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 |
Common Italian Verbs – Varations with -CI
Common Italian Verbs – “Sono” or “Sto”?
How to Say “To Win” in Italian (12 Expressions)
Conjugate the Italian Verbs Essere & Stare with the Italian Verbs Conjugator