Sto male
In Italian, "I am sick" is expressed as Sto male.
Sto male is a phrase used to say that you feel unwell or are experiencing poor health.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb stare (to be/to stay/to feel) and the adverb male (badly/badly), literally meaning "I am doing badly".
Which one should you use?
Use Sto male to describe a general state of feeling unwell, whereas Sono malato is used to describe being sick with a specific disease or condition.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you choose to use the alternative Sono malato, you must use malata instead of malato if the speaker is female.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say Sto malato by combining the verb stare with the adjective malato. Instead, you must use the adverb male with stare or the verb essere with malato.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Sto male solo ora.I am sick only now.This sentence shows how to express that you are only feeling unwell at the current moment using Sto male.Tatoeba #13961495 by IdiomHunter, translation #773314 by marloncori
- Sto male.I am sick.This sentence is a simple way to state that you are unwell using Sto male.Tatoeba #796755 by remod, translation #436427 by lukaszpp
- Non sto bene, sono malato/a.I'm not well, I am sick.
- Ho preso un raffreddore.I caught a cold.
- Sto male da stamattina.I have been feeling unwell since this morning.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Francesco are talking on the phone.
- GiuliaFrancesco, non vengo alla festa perché sto male.Francesco, I am not coming to the party because I am sick.
- FrancescoMi dispiace molto, Giulia. Ti senti male?I am very sorry, Giulia. Do you feel unwell?
- GiuliaSì, ho un forte mal di testa.Yes, I have a bad headache.
- FrancescoRiposati e prendi una medicina.Rest and take some medicine.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries male, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
