“Sono Bene” — Why It’s Not Correct (And What to Say Instead)

This is probably the most common sentence I hear:

❌ Sono bene.

It makes perfect sense in English: “I am well.”But in Italian, it doesn’t work.

Essere vs Stare

American students often confuse essere and stare.

In Italian:

• Essere = identity, characteristics

• Stare = temporary state, condition

  
  

So when someone asks: Come stai?

The answer is: ✅ Sto bene.

Not sono bene.

Grammar Hint

Use stare for physical and emotional states:

• Sto bene.

• Sto male.

  
  

Use essere for identity:

• Sono americana.

• Sono felice.

  
  

This small difference makes a big impact on how natural you sound.

If you’d like to finally feel confident with essere and stare, we work on it step by step in lessons.

👉 Book your Italian lesson and clear up this confusion for good.