Questions & Answers about Sono malato: sto male.
Why do we use two different verbs (sono and sto) when English just uses 'I am' for both?
Italian distinguishes these situations. You use essere (sono) with adjectives to describe a physical state, like being sick (malato). You use stare (sto) with adverbs to describe your general well-being or how you are doing, like feeling badly (male). What is the infinitive of sto?
The infinitive is stare. While it often translates to 'to stay', it is the standard verb Italians use to talk about health and feelings. You might remember it from greetings like Come stai? (How are you?) and the answer Sto bene (I am well). Why use male here instead of cattivo if they both mean 'bad'?
Male is an adverb (meaning 'badly'), which is why it pairs with the verb stare. Cattivo is an adjective (meaning 'bad' in character or quality, like a bad movie or a bad dog). When you say sto male, you are literally saying 'I am doing badly'. If a woman is speaking, does she need to change any words in this sentence?
Yes! Because malato is an adjective describing the speaker, it must match their gender. A woman would say Sono malata. However, male is an adverb, and adverbs never change their endings. So, sto male stays exactly the same. Learn Sono malato: sto male and more in Italian
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