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When you learn Spanish, you quickly find out that the estar verb is one of the most common verbs. Itโs usually translated into English as the verb โto beโ. But Spanish is one of a handful of languages that has more than one way of expressing the concept of โto be.โ
In this post, Iโll be focusing on the estar verb, including how to conjugate it, how to use it as an auxiliary verb, and when not to use it.
Because estar is an irregular verb, youโll need to memorize it early on in your study of the Spanish language. The more comfortable you get using the estar verb, the more easily youโll be able to get your point across and understand Spanish phases.
By the way, if you want to learn Spanish fast and have fun while doing it, my top recommendation is Spanish Uncovered which teaches you through StoryLearningยฎ.
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Iโll start off by comparing estar with its close cousin, the verb ser, which can also be translated as โto be,โ but has a slightly different meaning.
This difference between ser and estar can be one of the hardest things about Spanish for English speakers to wrap their heads around, because we simply donโt make this distinction in the English language.
You can think of the difference between the two verbs like this:
Estar = to be in the (temporary) condition of
Ser = to be in the (permanent) state of
Iโve put temporary and permanent in brackets, because the distinction isnโt always so clear-cut, and some uses of the verb donโt neatly fit this pattern. Another way to think of it is that ser describes what something is and estar describes how something is.
Ser
For example, statements of identity, such as a personโs occupation, nationality, physical characteristics, and personality, always take the verb ser.
For example:
Soy alto. (I am tall)
Eres americano. (You are American.)
Ella es amigable. (She is friendly.)
Ellos son doctores. (They are doctors.)
Estar
On the other hand, statements of location, condition, emotion, and other temporary or incidental qualities, always take the verb estar.
For example:
Estoy feliz. (I am happy.)
Tu estรกs en Espaรฑa. (You are in Spain.)
Ella estรก en casa. (She is at home.)
Ellos estรกn casados. (They are married.)
Notice that the phrase โthey are marriedโ uses estar, even though it is a long-term state. On the other hand, the phrase โthey are spousesโ uses ser: Ellos son esposos.
It can take some time and exposure to the language to get clear on the right verb to use in a sentence, but itโs important not to use the two verbs interchangeably.
Can you figure out the difference between these two statements?
Estoy aburrido.
Soy aburrido.
The first uses the verb estar and describes a temporary status or condition: I am bored. The second uses the verb ser and refers to a permanent state: I am boring.
Likewise, Ella es buena means โShe is a good person,โ while Ella estรก buena means โShe is good looking.โ You can see how simply switching the verb from ser to estar changes the meaning of the sentence entirely!
How To Conjugate Estar
Now that you know the meaning of estar, itโs time to learn how to conjugate it. This will allow you to use it to describe past, present, and future conditions.
Remember, estar is irregular, so it doesnโt follow the standard pattern for verbs that end in -ar. Hereโs how itโs conjugated in four of the most commonly-used tenses:
Present
The present tense of estar is used to describe things that are happening now.
Yo estoy
I am
Tรบ estรกs
You are
รl/ella estรก
He/she is
Nosotros estamos
We are
Vosotros estรกis
You (all) are
Ellos/ellas estรกn
They are
Conjugation of estar in the present tense
Preterit
The preterit, or simple past tense, describes things that happened at a specific point in time. For example:
Estuve en el trabajo ayer (I was at work yesterday).
Yo estuve
I was
Tรบ estuviste
You were
รl/ella estuvo
He/she was
Nosotros estuvimos
We were
Vosotros estuvisteis
You (all) were
Ellos/ellas estuvieron
They were
Conjugation of estar in the simple past tense
Imperfect
The imperfect tense describes things that happened at some point in the past, without a specific beginning or end point. The closest equivalent in English is โused to be,โ but itโs also found in phrases that describe โwhileโ something was happening. For example:
Sonรณ el telรฉfono mientras estaba en la ducha. (The phone rang while I was in the shower.)
Ella estaba triste cuando no tenรญa perro. (She used to be sad when she didnโt have a dog.)
Yo estaba
I used to be
Tรบ estabas
You used to be
รl/ella estaba
He/she used to be
Nosotros estรกbamos
We used to be
Vosotros estabais
You (all) used to be
Ellos/ellas estaban
They used to be
Conjugation of estar in the imperfect tense
Future
You can also use estar to describe things that will occur in the future. For example, the question ยฟEstarรกs aquรญ maรฑana? means โWill you be here tomorrow?โ
Keep in mind that this is distinct from the phrase โAre you going to be here tomorrow?,โ which uses the verb ir in addition to estar: โยฟVas a estar aquรญ maรฑana?โ
Yo estarรฉ
I will be
Tรบ estarรกs
You will be
รl/ella estarรก
He/she will be
Nosotros estaremos
We will be
Vosotros estarรฉis
You (all) will be
Ellos/ellas estarรกn
They will be
Conjugation of estar in the future tense
Common Uses Of Estar
Now that you know how to conjugate estar in several tenses, youโll be able to recognize it in more sentences. You can also keep an eye out for certain phrases or situations that call for the estar verb.
