Beginner
5 min readEssere vs. Stare
Both can mean “to be” — but Italian uses them very differently from Spanish.
Essere: identity and description
Essere is the default “to be”. Use it for who or what something is, origin, profession, characteristics, time and location of events.
Unlike Spanish, Italian does not use stare for most temporary states — sono stanco (I am tired) uses essere.
- Sono americano.I am American.
- Marco è stanco.Marco is tired.
- La festa è a casa mia.The party is at my place.
Stare: health, fixed expressions and the progressive
Stare is limited to a handful of uses: asking about health (come stai?), staying somewhere, set phrases (stare zitto, stare attento), and forming the progressive with the gerund (sto mangiando).
- Come stai? — Sto bene.How are you? — I'm well.
- Sto leggendo un libro.I am reading a book (right now).
- Stai attento!Be careful!
- Sto per uscire.I'm about to go out.
Common mistakes
Sto stanco.
Sono stanco.
Temporary feelings still use essere in standard Italian.
Come sei?
Come stai?
Come sei? asks what you're like as a person, not how you feel.
Test yourself
0 / 4 answered1. Marco ___ stanco dopo il lavoro.
2. Come ___? — Bene, grazie!
3. Cosa ___ facendo adesso?
4. Mia sorella ___ medico.