When you want to express the idea of staying or remaining in Italian, you use the verb restare. This is a regular -are verb, so its conjugations follow a predictable pattern. It's often used interchangeably with rimanere, especially in everyday conversation. You'll hear it for things like staying at home, staying in a place for a period, or even when talking about what's left over. Mastering restare is a useful step in building your A2 Italian vocabulary.
When you're trying to say "to stay" or "to remain" in Italian, the verb restare is your go-to. It's a regular -are verb, so its conjugations are pretty standard.
For example, if you want to say "I stay at home," you'd say "Io resto a casa." Or if you're telling someone "Remain calm," you'd use "Resta calmo."
While stare can also mean "to stay," it often implies a temporary state or location, or is used in specific idiomatic expressions. Restare, on the other hand, more consistently refers to the act of staying put or remaining in a certain condition.
So, when in doubt and you want to express the idea of staying somewhere or remaining in a state, restare is usually the most direct and accurate choice.
أمثلة حسب المستوى
Domani resto a casa a studiare per l'esame.
Tomorrow I'll stay home to study for the exam.
Perché non resti con noi a cena stasera?
Why don't you stay with us for dinner tonight?
Dopo il concerto siamo rimasti a parlare per ore.
After the concert, we remained talking for hours.
Past participle: 'rimasti'
Se piove, è meglio restare al coperto.
If it rains, it's better to stay indoors.
Voglio restare qui in Italia per sempre.
I want to stay here in Italy forever.
Il negozio resta aperto fino alle sette.
The shop remains open until seven.
Nonostante la difficoltà, sono rimasto ottimista.
Despite the difficulty, I remained optimistic.
Past participle: 'rimasto'
Restate tranquilli, tutto andrà bene.
Remain calm, everything will be fine.
Imperative form: 'Restate'
Se restiamo a casa stasera, possiamo guardare un film.
If we stay home tonight, we can watch a movie.
Here, 'restiamo' is in the present tense, referring to a current or planned action.
Ho deciso di restare in Italia per altri due mesi.
I decided to stay in Italy for another two months.
'Restare' is used with a preposition of place ('in Italia') and a duration ('per altri due mesi').
Nonostante la pioggia, siamo rimasti a camminare per ore.
Despite the rain, we remained walking for hours.
'Siamo rimasti' is the passato prossimo of 'restare', indicating a completed action in the past. It also takes 'essere' as an auxiliary verb.
Spero che tu possa restare con noi per cena.
I hope you can stay with us for dinner.
Here, 'restare' is in the infinitive, following a modal verb ('potere' - can).
Se restassi più a lungo, potresti vedere le Alpi.
If you were to stay longer, you could see the Alps.
'Restassi' is in the imperfect subjunctive, used in a hypothetical conditional clause.
Preferirei restare da solo per un po' di tempo.
I would prefer to remain alone for a while.
'Restare' is used with the reflexive pronoun 'da solo' (alone/by myself).
Dovremmo restare uniti per superare questa sfida.
We should stick together to overcome this challenge.
'Restare uniti' means to 'stay united' or 'stick together'.
Anche se è tardi, restiamo qui finché non finiamo il lavoro.
Even if it's late, we'll stay here until we finish the work.
'Restiamo' is in the present tense, implying a future action based on a current decision.
Se resti a casa oggi, potremmo finalmente finire quel progetto che abbiamo rimandato da settimane.
If you stay home today, we could finally finish that project we've been postponing for weeks.
Uses the present subjunctive 'resti' after 'se' (if) to express a hypothetical situation.
Nonostante la pioggia battente, ha deciso di restare fuori ad aspettare l'autobus, imperterrito.
Despite the pouring rain, he decided to remain outside waiting for the bus, undeterred.
Here 'restare' implies 'to remain' in a particular state or place.
È fondamentale restare concentrati sui nostri obiettivi a lungo termine, anche di fronte alle difficoltà impreviste.
It's essential to stay focused on our long-term goals, even in the face of unexpected difficulties.
