¿Dónde estás? Estoy en casa.Where are you? I'm at home.
estar is Spanish's other verb for "to be" — this lesson is about its own forms and its own typical jobs. (The verb ser covers different ground; comparing the two is its own lesson once you know both: Ser vs estar: basic contrast.)
Quick shortcut: estoy (I am), estás (you are, informal — same form with vos), está (he/she/it is, you are formally), estamos (we are), estáis (you all are, Spain), están (they/you all are).
Conjugation
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estoy | Yo estoy cansado. (I am tired.) |
| tú / vos | estás | Tú estás ocupada. (You are busy.) |
| usted / él / ella | está | Ella está en casa. (She is at home.) |
| nosotros/as | estamos | Nosotros estamos listos. (We are ready.) |
| vosotros/as | estáis | Vosotros estáis muy callados. (You all are very quiet.) |
| ustedes / ellos / ellas | están | Ellos están en el parque. (They are in the park.) |
estar is only slightly irregular — the yo form (estoy) doesn't follow the pattern, and estás, está, estáis, and están all carry a written accent on the last syllable (estoy and estamos don't). Unlike ser, where vos has its own distinct form (sos), estar's vos form is identical to tú's: both say estás.
Location: where something is
estar says where a person or thing is, whether that's permanent or temporary:
- Estoy en la oficina. (I am at the office.)
- Madrid está en España. (Madrid is in Spain.)
- ¿Dónde están las llaves? (Where are the keys?)
There's one common exception: when the subject is an event rather than a person or thing, the location instead takes ser — La reunión es en la oficina (The meeting is at the office), El concierto es en Madrid (The concert is in Madrid).
States and conditions
estar + an adjective describes a condition felt as changeable or circumstantial, not a defining trait — how someone feels, a mood, a physical condition. Most of these are temporary, but not all of them have to be brief to still count as a state rather than a trait (estar casado, "to be married," can last a lifetime and still takes estar):
- Estoy cansado. (I am tired.)
- Ella está enojada. (She is angry.)
- La sopa está fría. (The soup is cold.)
This is exactly the point where Spanish's other "to be," ser, would instead describe a defining, lasting characteristic (Ella es alta, "She is tall," as a trait, not a state). Telling the two apart in detail is its own lesson: Ser vs estar: basic contrast.
A preview: estar + -ndo
estar also combines with a verb form ending in -ando/-iendo to describe an action in progress right now — Estoy comiendo ("I am eating"). Building and using this properly is its own lesson: Estar + gerundio (present continuous).
Common fixed expressions
A few phrases built on estar are worth learning as set pieces:
- estar de acuerdo (to agree) — Estoy de acuerdo contigo. (I agree with you.)
- estar listo/a (to be ready) — ¿Estás lista? (Are you ready?)
- estar bien/mal (to be well/unwell, or okay/not okay) — Estoy bien, gracias. (I'm fine, thanks.)
Common mistakes
- ❌ Madrid es en España. → ✅ Madrid está en España. (the location of a person or thing takes estar — only an event's location takes ser)
- ❌ Ella es cansada. → ✅ Ella está cansada. (a state or condition — how someone feels — takes estar, not ser)
- ❌ Yo soy de acuerdo. → ✅ Yo estoy de acuerdo. (this fixed expression always uses estar)
- ❌ Mixing up está and están: Los libros está en la mesa. → ✅ Los libros están en la mesa. (match the verb form to the subject's number)
Quick check
Which form fits?
- ¿Dónde ____ el baño? (está / están)
- Nosotros ____ muy ocupados hoy. (estoy / estamos)
- Los niños ____ en el jardín. (está / están)
- ¿____ listo para salir? (Estás / Está)
- La puerta ____ abierta. (es / está)
Show answers
- está 2. estamos 3. están 4. Estás 5. está
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Key takeaways
- estar conjugates: estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están — only estoy is irregular.
- Unlike ser, estar's vos form is the same as tú's: estás.
- Use it for location (where something or someone is, except for events, which take ser) and states or conditions (how someone or something is, whether brief or lasting).
- Fixed expressions like estar de acuerdo, estar listo, and estar bien/mal always use estar, never ser.
- Telling ser and estar apart for describing people and things is its own lesson.