🔤 Grammar
Describing states with stare & essere
Essere describes what you are; stare describes how you are. For feelings and health, Italian usually uses stare: sto bene (I'm well), sto male (I'm not well). For personality and identity, use essere: sono felice (I'm a happy person), sono triste (I'm sad — as a mood).
Conjugation tables
Stare — to be (state)
| Pronoun | Italian |
|---|---|
| io | sto |
| tu | stai |
| lui / lei | sta |
| noi | stiamo |
| voi | state |
| loro | stanno |
Examples
- Come stai? — Sto bene, grazie.How are you? — I'm well, thanks.
- Oggi sono felice.Today I'm happy.
Practice
Match each feeling to its meaning.
Tap a english below, then tap the italian it belongs to — or drag it.
Italian
English