A1 · Ser, estar and hay
estar — where and how something is
Place and condition — what could be different tomorrow.
At a glance
- Remember
- estar says where it is and how it is doing.
- Form
- (yo) estoyI am
- Signal words
- aquí
- allí
- en
- ahora
- todavía
- ya
- Trap
- Wrong:Madrid es en España.Right:Madrid está en España.
Your turn
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The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Spanish. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) person ending
| I am | (yo) estoy |
| you are (tú) | (tú) estás |
| he, she is / you (usted) are | (él, ella, usted) está |
| we are | (nosotros, nosotras) estamos |
| you are (vosotros) | (vosotros, vosotras) estáis |
| they / you (ustedes) are | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) están |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
A place takes estar.
La farmacia está en la esquina.The chemist's is on the corner.
How somebody feels takes estar.
Estoy cansada, pero contenta.I am tired but happy.
estar plus a gerund says something is going on now.
Están esperando desde las ocho.They have been waiting since eight.
A result you can see takes estar.
La puerta está abierta.The door is open.
Example sentences
¿Dónde estás? — Estoy en la estación.Where are you? — I am at the station.
El café está frío.The coffee is cold.
Estamos muy contentos con el piso.We are very happy with the flat.
Mi hermano está estudiando en Valencia.My brother is studying in Valencia at the moment.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Place is the rule English speakers trip over most, because English says «is» and draws no line at all. One question settles it: could it be somewhere else tomorrow? Then estar. And Madrid takes estar even though a city never moves — for where a person or thing is, estar has no exceptions.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
estar gives the place and the state of the moment: where something is and how somebody feels right now. Both could be different tomorrow, and that is exactly what separates estar from ser.
The forms are irregular and carry accents that have to be learnt with them: estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están. The accent is not decoration — está with an accent is a verb, esta without one means «this».
estar also builds the continuous: estar plus a gerund says that something is going on right now — Estoy comiendo, I am eating.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: estar · esperar · estudiar