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Il nonno è malato, ma sta meglio.

Il nonno è malato, ma sta meglio.
Grandpa is sick, but he is feeling better.
From Lesson 40:The verb stare (sto, stai, sta)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Il nonno è malato, ma sta meglio.

Why does the sentence use è for "is sick" but sta for "is feeling"? Both translate to "is" in English!
In Italian, you use essere (to be) for physical states or descriptions, like being sick (è malato). However, you use stare (to stay/be) with adverbs to describe how someone is doing, feeling, or their general health. So, sta meglio translates to "he is doing better" or "he is feeling better."
What is the infinitive (dictionary form) of sta?
Sta comes from the irregular verb stare. In this sentence, it is conjugated in the "he/she/it" form to match the subject, il nonno.
How does meglio relate to other health words we've learned?
Meglio means "better." It is the upgraded form of bene (well). Just like you ask Come stai? and answer Sto bene (I am well), you use meglio with the verb stare to say someone's health is improving.
Why is there an il before nonno? Wouldn't just nonno è malato work?
In Italian, you generally need a definite article like il (the) before a family member's title when you are talking about them in the third person. You would only drop the article if you were addressing him directly, or if you used a singular possessive word like mio nonno (my grandpa).

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