stare (to be)

Italian has two “to be” verbs, essere and stare. The former is generally used to describe ongoing characteristics (like ser in Spanish and Portuguese) and the latter describes temporary states or locations (like estar in Spanish and Portuguese).

Present tense             first person          second person         third person

Singular                       io sto                 tu stai                    lui sta, lei sta 

Plural                           noi stiamo             voi state               loro stanno