How to Say ‘How are you?’ in Italian
Come stai?
KOH-meh sty
[KOH-meh sty]
🇮🇹 In Italy: [Come stai?] is informal, for people you know or when the setting is relaxed. With strangers or in more polite situations, many Italians would choose [Come sta?].
Phrase Breakdown
Come
[KOH-meh]
how
Used at the start of the question "Come stai?" to ask about someone's condition.
Quando incontro un amico, dico: "Come stai?" e "Come" introduce la domanda.
When I meet a friend, I say: "How are you?" and "Come" introduces the question.
stai
[sty]
are / you are / you feel
From "stare"; here it means "are" or "feel" in a personal greeting.
Quando chiedo "Come stai?", "stai" parla del tuo stato.
When I ask "How are you?", "stai" refers to your condition.
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