Stare means “to stay” and, in many phrases, “to be,” above all for how someone is doing: come stai?, sto bene. It also builds two key structures: the present progressive with the gerund (sto mangiando) and “about to” with per (sto per uscire).
Infinitive
stare
English
to stay, to be
Auxiliary
essere
Past participle
stato
Gerund
stando
Core irregular verb: stare keeps the a of the -ARE pattern in the present (sto, stai, sta, stiamo, state, stanno), the same short shape as dare and fare. Sto and sta have no accent. The present subjunctive uses sti-: stia, stiamo, stiate, stiano. The passato remoto and the imperfect subjunctive switch to an -e- stem: stetti, stette, stettero and stessi, stesse, stessero, never stassi. The future and conditional keep the a: starò, starei. The imperfect (stavo) and the gerund (stando) are regular, and the tu imperative is stai or sta'.
Stare is the verb of the first exchange in any Italian conversation, come stai? and sto bene, grazie. It means staying in a place (stiamo a casa stasera, sto da un'amica) and staying in a state, often with an adjective that agrees with the subject: stai zitto, state fermi, sta' attenta. Stare plus a gerund describes an action in progress right now (sta piovendo), and stare per plus an infinitive describes something about to happen (il treno sta per partire). In central and southern Italy, stare is also common for location (dove sta la stazione?), where standard Italian prefers essere. The essere vs stare grammar page covers the full contrast.
Stare takes essere in compound tenses, and the participle agrees with the subject: sono stato, Laura è stata, siamo stati. Stato is also the participle of essere, so the two verbs share every compound form. Sono stato male means “I was ill,” and Laura è stata a casa means “Laura was at home” or “Laura stayed at home.”
Stare in context
Presente:Ciao, come stai? Io sto bene, grazie. (Hi, how are you? I'm fine, thanks.)
Presente:Non posso parlare adesso, sto guidando. (I can't talk right now, I'm driving.)
Passato Prossimo:Ieri sono stata a casa tutto il giorno. (Yesterday I stayed home all day.)
Imperfetto:Stavo per uscire quando hai chiamato. (I was about to go out when you called.)
Futuro Semplice:Starò da mia sorella per qualche giorno. (I'll stay at my sister's for a few days.)
Congiuntivo Presente:Spero che tuo padre stia meglio. (I hope your father is feeling better.)
Congiuntivo Imperfetto:Mi piacerebbe che tu stessi qui con noi. (I'd like you to stay here with us.)
Imperativo:Stai tranquillo, va tutto bene. (Don't worry, everything's fine.)
Common expressions with stare
stare bene / stare male: to be well / to be unwell. With an indirect pronoun it means “to suit”: quel colore ti sta bene (that color suits you).
stare per + infinitive: to be about to. Sto per partire (I'm about to leave). Common in the imperfect: stavo per dirtelo.
stare + gerund: to be doing (right now). Che cosa stai facendo? Only for an action in progress, never for a plan.
stare zitto: to keep quiet. Zitto agrees with the subject: stai zitta, state zitti.
stare attento: to be careful, to pay attention. Sta' attento alle macchine (watch out for the cars).
starci: to be up for it; to fit. Ci sto means “I'm in.” In valigia non ci sta più niente means “nothing else fits in the suitcase.”
Common mistakes
Sto bene, grazie., not Sono bene, grazie. (I'm fine, thanks.). For health and well-being, Italian uses stare: sto bene, sto male, come stai? Essere describes identity and qualities, not how you are feeling today.
Domani lavoro tutto il giorno., not Domani sto lavorando tutto il giorno. (Tomorrow I'm working all day.). Stare plus a gerund describes only an action happening at this moment. For a plan, where English uses “I'm working tomorrow,” Italian uses the simple present or the future.
La settimana scorsa sono stato male., not La settimana scorsa ho stato male. (Last week I was ill.). Stare takes essere, never avere, and the participle agrees with the subject: sono stata male for a woman.
Essere: sono stato, sei stata, siamo stati. Stato takes the gender and number of the subject, so a woman says sono stata.
What is the past participle of stare?
Stato, the same participle as essere. The compound tenses of the two verbs are identical, so sono stato a Napoli can mean “I have been to Naples” or “I stayed in Naples,” depending on context.
Is stare irregular?
Partly. The present looks close to a regular -ARE verb, but the present subjunctive (stia), the passato remoto (stetti) and the imperfect subjunctive (stessi) are irregular, and the future keeps the a (starò) instead of changing it to e as regular -ARE verbs do (parlerò).
What is the difference between essere and stare?
Essere tells you what something is: identity, origin, profession, lasting qualities (è alta, è di Roma). Stare tells you how someone is doing or where they stay (sta bene, sta a casa), and it forms the progressive (sta dormendo). The essere vs stare grammar page explains the regional overlap in detail.
How do you form the present progressive with stare?
Conjugate stare in the present and add the gerund: sto leggendo, stai lavorando, stanno dormendo. For a past action in progress, use the imperfect of stare: stavo leggendo. Italian uses this form less than English does, so the simple present is often the better choice: che cosa fai? can also mean “what are you doing?”