Learn Italian: Tranquillo, nessuno sta per svenire. - Don't worry, nobody is about to faint.

Tranquillo, nessuno sta per svenire.

Don't worry, nobody is about to faint.

Breakdown of Tranquillo, nessuno sta per svenire.

tranquillo

quiet

per

for / in order to / because of

stare

to stay, to feel, to be

nessuno

nobody

Questions & Answers about Tranquillo, nessuno sta per svenire.

How does sta per svenire work to mean "is about to faint"?

To express that an action is imminent (about to happen), you use the verb stare + per + an infinitive verb (the basic dictionary form). Here, we use the third-person singular sta + per + svenire (to faint).

Why is Tranquillo translated as "Don't worry"?

Literally, tranquillo means "calm" or "quiet". However, Italians frequently use it on its own to reassure someone, meaning "Relax", "Don't worry", or "Rest assured". If you were reassuring a female friend, you would say Tranquilla.

Why does nessuno use the singular verb sta?

Just like the English word "nobody", the Italian word nessuno is treated as a singular subject. Therefore, it takes the third-person singular (he/she/it) form of the verb, which is sta.

Since nessuno means "nobody", why isn't there a non in the sentence?

Italian often uses double negatives, but the rule depends on word order. Because nessuno comes before the verb as the subject of the sentence, you do not use non. You would only need non if the negative word came after the verb (for example: Non sta per svenire nessuno).