'Restare concentrati' acts as a fixed expression meaning 'to stay focused'.
Dopo l'incidente, la sua priorità assoluta è stata restare calmo per poter gestire la situazione al meglio.
After the accident, his absolute priority was to remain calm to manage the situation as best as possible.
'Restare calmo' is another common collocation meaning 'to stay calm'.
Molti turisti scelgono di restare in questa città per l'intera settimana, attratti dalla sua storia e bellezza.
Many tourists choose to stay in this city for the entire week, attracted by its history and beauty.
A straightforward use of 'restare' to indicate staying in a location.
Se vuoi che il caffè resti caldo più a lungo, ti suggerisco di usare una tazza termica.
If you want the coffee to stay hot longer, I suggest you use a thermal mug.
'Restare caldo' means 'to stay hot', describing a state.
Nonostante le pressioni esterne, è importante restare fedeli ai propri principi e valori.
Despite external pressures, it's important to remain faithful to one's principles and values.
'Restare fedeli' means 'to remain faithful', expressing a continuous state.
Per un'esperienza autentica, ti consiglio di restare in un agriturismo piuttosto che in un hotel di lusso.
For an authentic experience, I recommend you stay in a farm holiday rather than a luxury hotel.
Another direct use of 'restare' in the infinitive to mean 'to stay' in a type of accommodation.
اختبر نفسك 6 أسئلة
Write a sentence using 'restare' to say you stayed at home yesterday.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Ieri sono restato a casa. (Yesterday I stayed at home.)
Write a sentence using 'restare' to ask if someone wants to stay longer.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Vuoi restare un po' di più? (Do you want to stay a bit longer?)
Write a sentence using 'restare' to tell someone to remain calm.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Resta calmo, per favore. (Stay calm, please.)
Perché Maria decide di restare a casa oggi?
Read this passage:
Oggi piove, quindi Maria decide di restare a casa. Vuole leggere un libro e guardare un film. Non vuole uscire con questo tempo.
Perché Maria decide di restare a casa oggi?
The passage states 'Oggi piove, quindi Maria decide di restare a casa.' (Today it's raining, so Maria decides to stay home.)
The passage states 'Oggi piove, quindi Maria decide di restare a casa.' (Today it's raining, so Maria decides to stay home.)
Cosa deve fare il narratore domani?
Read this passage:
Domani devo restare in ufficio fino a tardi per finire un progetto importante. Non potrò cenare con la mia famiglia. Spero di finire presto.
Cosa deve fare il narratore domani?
The passage says 'Domani devo restare in ufficio fino a tardi per finire un progetto importante.' (Tomorrow I have to stay in the office late to finish an important project.)
The passage says 'Domani devo restare in ufficio fino a tardi per finire un progetto importante.' (Tomorrow I have to stay in the office late to finish an important project.)
Cosa hanno fatto gli amici dopo la festa?
Read this passage:
Dopo la festa, alcuni amici hanno deciso di restare a chiacchierare. Hanno parlato per un'ora prima di andare via. Era molto divertente.
Cosa hanno fatto gli amici dopo la festa?
The passage states 'Dopo la festa, alcuni amici hanno deciso di restare a chiacchierare.' (After the party, some friends decided to stay and chat.)
The passage states 'Dopo la festa, alcuni amici hanno deciso di restare a chiacchierare.' (After the party, some friends decided to stay and chat.)
/ 6 correct
Perfect score!
محتوى ذو صلة
مزيد من كلمات general
abbagliare
C1To dazzle or blind with light or beauty
abbaglio
C1A serious mistake or misconception.
abbreviare
B1To make something shorter.
abnegazione
C1Self-sacrifice or renunciation of one's own interests
accadere
B1To happen or occur.
accadimento
B2An event, occurrence, or happening.
accaduto
B1What happened or the event that occurred.
accanito
C1Fierce, persistent, or relentless in pursuit
accantonare
C1To put aside for future use or discard.
accattivante
C1witty, charming, or attractive.
