In order to say “I am fine” or “I am well” in Italian, the most common phrase you will hear people use is Sto bene.
Sto bene.
I’m fine / well.
Whereas in English, we use the verb “to be” to express this sentiment, Italians use the verb stare which, in addition to “to be”, has a few additional translations including:
- to stay (e.g. Sto a casa. = I’m staying at home.)
- to be located (e.g. La sede sta a Roma. = The headquarters are located in Rome.)
- to live / reside (e.g. Sto in centro. = I live in the centre of town.)
- to suit (e.g. Ti sta bene. = It suits you.)
Now, you may be wondering if it is possible to swap stare with the verb essere (the classic translation for “to be”), and the answer in this particular case is “no”. This is because statements regarding an individual’s health always require stare. Some other examples include:
- Sto male. = I’m not well. / I’m poorly.
- Come stai? = How are you?
- Sto meglio. = I’m (feeling) better.
- Non sto benissimo. = I’m not feeling great.
Come stai, Matteo? – Sto bene, grazie.
How are you, Matteo? – I’m fine / well, thanks.
Note that you can abbreviate sto bene to just bene (well / good / fine).
Come stai oggi? – Bene, grazie!
How are you today? – Fine, thanks!
Sto bene is a conventional phrase everyone uses in response to “how are you” in Italian, but if you want to push your Italian to new heights, it is worth memorising the following alternatives:
- (Sto) benissimo! = I’m doing really well! / I’m great!
- (Sto) da Dio! = I feel great! (lit. I’m of God.)
- (Sto) alla grande! = I feel great!
Click here for a full list of ways to respond to “Come stai?” (How are you?).
If you want to say that you and someone else, or a group of other people, are feeling fine, you can use the following expression:
Stiamo bene.
We are fine / well.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
