Essere and Stare

Island of Lipari, Sicily:
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/06/03/15/01/lipari-1433566_960_720.jpg

In Italian, there are two verbs that translate into the English "to be."

STARE:

In beginner Italian, the most common use of STARE is when asking or reposnding to the question "How are you?"

Conjugation:

Io sto
Tu stai
Lui/Lei sta
Noi stiamo
Voi state
Loro stanno

Useful Expressions...

Come sta? (How are you- formal)
Sto bene, grazie. E Lei? (I'm fine thanks, and you? formal)

Come stai? (How are you- informal)
Sto bene, grazie. E tu? (I'm fine thanks. And you?- informal)

ESSERE:

This verb is used more often in beginner Italian, to speak of where you are from, nationality, name, professions and with various descriptive adjectives and emotional states.

Conjugation:

Io sono
Tu sei
Lui/Lei è
Noi siamo
Voi siete
Loro sono

Here are several useful useful practice exercises for ESSERE:

1) http://www.iluss.it/free_iluss/beginner_free/essere_b/index.htm
2)  http://italian.about.com/library/fare/blfare312a.htm
3) http://web.uvic.ca/hispanital/italian/italian100/verbi/essere1.htm
4) http://web.uvic.ca/hispanital/italian/italian100/verbi/avere2.htm
5) http://web.uvic.ca/hispanital/italian/italian100/verbi/essere3.htm

And here is a Quizlet page I made to practice with some basic questions,  presonal pronouns, and the verb "essere":

http://quizlet.com/_8fg2u

Just for fun- here is a song by popular Italian singer/songwriter Eros Ramazzotti (it's called "Tu Sei")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7yX0MQOcvc



A presto!