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Italian stare Conjugation
“to stay / to be well” · 待；处于 · all seven simple tenses plus the past participle
Present tenseio sto · tu stai · lui / lei sta · noi stiamo · voi state · loro stanno
Stare means to stay, to be situated and to be well, and Italian reaches for it in many places where English settles for to be: sto bene, sto a casa, ci sta. Its present is a set of very short forms: sto, stai, sta, stiamo, state, stanno.
Below are the complete stare tables for all seven simple tenses, the past participle stato — the same word essere uses — and the two structures learners want most: stare + gerund and stare per + infinitive.
Present indicativeIndicativo presente
States what is true or happening now, plus habits and general facts.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | sto |
| tu | stai |
| lui / lei | sta |
| noi | stiamo |
| voi | state |
| loro | stanno |
Example:Studio italiano ogni giorno.
I study Italian every day.
ImperfectIndicativo imperfetto
Describes past background, ongoing states, and repeated behaviour.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | stavo |
| tu | stavi |
| lui / lei | stava |
| noi | stavamo |
| voi | stavate |
| loro | stavano |
Example:Da piccolo giocavo qui.
I used to play here as a child.
Historic pastIndicativo passato remoto
Narrates a past event seen as complete, mainly in writing; spoken usage varies by region.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | stetti |
| tu | stesti |
| lui / lei | stette |
| noi | stammo |
| voi | staste |
| loro | starono |
Example:Dante nacque nel 1265.
Dante was born in 1265.
FutureIndicativo futuro semplice
Refers to the future, and can also express a guess about the present.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | starò |
| tu | starai |
| lui / lei | starà |
| noi | staremo |
| voi | starete |
| loro | staranno |
Example:Domani partirò presto.
Tomorrow I will leave early.
ConditionalCondizionale presente
Used for polite requests and wishes, and for what would happen under a condition.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | starei |
| tu | staresti |
| lui / lei | starebbe |
| noi | staremmo |
| voi | stareste |
| loro | starebbero |
Example:Vorrei un caffè.
I would like a coffee.
Present subjunctiveCongiuntivo presente
Common in clauses after certain verbs and conjunctions to express wishes, judgements and doubts; use depends on the construction.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | stia |
| tu | stia |
| lui / lei | stia |
| noi | stiamo |
| voi | stiate |
| loro | stiano |
Example:Spero che tu stia bene.
I hope you are well.
Imperfect subjunctiveCongiuntivo imperfetto
Follows some past main clauses, and appears in hypothetical conditions.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | stessi |
| tu | stessi |
| lui / lei | stesse |
| noi | stessimo |
| voi | steste |
| loro | stessero |
Example:Se avessi tempo, leggerei di più.
If I had time, I would read more.
Past participle Participio passato
- masculine singular
- stato
- feminine singular
- stata
- masculine plural
- stati
- feminine plural
- state
Auxiliary: Stare forms its compound tenses with essere: sono stato / stata.
How it is used
Stare or essere
Essere says what you are: sono italiano, sono insegnante, sono stanco. Stare says how you are and where you are: sto bene, sto male, sto a casa, stai a Roma? The greeting comes from this difference — come stai? asks how you are doing, while come sei? asks what you are like.
Stare + gerund, stare per + infinitive
Sto mangiando, stai leggendo: stare plus the gerund is the progressive, used more freely than the English continuous and often just to stress that something is happening now. Stare per + infinitive means to be about to: sto per uscire (I am about to leave). The tu imperative is sta' and the polite form is stia.
Where learners slip
State is both the voi present and the feminine plural participle, so read the sentence twice. The subjunctive is che io stia, the historic past is irregular and rare (stetti, stette, starono), and the future drops the vowel: starò, starai, starà, while the conditional keeps it: starei, starebbe.
Questions learners ask
What is the past participle of stare?
Stato, identical to essere's: stato, stata, stati, state. The compound tenses use essere, so sono stato means either I have been or I stayed, and the sentence decides.
Is stare regular?
Not in the present (sto, stai, sta, stanno), not in the subjunctive (stia, stiano), and the historic past is irregular: stetti, stette, starono. The imperfect (stavo) and the conditional (starei) are regular.
How do I say "I am tired"?
Sono stanco, with essere. States of health take stare: sto bene, sto male, come stai?
What does sta a te mean?
It's up to you. Stare carries many idioms of position and fit: ci sta (that works / it fits), starci (to fit in), stare al gioco (to play along).
中文说明
stare：待；处于 · 通常用 essere：sono stato / stata。
- 直陈式现在时 · Indicativo presente
- 直陈式未完成过去时 · Indicativo imperfetto
- 直陈式远过去时 · Indicativo passato remoto
- 直陈式简单将来时 · Indicativo futuro semplice
- 条件式现在时 · Condizionale presente
- 虚拟式现在时 · Congiuntivo presente
- 虚拟式未完成过去时 · Congiuntivo imperfetto
Practise stare
Present indicative · io
Practise in the order io, tu, lui / lei, noi, voi, loro, then move on to the next tense.
Put the forms back into sentences
Meet the same verb in real contexts with the grammar notes and the graded reading material.
Italian grammarMore Italian study material