How Do I Say “I’m About to…” in Italian? (Stare per + infinitive)
Vurbit Team
Language Expert
If you want to say “I’m about to…” in Italian, the go-to structure is:
stare per + infinito
- Sto per uscire. = I’m about to leave.
- Stiamo per iniziare. = We’re about to start.
- Il treno sta per partire. = The train is about to depart.
It’s very common, very useful, and it expresses something imminent: it’s on the verge of happening.
“Stare per” is one of those high-frequency chunks that gets easier once you can quickly check forms (sto/stai/sta… stavo/stavamo…). If you want an easy way to do that while you practice, try Vurbit’s offline conjugation reference on iOS.
What “stare per” means (and what it doesn’t)
Stare per + infinitive means “to be about to do something” — usually right now or any second.
- Sto per chiamarti. = I’m about to call you.
- Sta per piovere. = It’s about to rain.
It’s not the same as a general future (“I will…”). If you simply mean “I’ll call you later”, Italians often use the present (with future meaning) or the simple future:
- Ti chiamo più tardi. = I’ll call you later.
- Ti chiamerò più tardi. = I will call you later.
How to form it
Conjugate stare + per + infinitive.
Present: sto/stai/sta… per
- (Io) sto per uscire.
- (Tu) stai per partire?
- (Lui/lei) sta per arrivare.
- (Noi) stiamo per ordinare.
- (Voi) state per pagare.
- (Loro) stanno per chiudere.
In everyday speech, you’ll hear it a lot with quick, routine actions:
- Sto per uscire. (I’m heading out in a second.)
- Sto per tornare. (I’m about to come back.)
- Stiamo per mangiare. (We’re about to eat.)
Past: “I was about to…” = stavo per…
For “I was about to…”, the most natural tense is the imperfetto:
- Stavo per uscire, ma mi hai chiamato. = I was about to leave, but you called me.
- Stavamo per comprarli, poi abbiamo cambiato idea. = We were about to buy them, then we changed our minds.
How to make it negative
Negation is simple: put non before stare.
- Non sto per uscire. = I’m not about to leave / I’m not going out right now.
- Non stavo per dirlo. = I wasn’t about to say it.
Tip: In context, non sto per… can also mean “I have no intention of…” (especially if someone suggests you do something).
Pronouns: “sto per farlo”, “sto per dirglielo”
With infinitives, Italian often attaches object pronouns to the end of the infinitive:
- Sto per farlo. = I’m about to do it.
- Stiamo per comprarla. = We’re about to buy it (f.).
- Sto per chiamarti. = I’m about to call you.
With two pronouns, they stack on the infinitive:
- Sto per dirglielo. = I’m about to tell it to him/her.
- Stiamo per mandargliene uno. = We’re about to send him/her one (of them).
Useful questions with “stare per”
- Stai per uscire? = Are you about to go out?
- Che cosa stai per dire? = What are you about to say?
- Stavi per chiamarmi? = Were you about to call me?
Common alternatives (when “about to” isn’t quite right)
Depending on what you mean, these are often better than stare per:
- Tra poco / fra poco (soon, in a little while): Tra poco esco. = I’m going out soon.
- Quasi (almost): Ho quasi finito. = I’ve almost finished.
- Sto + gerundio (in progress / getting underway): Sto uscendo. = I’m heading out (I’m leaving now).
Mini practice (say it out loud)
Translate into Italian using stare per:
- I’m about to leave. (Sto per uscire.)
- We were about to start, but the power went out. (Stavamo per iniziare, ma è andata via la corrente.)
- She’s about to tell him. (Sta per dirglielo.)
- It’s about to rain. (Sta per piovere.)
- I’m not about to do it. (Non sto per farlo.)
Takeaway
To say “I’m about to…” in Italian, use stare per + infinitive: sto per uscire, stiamo per iniziare. For “soon” in a looser sense, prefer tra poco or a simple present with future meaning.