# Stammi bene



## mypigtail

*Stammi bene*

Does it mean" I am all right" or "do be all right for me"?
I am a beginner and thank you for your help


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## Jana337

mypigtail said:
			
		

> does it mean" i am all right" or "do be all right for me"?
> I am a beginner and thank u for your help



Hello,

welcome to the forums! 

It means "take care" and you use it in letters or when saying goodbye to friends.
The infinitive is "stare". From a purely logical point of view, the imperative "stai bene" sounds better to foreigners' ears.

Jana


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## islandspaniels

Seems to be an informal way of saying" take care". you could also use "in gamba" to say the same thing..more formally I am told to use "si riguardi"
I've asked the same question on the forum previously...my grandmother 
used "aver cura", but I don't know if that is correct  
Stammi bene


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## mypigtail

Capito e grazie mille!
By the way,my aunt use "baci" at the end of the massage she sends me,it means "kiss"yes? I just wonder in what situation or to what kind of people it can be used?
Grazie


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## islandspaniels

mypigtail  riguardo a "baci"
I have received several EMails from friends ( all female) ending with "un bacio") also "abbraccio"..I feel both are affectionate ways of saying good bye or even take care..In english we use "fondly" also to express the same thing.
tanti auguri


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## Silvia B

My pigtail, just a few notes:

"aver cura" is a correct verb, you should say:
"abbia cura di se stesso" (very formal)
"abbi cura di te" (informal but not very used)

I would say that both are better used in written language recently.. 
Or you can hear it in some films.

Then:
"si riguardi" is very formal
"stammi bene" informal

Many people say "stammi bene" when they leave a friend. I use it a lot.

"in gamba" sounds a bit strange... I mean, I've never heard anybody using that word while leaving someone, but maybe somewhere in Italy it is used with this meaning. Seems like a dialectical way of greeting someone. I dare say that it could even come from north Italy, where I live..but, if so, I definetely think it is really old fashioned!!
The only meaning it has nowadays is something like .. well, take this example.
Sometimes when we refer to an older person who is still very smart, or sporty, in good health and who maybe still work we can say: 
"Ha ormai 90 anni ed è ancora così in gamba!"
"He is almost 90 and he is still so ... " 
Do you have a word to define something like that??

Hope it helps!


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## islandspaniels

SilviaB..Caspita  
You have made it very clear...I still stick with "stammi bene"
Re: "in gamba" I would say "ha ormai 90 anni ed è ancora così in gamba"="He is 90 years old and is still alive and kicking! My son might say "the old guy is troppo figo"


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## Silvia B

Good, I am glad you understood..!
Always use "stammi bene" with friends...you will never do wrong!

"alive and kicking"... wonderful, I have learned something new! 



> "the old guy is troppo figo"



Hahaah!! That's nice!


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## lsp

Silvia B said:
			
		

> Good, I am glad you understood..!
> Always use "stammi bene" with friends...you will never do wrong!
> 
> "alive and kicking"... wonderful, I have learned something new!
> 
> 
> 
> Hahaah!! That's nice!


"in gamba" and "alive and kicking" only correspond in this one specific example, though. To make it more general for other occasions, you might have said "still _with it."_


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## islandspaniels

ISP, hope I am not getting off the subject but you are absolutely right, my uncle just reminded me.."despite all that has happened to him lui ancora è in gamba" =he can still *hold it together*


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## lsp

islandspaniels said:
			
		

> ISP, hope I am not getting off the subject but you are absolutely right, my uncle just reminded me.."despite all that has happened to him lui ancora è in gamba" =he can still *hold it together*


But what about younger people? They can also be described as "in gamba," and then "holding it together" sounds as odd to me as "alive and kicking."
 Lsp


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## horseman

Could someone please tell me the English translation of " stammi bene'?  Does it mean "stay well"..?  Can one simply say Stai bene  ?


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## V52

HI Horseman
"Stammi bene"  means "Take care of yourself!"  
Ciao
Vittorio


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## luke_77

horseman said:
			
		

> Could someone please tell me the English translation of " stammi bene'? Does it mean "stay well"..? Can one simply say Stai bene ?


 
Yes Horsemen! It's a slang form to say "stay well". With that we mean : "take care of yourself" or simply "stay well". You got it.

