Here are some videos that clearly explain the differences between these 2 very common Italian verbs. Their meaning is (in general):
Essere = to be
Stare = to stay/to be
But this is their basic meaning, you have to learn how to use them correctly in the videos below:
The easiest rule of thumb, even if it’s not all is to associate the meaning of “stare” with the English verb “to stay”.
Table of Contents
Conjugation of These 2 Common Italian Verbs
The Present Tense
PRONOUN | ESSERE | TO BE | STARE | TO STAY |
Io | sono | I am | sto | I stay |
Tu | sei | you are | stai | you stay |
Lui, lei | è | he/she/it is | sta | he/she/it stays |
Noi | siamo | we are | stiamo | we stay |
Voi | siete | you are | state | you stay |
Loro | sono | they are | stanno | they stay |
The Past Tense
As you can see in the table below, the 2 verbs are exactly the same in the most common past tense used in Italian, the “passato prossimo” (simple past tense):
PRONOUN | ESSERE | TO BE | STARE | TO STAY |
Io | sono stato | I have been | sono stato | I stayed |
Tu | sei stato | you’ve been | sei stato | you stayed |
Lui, lei | è stato | he/she/it has been | è stato | he/she/it stayed |
Noi | siamo stati | we have been | siamo stati | we stayed |
Voi | siete stato | you have been | siete stato | you stayed |
Loro | sono stato | they have been | sono stato | they stayed |
The Future Tense
PRONOUN | ESSERE | TO BE | STARE | TO STAY |
Io | sarò | I will be | starò | I will stay |
Tu | sarai | you are | starai | you will stay |
Lui, lei | sarà | he/she/it is | starà | he/she/it will stays |
Noi | saremo | we are | staremo | we will stay |
Voi | sarete | you are | starete | you will stay |
Loro | saranno | they are | staranno | they will stay |
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