When studying Spanish, one of the trickiest topics that shows up in your way is the use of two verbs ser vs estar, instead of the single English verb TO BE.
So, today we will learn and practice ESTAR in Spanish:
You can watch the following video from Spring Languages (a language learning platform I’m a co-founder) about how to learn estar through chunking.
After reading this comprehensive guide, you will be able to use estar in Spanish easily.
1. What does the Spanish verb estar mean?
ESTAR means to be, but it shares the meaning with ser in Spanish.
Effortless Answers
ESTAR is used to describe temporary conditions or states, while SER is used to refer to more permanent conditions and states.
Estar is used to describe
Used to express:
Explanation
Example
Location
Location tends to be temporary. It can change from one moment to another.
Ana:Dónde están mis gafas? (Where are my glasses?)
Roberto: Están sobre la mesa. (They are on the table)
Position
A person’s position can change, of course.
Julia: ¿Estás parado? (Are you standing?)
Benji: No, estoy acostado. (No, I’m lying down)
Action in progress
This use corresponds to the English continuous tense (to be + -ing). It is used to refer to an action that is in progress at the moment of speaking. In Spanish the structure is estar + gerund (-ando, -iendo)
Miquel: ¿Qué están haciendo los niños? (What are the children doing?)
Gabi: Están jugando afuera. (They’re playing outside)
Temporary emotions and feelings
When talking about a person’s mood at a particular moment, generally for a particular reason, we use estar.
Georgina:¿Estás bien? (Are you ok?)
Cristiano: No, estoy enojado porque perdí las llaves del coche. (No, I’m angry because I’ve lost my car keys)
Temporary conditions
Some conditions and physical states require estar because they are not permanent.
Estoy cansada. (I am tired)
Mi madre está preocupada por mí. (My mother is worried about me.)
La maestra está enferma hoy. (The teacher is ill today.)
Some fixed expressions
Some idiomatic expressions require estar.
Estaremos de vacaciones hasta el lunes. (We’ll be on vacation until Monday)
Julia siempre está a la moda. (Julia is always fashionable)
Estar vivo (to be alive) and estar muerto (to be dead) always require ESTAR.
2. Estar conjugation in Spanish tenses
Effortless Answers
Estar is an irregular verb. This means that it doesn’t follow the regular conjugation pattern, so you will need to memorize its conjugation.
But don’t worry!
ESTAR is a verb that will be quite easy to remember because you will use it a lot!
Let’s learn the most frequently used forms of ESTAR in Spanish in the three moods:
indicative
subjunctive
and imperative
Each of these moods present information in different ways, because they have different aims. Indicative mood is used to present information considered real by the speaker like in “Hoy hace frío” (It is cold today).
“Hoy hace frío” (It is cold today).
Subjunctive Mood is used to present information that is possible, or to express desires like in “Ojalá que no haga frío hoy” (I hope it won’t be cold today).
Imperative mood is the mood we use to make an order, like in “Haz tu tarea” (Do your homework).
Estar and indicative mood
Indicative mood is used to talk about real situations, or situations that are considered real by the speaker.
Person
Present
Preterite
Yo
estoy
estuve
Tú
estás
estuviste
Él Ella Usted
está
estuvo
Nosotros Nosotras
estamos
estuvimos
Vosotros Vosotras (Spain)
estáis
estuvisteis
Ustedes (LatAm)
están
estuvieron
Ellos Ellas
están
estuvieron
Person
Imperfect
Future
Simple Conditional
Yo
estaba
estaré
estaría
Tú
estabas
estarás
estarías
Él/Ella/Usted
estaba
estará
estaría
Nosotros/Nosotras
estábamos
estaremos
estaríamos
Vosotros/Vosotras (Spain)
estabais
estaréis
estaríais
Ustedes (LatAm)
estaban
estarán
estarían
Ellos/Ellas
estaban
estarán
estarían
Compound tenses require the use of the auxiliary verb “haber” + the participle of “estar”.
For example:
Nunca he estado en Buenos Aires. – I’ve never been in Buenos Aires.
Ellos ya habían cenado cuando llegué. – They had already had dinner when I arrived.
Habrían estado en la fiesta de haber podido. – They would have been at the party, had they been able to.
Ellos ya habían cenado cuando llegué. (They had already had dinner when I arrived.)
Estar and subjunctive mood
Subjunctive mood is used to express desires, to make hypotheses, and to talk about possibilities.
There are only two simple tenses that are mostly used. Notice that the imperfect tense offers two different ending options.
Person
Present
Imperfect
Yo
esté
estuvieras estuviese
Tú
estés
estuvieras estuvieses
Él Ella Usted
esté
estuvieras estuviese
Nosotros Nosotras
estemos
estuviéramos estuviésemos
Vosotros Vosotras (Spain)
estéis
estuvierais estuvieseis
Ustedes (LatAm)
estén
estuvieran estuviesen
Ellos Ellas
estén
estuvieran estuviesen
Again, compound subjunctive tenses require the verb “haber” + estar in the participle:
No creo que María haya estado en la fiesta. – I don’t think María was at the party.
Ojalá hubieras estado en mi clase de español. – I wish you had been in my Spanish class.
No creo que María haya estado en la fiesta. (I don’t think María was at the party.)
Estar and the imperative mood
The imperative mood is used to give orders or instructions.
¡Estate quieto! – Be quiet!
No estés tan enojado. – Don’t be so angry.
One of the best ways to learn how to conjugate estar in Spanish is through chunking.
Chunking is a technique that involves breaking down a complex skill into smaller and easier parts.
By learning how to conjugate estar in chunks, you can memorize the forms faster and use them more confidently.
Now, there’s a little problem with the Spanish verb estar, because it’s similar to the Spanish verb ser. Luckily, we’ve got you covered!
Ser vs estar are not interchangeable and different uses, so make sure to read our article about how to use them correctly.
3. Practice section for estar in Spanish – example sentences
I. Fill in the blank with the correct form of “estar” (present tense).
Are you eager to master estar in Spanish and impress your friends and teachers with your conjugation skills?
If so, you need to practice it with a range of exercises and activities.
Practice estar with our Full Practice Worksheets
That’s why we have created the Full Practice Worksheet for estar in Spanish that you can download for free.
This worksheet will help you review the most frequent uses of estar in Spanish, learn how to conjugate it properly in various tenses, and broaden your grammar knowledge!
Click the button below and start the exercise now!
Lukas is the founder of Effortless Conversations and the creator of the Conversation Based Chunking™ method for learning languages. He's a linguist and wrote a popular book about learning languages through "chunks". He also co-founded the language education company Spring Languages, which creates online language courses and YouTube content.
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