"Stammi bene" is a dialectal form to make the sentence stronger, more personal and colloquial. It could be translated into: Stai bene (a me) that sounds really bad! It is used between friends and persons that you know well. You won't never say it to an occasional person.


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## danalto

"Take care" is the right translation, according to me.


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## horseman

Ok..thank you.  Why does it seem to be an imperativo..i.e..stammi..dimmi..etc.  referring back to me.  I'm just trying to understand the concept..or is it purely dialectical and can't be explained .


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## Silvia

horseman said:
			
		

> Ok..thank you.  Why does it seem to be an imperativo..i.e..stammi..dimmi..etc.  referring back to me.


I'm not sure I understand your question...

You can't translate word by word...


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## V52

luke_77 said:
			
		

> Yes Horsemen! It's a slang form to say "stay well". With that we mean : "take care of yourself" or simply "stay well". You got it.
> 
> "Stammi bene" is a dialectal form to make the sentence stronger, more personal and colloquial. It could be translated into: Stai bene (a me) that sounds really bad! It is used between friends and persons that you know well. You won't never say it to an occasional person.



Ciao Luke
I don't think  "stammi bene" can be related to a specific dialect, it is good colloquial Italian , did you mean "colloquial"  instead of "dialectal"?  For our not mother tongue friends it's important to know the difference. 
BTW Danalto gave the most "colloquial" and right version "Take care" 
Vittorio


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## Silvia

Vittorio, come definiresti statti accorto? Colloquiale? Per me non è un italiano molto corretto... è italianizzato più che altro.


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## V52

Silvia said:
			
		

> Vittorio, come definiresti statti accorto? Colloquiale? Per me non è un italiano molto corretto... è italianizzato più che altro.



Si, hai ragione per "statti accorto" , riferibile a una provenienza meridionale, ma "stammi bene"  da quale dialetto proverrebbe?
Anyway let's explain the meaning of "statti accorto" = " Be careful" 
Vittorio


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## luke_77

Vittorio52 said:
			
		

> Ciao Luke
> I don't think "stammi bene" can be related to a specific dialect, it is good colloquial Italian , did you mean "colloquial" instead of "dialectal"? For our not mother tongue friends it's important to know the difference.
> BTW Danalto gave the most "colloquial" and right version "Take care"
> Vittorio


 
Ciao Vittorio,

Yes you're right (guys don't misunderstand!) , I was meaning colloquial. Take care fits too!

Luke


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## lsp

You can see much more on the topic, including another thread with this same title, by using the search function on the phrase in quotes ("stammi bene").


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## Silvia

Vittorio52 said:
			
		

> Si, hai ragione per "statti accorto" , riferibile a una provenienza meridionale, ma "stammi bene"  da quale dialetto proverrebbe?


Sempre dal sud, perché non mi risulta una forma riflessiva in questo caso al nord...


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## V52

Silvia said:
			
		

> Sempre dal sud, perché non mi risulta una forma riflessiva in questo caso al nord...



Sarebbe da verificare...  così, per curiosità...
V


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## mirco

islandspaniels said:
			
		

> Seems to be an informal way of saying" take care". you could also use "in gamba" to say the same thing..more formally I am told to use "si riguardi"
> I've asked the same question on the forum previously...my grandmother
> used "aver cura", but I don't know if that is correct
> Stammi bene


 
Yes, it is correct. 
You use it in imperative way as "take care of you": "Abbi cura di te". I have heard it few times, just by my mother ad girls using it in a very affective way.
Ciao.



			
				mypigtail said:
			
		

> Grazie a Silvia e tutti gli altri!!
> Now i know useing "stammi bene"with a friend,va bene. yet,is it also suitable to use it with elder family members,e.g. parents ,uncles,aunts.....
> Beside,your discussion on "gamba" reminded me of a italian saying"Chi non ha testa,a gamba"(i am not quite sure about the accuracy  ),does it mean "the slow need to start early"?
> Grazie ai vostri aiuti e alle vostre pazienze


 
 No e si.
"Chi non ha testa, ha gambe!" means "If you haven't head, have legs". Stupid people have do to the same thing many times. In a travel, you surely forget something, and you have to go back and forth more times...
Si se, "the slow...", means slow in understanding.
Ciao.


