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Stiamo per uscire, ma sta per piovere.

Stiamo per uscire, ma sta per piovere.
We are about to go out, but it is about to rain.
From Lesson 92:Imminent actions (stare per)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Stiamo per uscire, ma sta per piovere.

How does the 'about to' construction work in this sentence?
To express that an action is imminent (about to happen), Italian uses the verb stare + per + an infinitive verb. We conjugate stare to match the subject. So, stiamo per uscire uses the 'we' form and means 'we are about to go out', while sta per piovere uses the 'it' form and means 'it is about to rain'.
Why is it sta per piovere? Who or what does sta refer to?
When talking about the weather, Italian uses the third-person singular form of the verb. This is just like how we use 'it' in English (as in 'it is raining' or 'it is about to rain'). There is no specific person doing the action, so we default to the third-person singular sta.
Could I use partire instead of uscire to say we are leaving?
It depends on what you mean, but usually no. Uscire means 'to go out' or 'to exit', like leaving the house for the evening or running errands. Partire means 'to depart' or 'to leave on a trip'. Since rain usually ruins casual local plans, uscire makes the most sense here.

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