Here are a few of the most common ways to use it:
Conditions And Emotions
Temporary states and conditions (including emotions) call for estar. Being happy or sad, sick or healthy, married or unmarried, all use the verb estar.
*There are a couple of notable exceptions that weโll get to below.
Location
Describing the location of a person, place, or thing nearly always calls for estar. This is especially important to keep in mind when asking for directions. For example, the right way to ask โWhere is the toilet?โ is ยฟDรณnde estรก el baรฑo?
While people will still understand you if you ask ยฟDรณnde es el baรฑo? (using ser instead of estar), itโs a surefire way to stick out as a non-native speaker.
Using Estar As An Auxiliary Verb
Estar can also be used as an auxiliary verb in order to form the progressive tense. This means you use it along with the present participle of another verb.
For example, โI am eatingโ is Estoy comiendo โ the present tense of the verb estar and the present participle of the verb comer.
You can also use the past tense of the verb estar to describe an action that happened in the past: โI was eatingโ is Estaba comiendo.
This allows you to create a virtually unlimited amount of verb combinations once youโve memorized the various tenses of estar.
When NOT To Use Estar
Despite its wide range of uses in Spanish, there are several situations in which the estar verb is never used โ even in phrases where weโd use the verb โto beโ in English.
This is why itโs so important to understand estar and not attempt a word-for-word translation.
Letโs take a look at a few of them:
Age
If you've learned other Romance languages, you'll be familiar with this key difference between English and Spanish.
While in English, weโd say โI am 50 years old,โ in most Romance languages, we use the verb tener (to have) instead.
In Spanish, this becomes:
Yo tengo 50 aรฑos. (Iโm 50 years old.)
Temperature
You can use Estar to describe the temperature of some things, such as food:
La comida estรก frรญa. (The food is cold.)
However, when it comes to the temperature in general, or the temperature of people, we use different verbs.
The ambient temperature calls for the verb hacer:
Hace frio hoy. (Itโs cold today.)
To describe the temperature of a person, we use tener, just like we do with age:
ยฟNo tienes frรญo sin tu abrigo? (Arenโt you cold without your coat?)
Hunger/Fear/Thirst
Weโve already explained that estar is the go-to word for emotions, but there are a few exceptions.
Some feelings, like cold, thirst, fear, and embarrassment use tener:
ยฟTienes miedo? (Are you afraid?)
Tengo vergรผenza. (Iโm embarrassed.)
Tiene hambre y sed. (Heโs hungry and thirsty.)
Tienes razรณn. (Youโre right.)
This makes sense if we think of it as โHe has hunger and thirstโ instead of โHe is hungry and thirsty,โ which is how weโd express it English.
Likewise, the expression โYouโre rightโ becomes Tienes razรณn in Spanish, which translates literally to โYou have reason.โ
Worry/Interest
There are several other phrases that use โto beโ in English that donโt use ser or estar in Spanish because theyโre expressed in a different order.
For example, โHeโs interestedโ becomes Le interesa โ literally, โIt interests him.โ
A similar example is:
ยฟEso te preocupa? (Are you worried about that?)
In other words, the thing thatโs being worried about is the subject of the sentence, so thereโs no need to use the verb โto beโ at all.
Planned Events
Finally, thereโs one more example thatโs counter-intuitive. Iโve already explained how the verb estar is always used to show location.
But if weโre referring to a specific event, we use ser instead of estar:
La reuniรณn es en la oficina. (The meeting is in the office.)
Additionally, we always use ser and never estar to talk about the date and time, even if itโs in reference to a temporary state or occurrence:
Hoy es el mejor dรญa de mi vida. (Today is the best day of my life.)
La fiesta es a medianoche. (The party is at midnight.)
How To Get Better At Using Estar
These are just a few examples of how to use estar in a sentence. Because Spanish is such a complex language, I canโt possibly cover them all.
The best way to improve your understanding of estar is to expose yourself to it through reading Spanish, listening to Spanish, and chatting to Spanish speakers. Keep an eye out for phrases that use estar and work them into your vocabulary.
The more you learn to distinguish between the two different forms of the verb โto beโ in Spanish, the better youโll be able to get your point across to native speakers!
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