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## filosnet

islandspaniels said:
			
		

> Seems to be an informal way of saying" take care". you could also use "in gamba" to say the same thing..more formally I am told to use "si riguardi"
> I've asked the same question on the forum previously...my grandmother
> used "aver cura", but I don't know if that is correct
> Stammi bene



"Stammi bene" is an informal and not often used expression to say something like  "I wish you all the best" (not really "take care"). Also "in gamba" is very informal and rarely used. On the contrary, "Si riguardi" is a very formal way to say "take care", but it can be used ONLY when you know that the other person is not so good in terms of health. If you don't know about that, I don't really recommend to use "Si riguardi"... 
Luca


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## marin1976

I have understood the meaning of the phrase, but I am uncertain of how to reply to ir properly?


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## Stiannu

_Anche tu!_ (_You too!_), or _Grazie, anche tu!_ (_Thanks, you too!_) could fit.


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## Pete

My Harper Collins dict. says _Stai attento_ means take care (warning) and _Stammi bene_ (good wishes). How is the ..._mmi_ explained? It seems to reflect to the speaker ("Be well for me). Thank you.


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## dinah

Yes, "stammi" does reflect to the speaker. It means "I hope you will be well"


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## saltapicchio

Pete said:


> *It seems to reflect to the speaker ("Be well for me)*. Thank you.


 
Exactly 

Like "fammi" = "make me"


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## Indrid Cold

But "stammi bene a sentire" means more or less "now listen to me, and listen good!" - with a touch of agressivity.

IC


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## pazdominguez

so how would you say in the polite for "take care", like to a teacher, or an acquaintance?

do you use "stammi bene" to say take care to a friend, for example,  in the informal way?

thanks for clearing it up for me!


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## Tripolino

ciao a tutti,
it means also "Get well soon"


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## Curandera

@Tripolino :

Get well soon = riprenditi, guarisci

Stai bene/riguardati = Keep fit, keep well, take care of yourself 

Ci vediamo e stammi bene = See you soon and take care.


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## marialdina27

When you say, "stammi bene a sentire" would you congigate sentire or there is no need because it is already conj with stammi?


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## Alxmrphi

marialdina27 said:


> When you say, "stammi bene a sentire" would you congigate sentire or there is no need because it is already conj with stammi?


 
Exactly, the command is carried in the imperative (in stammi) and the thing after is connected so the infinitive is used.
Like in English:

_Take care to clean all of the car_...

We have the 'take care' as the command so 'to clean' can just be used in the infinitive, but in English we can have conjugations like "Make sure you do it later" or "Make sure to do it later" so it's a little more flexible, in Italian it's a common theme to only conjugate once if you don't need to do it again, in English we can say "I hope I do it" where the second verb (to do) is conjugated again whereas in Italian it wouldn't be.. "spero di farlo" (farlo = infinitive + lo).


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## orchidea2010

grazie a tutti, adesso capisco bene la  significa  stammi bene.


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## Astropolyp

FFC said:


> My friends often tell me something like "in gamba" or "mi raccomando", but I think it's too formal, I don't like it so much... I agree with you, it sounds definetely strange! Maybe, it's slang. Anyway, I would never use it!



_Mi raccomando_ and _in gamba_ are not formal at all. On the contrary, they both are usually uttered in informal conversation. They are not slang nor old-fashioned. I hear and use them fairly often but only with my friends.


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## ideanese

Lo so che si dice "Stammi bene" = Stay well (for me). Ma se due persone vogliono dire lo stesso a due altre persone ė "State ci bene" = Stay well (for us)?


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## Einstein

You should join the pronoun to the imperative: "Stateci bene!" I think this is correct, but it's not heard so often.


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## ideanese

Allora...

da una persona a una persona = stammi bene
da una persona a due persone = statemi bene

da due persone a una persona = stacci bene
da due persone a due persone = stateci bene

É correttamente capito?


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## King Crimson

ideanese said:


> Allora...
> 
> da una persona a una persona = stammi bene (correct, common)
> da una persona a due persone = statemi bene (correct, uncommon)
> 
> da due persone a una persona = stacci bene (correct, never heard)
> da due persone a due persone = stateci bene (correct, uncommon)
> 
> É correttamente capito? Ho capito bene?


 
We can sum up saying that the only version that is both correct and idiomatic (i.e. in common use) is the thread title. All other variations (except maybe for "statemi bene") will get you blank stares from most native speakers
My 2c.


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