Stare Per + Infinitive in Italian

Overview

The construction stare per + infinitive expresses an action that is about to happen — the near or immediate future. It translates to "to be about to" in English. When you say Sto per uscire, you mean "I'm about to go out" — the action is imminent.

This is one of the simplest and most useful constructions in Italian. It requires only the verb stare conjugated in the present tense, the preposition per, and any infinitive. No participle agreement, no auxiliary choice — just plug in the verb.

You can also use stare per in the imperfect to describe something that was about to happen in the past, often interrupted by another event: Stavo per uscire quando ha suonato il telefono (I was about to go out when the phone rang). This past form is extremely common in storytelling.

How It Works

Formation

Stare (conjugated) + per + infinitive

Present Tense: About to Happen Now

Subject	Stare	+ per + infinitive	Meaning
io	sto	per partire	I'm about to leave
tu	stai	per partire	you're about to leave
lui/lei	sta	per partire	he/she is about to leave
noi	stiamo	per partire	we're about to leave
voi	state	per partire	you all are about to leave
loro	stanno	per partire	they're about to leave

Imperfect Tense: Was About to Happen

Subject	Stare (imperfect)	+ per + infinitive	Meaning
io	stavo	per uscire	I was about to go out
tu	stavi	per uscire	you were about to go out
lui/lei	stava	per uscire	he/she was about to go out
noi	stavamo	per uscire	we were about to go out
voi	stavate	per uscire	you all were about to go out
loro	stavano	per uscire	they were about to go out

When to Use It

Situation	Example
Something imminent	Il treno sta per partire! (The train is about to leave!)
Warning someone	Sta per piovere. (It's about to rain.)
Interrupted action (past)	Stavo per chiamarti quando sei arrivato. (I was about to call you when you arrived.)
Almost happening	Stava per cadere, ma l'ho preso. (He was about to fall, but I caught him.)

Stare Per vs. Other Future Expressions

Expression	Meaning	Imminence
Stare per + infinitive	About to (seconds/minutes)	Very imminent
Present tense (Parto domani)	I'm leaving tomorrow	Planned, near future
Future tense (Partirò)	I will leave	Future, less immediate

Examples in Context

Italian	English	Note
Sto per mangiare.	I'm about to eat.	Present, imminent
Il film sta per cominciare.	The movie is about to start.	Present
Stiamo per partire.	We're about to leave.	Present, noi
Stavo per dirti la stessa cosa!	I was about to tell you the same thing!	Imperfect
Stava per piovere quando siamo usciti.	It was about to rain when we went out.	Imperfect, interrupted
Stanno per chiudere il negozio.	They're about to close the shop.	Present
Stavi per dire qualcosa?	Were you about to say something?	Imperfect, question
Il treno sta per arrivare.	The train is about to arrive.	Announcement
Stavo per addormentarmi quando...	I was about to fall asleep when...	Imperfect + reflexive
State per finire?	Are you (all) about to finish?	Present, question

Common Mistakes

Confusing stare per with stare + gerund

Wrong: Sto per mangiando. (mixing constructions) Right: Sto per mangiare. (about to eat) / Sto mangiando. (eating right now) Why: Stare per + infinitive = about to do something. Stare + gerund = doing something right now. They are different constructions with different meanings.

Using stare per for distant future events

Wrong: Sto per andare in vacanza ad agosto. (It's January.) Right: Andrò in vacanza ad agosto. / Vado in vacanza ad agosto. Why: Stare per expresses imminence — something about to happen within minutes or hours. For distant future plans, use the future tense or the present tense with a time expression.

Forgetting per

Wrong: Sto uscire. Right: Sto per uscire. Why: The preposition per is essential. Without it, the construction does not exist (and sto uscire is not grammatical — you would need sto uscendo for the progressive).

Practice Tips

• Use it in real-time situations: When you are genuinely about to do something, say it in Italian: Sto per uscire. Sto per mangiare. Sto per dormire.
• Practice interrupted actions: Create "stavo per... quando..." sentences: Stavo per chiamare quando mi hai scritto. This is a natural pattern in Italian storytelling.
• Compare with the present progressive: Practice the contrast — Sto mangiando (I'm eating now) vs. Sto per mangiare (I'm about to eat) — to keep the two structures clear.

Related Concepts

• Stare
• Present Perfect