Are essere and stare different? Yes. While essere means ‘to be,’ stare means both ‘to stay’ and ‘to be,’ but it is mostly used to mean ‘to stay’ or ‘remain.’ So, we can generally say that essere means ‘to be’ and stare means ‘to stay.’ However, in some common expressions, stare is used to mean ‘to be.’
Let’s break down the differences.
Essere
Primary meaning: “to be” (expressing identity, characteristics, states of being)
Used for permanent or inherent conditions
Stare
Primary meaning: “to stay” or “to remain” (expressing position or location)
Secondary meaning: “to be” in specific contexts
How to use ESSERE
1. Describing Yourself
Italian
English
Usage Context
Sono Serena e sono italiana
I am Serena and I am Italian
Describing oneself and nationality
Sono un’insegnante di italiano per stranieri
I am a teacher of Italian for foreigners
Describing one’s profession
Sono di Milano
I am from Milan
Describing one’s place of origin
Sono alta e sono simpatica
I am tall and I am friendly
Describing physical appearance and personality
2. Describing Places, Objects, and Locations
Italian
English
Usage Context
Roma è una bella cittÃ
Rome is a beautiful city
Describing a location (Rome)
La mia casa è grande e luminosa
My house is large and bright
Describing characteristics of objects (house)
Dove è la mia borsa? È sulla sedia
Where is my bag? It’s on the chair
Inquiring about the location of objects and providing location
3. Using “Esserci” (There is/There are)
Italian
English
Usage Context
C’è un bambino nuovo a scuola
There is a new kid in the school
Describing the presence of something (singular)
Ci sono quattro sedie in cucina
There are four chairs in the kitchen
Indicating the existence of multiple items
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Stare has a variety of uses, some of which are idiomatic expressions. We can generally say that stare indicates location, health, and appearances. It is also used in a good number of idiomatic expressions and with the present continuous tense.
1. Location
In this case, stare means rimanere (to remain or to stay in English).
Oggi sto a casa
Today I’m staying home
Stiamo a Roma per giorni
We’re staying in Rome for three days
2. Health
Come stai?
How’re you?
Sto bene
I’m good
Sto male
I’m not good
Sto meglio
I’m better
3. Appearance
Stare bene and stare male mean that something (e.g. a piece of clothing) looks great on you or not. In English you would say “it suits me/you, etc”.
Questa giacca mi sta benissimo
This jacket looks great on me!
Describing how something suits someone
Quel cappello ti sta male
That hat does not suit you
Describing how something doesn’t suit someone
4. Idioms
Stare means to be in a variety of idiomatic expressions, as in the following examples:
Stare in piedi
To be standing/To stand
Stare seduto
To be seated
Stare zitto/a
To be quiet
Stare attento
To pay attention
Stare calmo
To stay calm
Stare a cuore
To have at heart
Stare con
To be in a relationship with someone
Stare vs. Essere
In some of the above expressions, stare and essere are interchangeable. There is a subtle difference between them, though. Essere states a quality or a statement, while stare implies a voluntariness in the action described.
sono in piedi
I stand
Describing the state of standing
sto in piedi
I voluntarily stand
Emphasizing the voluntary nature of standing
sono seduto
I’m seated
Describing the state of being seated
sto seduto
I’m voluntarily seated
Emphasizing the voluntary nature of being seated
sei calmo
You are calm
Describing the quality of being calm
stai calmo!
Please, try to stay calm
Encouraging someone to remain calm voluntarily
The Present Continuous with STARE
The present continuous describes an action that is happening at the moment that you speak, right now. The present continuous in Italian is expressed by the present tense of the verb stare plus the gerund.
Sto cucinando
I am cooking
Describing the ongoing action of cooking
Sto parlando al telefono con Maria
I am on the phone with Maria
Describing the ongoing action of talking on the phone with Maria
Stare + Per + Infinitive
When stare appears in combination with per and an infinitive, it describes an action that will happen in the near future.
Italian Sentence
English Translation
Context/Explanation
La lezione sta per finire
The lesson is about to finish
Indicating that the lesson is reaching its end
Sto per uscire
I am leaving at any moment
Expressing the imminent action of leaving
Serena Capilli
I’m the creative force behind both this blog and my collection of short stories in simple Italian for language learners, available on Amazon.
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Ciao👋! I’m Serena.
Teaching Italian is my vocation! I’ve been writing this blog since 2015 and publishing easy readers for language learners since 2022. I specialize in teaching adults.
