

stare

to stay, to feel, to be

ehi

hey

come stai

how are you? (informal)

Questions & Answers about Ehi, come stai?

Why does it use stai instead of sei?

In English, we say 'how are you', using the verb 'to be'. In Italian, when talking about health or how someone is doing overall, you always use the verb stare (which often means 'to stay' but here means 'to be'). stai is the informal 'you' form of stare. Using sei (the 'you' form of essere, to be) would sound completely wrong in this context.

Is come stai? a formal or informal greeting?

This is informal. You use come stai? when talking to one person you know well, like a friend, family member, or someone your own age. If you want to be polite or formal, like speaking to a stranger or a boss, you would use the formal version and ask come sta? instead.

How do you pronounce ehi?

It sounds almost exactly like the English word 'hey'. In Italian, the letter 'h' is usually silent, but in this exclamation, the spelling ehi is used to recreate the familiar sound of the English greeting.