How to Say ‘It was’ in Italian
È stato
eh STAH-toh
[eh STAH-toh]
💬 Usage Tip: Italian often uses [è stato] where English uses [it was]. The subject can stay unspoken when it's obvious from context.
Phrase Breakdown
È
[eh]
it was / has been
Form of 'essere' used to say 'it was' in polite follow-up expressions.
È stato davvero utile parlare con te ieri.
It was really useful talking with you yesterday.
stato
[STAH-toh]
been / was
Past participle of 'essere'; together with 'è' it forms 'è stato' = 'it was / has been'.
Lo scambio di idee è stato molto interessante.
The exchange of ideas was very interesting.
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