A2 · The future
About to: stare per
The narrow end of « going to », and nothing wider.
At a glance
- Remember
- « About to » is minutes; « going to » is the plain present.
- When
- Before the past
- The past
- Past linked to the present
- The present
- The future
- Completed in the future
The future — What is still to come — promised, planned or merely guessed at.
- Form
- (io) sto per uscireI am about to go out
- Signal words
- sto per
- fra poco
- domani
- penso di
- Trap
- Wrong:Sto per partire domani mattina.Right:Domani mattina parto.
Your turn
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The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Italian. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) person ending
| I am about to go out | (io) sto per uscire |
| you are about to go out | (tu) stai per uscire |
| he, she is about to go out; you are about to go out (formal) | (lui, lei, Lei) sta per uscire |
| we are about to go out | (noi) stiamo per uscire |
| you are about to go out (plural) | (voi) state per uscire |
| they are about to go out | (loro) stanno per uscire |
| it is about to rain | sta per piovere |
| the film is about to start | il film sta per cominciare |
| tomorrow I am working | domani lavoro |
| I am thinking of leaving on Monday | penso di partire lunedì |
| we are arriving shortly | fra poco arriviamo |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
stare per means the next few minutes.
Sbrigati, il treno sta per partire.Hurry up, the train is about to leave.
For a plan the present with a time word is enough.
La settimana prossima vado a Roma.Next week I am going to Rome.
pensare di plus the infinitive states an intention.
Pensiamo di restare due notti.We are thinking of staying two nights.
In conversation the present is the normal case.
Che fai stasera? — Resto a casa.What are you doing tonight? — I am staying in.
Example sentences
Il negozio sta per chiudere.The shop is about to close.
Fra poco arriviamo, non ti preoccupare.We will be there shortly, do not worry.
Domenica andiamo al mare.On Sunday we are going to the seaside.
Penso di cambiare lavoro.I am thinking of changing jobs.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
« I'm going to leave tomorrow morning » is ordinary English, and the phrase that looks like it means « any second now ». With domani beside it the sentence contradicts itself. English « going to » stretches from the next second to next year and Italian has nothing that stretches at all: the near end is stare per, and everything past the next few minutes is the plain present.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
stare per plus the infinitive means « to be about to »: Sto per uscire — « I am just going out ».
It is not a future tense but a statement about now: minutes are meant, not days.
For an ordinary plan the present is enough: Domani lavoro, La settimana prossima parto. A time word beside it, and the matter is clear.
In spoken Italian the present is in fact the normal case; the futuro in an everyday sentence often sounds more formal than it was meant to.
Pensare di plus the infinitive states an intention: Penso di partire lunedì — « I am thinking of leaving on Monday ».
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The verbs on this page, in every form: andare · stare · pensare · fare · restare · arrivare · cambiare · chiudere