Come stai? / How are you?

Lesson Audio

Transcript

Come stai?

1. Ciao!
2. Ciao!
3. Come stai?
4. Sto bene, grazie.
5. Hai programmi per oggi?
6. Sì. Esco con alcuni amici.
7. Posso venire anch'io?
8. Sarebbe magnifico!

Grammar Notes

• In an informal context — as in this case two people who already know each other and are likely the same age — the greeting used in Italian is "ciao."
• "Ciao" translates as both "hello" and "hi."
• The Italian expression used in an informal context to ask someone how he is doing is "come stai?" The formal version is "come sta?" The verb used is "stare" and not "essere," which is the actual translation of the verb "to be," and it’s conjugated for the second person singular "tu" (you). When the subject is expressed by a personal pronoun (io = I, tu = you, lui = he, lei = she, noi = we, voi = you, loro = they), the Italian language tends to omit it since the endings of conjugated verb forms already indicate person and number. So here we have "come stai?" and not "come tu stai?"
• The verb "stare" is here conjugated for the first person person "io."
• The Italian language doesn't have a specific construction or sentence structure for questions. The question mark in the written language and the different intonation in the spoken language are the only indicators of a question. Here, we have the verb "avere" (to have) conjugated for the second person "tu." Again, the subject "tu" is omitted.
• To express future actions, the Italian language very often uses the present tense, so the verb here is "esco," present tense of "uscire" conjugated for the first person singular. "Uscire" (literally, to exit) means "to go out." The actual translation of "to meet" is "incontrare," but in Italian, "incontrare alcuni amici" would mean "to meet some friends by chance," so it can't be used in this case. The speaker intentionally meets his friends upon agreement.
• "Posso" is the conjugation of the verb "potere" (can) for the first person singular. Like the other modal verbs "dovere" (must) and "volere" (want), it then requires an infinitive form, as here with "venire" (come). "Anch'io" is the contracted form of "anche io." "Anche" translates "too," "also," "as well."
• The English construction "would + verb" corresponds to the Italian verb mood called "condizionale presente" (present conditional). "Sarebbe" is the present conditional of "essere" (to be).

Lesson Vocabulary

• hello! / hi! = ciao! (informal)
• How are you? = come stai? (informal)
• I'm fine = sto bene
• thank you = grazie
• have = hai
• plans = programmi
• today = oggi
• yes = sì
• meet with some friends = esco con alcuni amici
• can = posso
• come = venire
• me too = anch'io
• would be = sarebbe
• great = magnifico

Translation

How are you?

1. Hello!
2. Hi!
3. How are you?
4. I'm fine, thank you.
5. Do you have plans today?
6. Yes. I'm going to meet some friends.
7. Can I come, too?
8. That would be great!

Translation (Literal)

How are you?

1. Hello!
2. Hi!
3. How [you] are?
4. [I] am fine, thank you.
5. [You] have plans for today?
6. Yes. [I] exit with some friends.
7. [I] can come also I?
8. [It] would be great!

Cultural Notes

01 – Hung Up on Hierarchy

For the Italian people, order and hierarchy are an essential part of their society. You can see this represented even in their language. Take the word "ciao," which is used for both greetings and goodbyes. “Ciao” comes from the word "schiavo," which means "slave." Even in speech, there is a sense of serving others. If you wish to do almost anything in Italy, you will need permission, be it informal or formal. This may seem incongruous with the Italian nature, but they believe that everything should be done in a proper order.

One key example of Italian hierarchy is a reverence for the country's first families. These are the people who have long been in charge of the government and the principal businesses in Italy. These leaders even have public titles, such as Gianni Agnelli (the owner of Fiat, who was called "l'Avvocato," or “the lawyer”), Carlo Benedetti (a media mogul, who was called "l'Ingegnere," or “the engineer”), and Silvio Berlusconi (the former prime minister, who was – and sometimes still is – called "il Cavaliere," or “the Cavalier”).

One associate described the hierarchy of his company thusly, "The senior partner is God. He makes all the decisions. I am there to obey." This sort of top-down authority stems from the Church, which has a similar system. While this system may seem harsh, it is tempered by the Italian's great respect for others and tolerance for mistakes.