Estar is one of the two verbs in Spanish that means "to be" (the other being ser). It describes more temporary states, emotions, locations, and conditions. Here, we'll look at how it's used and all its various permutations across the different tenses and moods in Spanish.
Estar vs Ser: Why Spanish Has Two Verbs for “To Be”
In Spanish, the verb means “to be”, but as we've mentioned, it's used differently to ser, which also could translate as “to be”. English speakers initially struggle with this notion of having two different verbs for being, but to put it simply, use ser for what something is and estar for how something is, particularly in a given moment.
Estar is used to talk about things that can change, often easily, like moods, certain physical conditions, and locations. Ser is more commonly used for permanent traits like someone's identity, profession, or origin.
Choosing between ser and estar is a hurdle that every Spanish student will have to overcome at some point.
Use estar when describing temporary states or where someone or something is. If something can change, like how a person feels or where they are, estar is your verb.
When to Use Estar: The Basics
In Spanish, you use the present tense of estar to describe how something is right now. This is often used for physical states, emotions, or locations.
As it's one of the first verb forms you'll learn in Spanish, it's an excellent place to start conjugating estar.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy | Estoy feliz hoy. (I am happy today.) |
| Tú | estás | ¿Estás cansado? (Are you tired?) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | está | Ella está en casa. (She is at home.) |
| Nosotros/as | estamos | Estamos listos. (We are ready.) |
| Vosotros/as (Spain) | estáis | ¿Dónde estáis ahora? (Where are you all now?) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | están | Ellos están enfermos. (They are sick.) |
The forms estoy, estás, and está are irregular so they don't follow regular -ar verb endings. Be sure to memorize them! Use estar to talk about how people feel, where they are, or the condition of something in a given moment.
When to Use Estar in the Present Tense
Estoy contento. – I am happy.
¿Estás nervioso? – Are you nervous?
El café está caliente. – The coffee is hot.
Estamos cansados. – We are tired.
Mi libro está en la mesa. – My book is on the table.
Ella está en la oficina. – She is in the office.
Estoy estudiando español. – I am studying Spanish.
Preterite Tense: Describing Completed States
In Spanish, the preterite tense is a type of past tense used to describe specific moments in the past.
It describes when someone or something was somewhere or felt a certain way. Unlike the imperfect tense, which we'll cover next, it describes completed events in the past.
You can use it to tell people exactly when and how things occurred.
Here's how it conjugates:
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estuve | Estuve en casa todo el día. (I was at home all day.) |
| Tú | estuviste | ¿Estuviste enfermo ayer? (Were you sick yesterday?) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | estuvo | Ella estuvo muy ocupada. (She was very busy.) |
| Nosotros/as | estuvimos | Estuvimos en la reunión. (We were in the meeting.) |
| Vosotros/as (Spain) | estuvisteis | ¿Dónde estuvisteis anoche? (Where were you all last night?) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | estuvieron | Ellos estuvieron de viaje. (They were on a trip.) |
When to Use the Preterite of Estar
Estuvo triste por un rato. – He was sad for a while.
Ustedes estuvieron en clase, ¿verdad? – You were in class, right?
Estuvimos allí por solo una hora. – We were there for only an hour.
Think of this tense as your go-to for someone's condition or location at a particular moment; it is not a habit, not a background detail, but a finished event.
Imperfect Tense: Talking About Ongoing or Repeated Conditions
The imperfect tense describes how something used to be or a progressing situation in the past. It's a great tense for setting the scene, telling stories, and providing background details about what happened when something occurs (using the preterite).
The imperfect tense is for ongoing, habitual, or not clearly defined events in the past.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estaba | Estaba cansado todos los días. (I was tired every day.) |
| Tú | estabas | ¿Estabas feliz en tu trabajo? (Were you happy in your job?) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | estaba | Ella estaba enferma por mucho tiempo. (She was sick for a long time.) |
| Nosotros/as | estábamos | Estábamos en la universidad. (We were at the university.) |
| Vosotros/as (Spain) | estabais | Estabais en casa cuando llamé. (You all were home when I called.) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | estaban | Ellos estaban preocupados. (They were worried.) |
When to Use the Imperfect of Estar
Estaba nervioso antes del examen. – I was nervous before the test.
Ellas estaban en la playa todo el verano. – They were at the beach all summer.
La casa estaba vacía y oscura. – The house was empty and dark.
If you’re painting a picture of “how things were,” use the imperfect. It's excellent for describing the setting, people, or conditions that surrounded a past event.
Subjunctive Mood: Expressing Doubt, Emotion, or Possibility
The subjunctive isn't called a tense because it describes a perspective rather than a moment. The subjunctive mood expresses uncertainties, emotions, hypotheticals, or desires rather than facts.
Estar is often used in the present subjunctive to describe how you want someone to feel, particularly when reacting emotionally to a situation.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | esté | Espero que yo esté bien. (I hope I’m okay.) |
| Tú | estés | Quiero que estés tranquilo. (I want you to be calm.) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | esté | Es posible que ella esté en casa. (She might be home.) |
| Nosotros/as | estemos | Es importante que estemos listos. (It’s important that we’re ready.) |
| Vosotros/as (Spain) | estéis | Dudo que estéis preparados. (I doubt you all are ready.) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | estén | Ojalá que ellos estén felices. (Hopefully they are happy.) |
When to Use the Subjunctive of Estar
Me alegra que estés aquí. – I’m glad you’re here.
Es mejor que estés tranquilo. – It’s better that you be calm.
Tal vez estén ocupados. – Maybe they’re busy.
The subjunctive isn’t a tense, it’s a mood. So, it doesn't refer to when something happens but how the speaker feels about it happening.
Future Tense: Saying What Someone or Something Will Be
As the name indicates, the future tense refers to future events. Estar refers to how something will be or where it will be in the future. This tense is used to make plans, predict, or even just set expectations.
Luckily for learners, estar is regular in the future tense and uses the same conjugations as a regular -ar verb would.
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estaré | Estaré en la oficina mañana. (I will be at the office tomorrow.) |
| Tú | estarás | ¿Estarás en casa esta noche? (Will you be home tonight?) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | estará | Ella estará ocupada todo el día. (She will be busy all day.) |
| Nosotros/as | estaremos | Estaremos listos para el examen. (We will be ready for the test.) |
| Vosotros/as (Spain) | estaréis | ¿Estaréis en la reunión? (Will you all be at the meeting?) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | estarán | Ellos estarán de viaje la próxima semana. (They will be traveling next week.) |
When to Use the Future of Estar
Estarás cansado después del viaje. – You’ll be tired after the trip.
Estaré en casa si necesitas ayuda. – I’ll be home if you need help.
Usted estará en buenas manos. – You will be in good hands.
Because it’s regular, the future tense of estar is one of the easier ones to master and is a great place to build confidence while expanding your grammar skills.
Perfect Tenses with Estar (Using Estado)
The perfect tense is used to describe things that have been, had been, or will have been.
This tense uses the verb haber (a type of "to have") and the past participle of the verb estar. In terms of estar, you just need to learn estado. However, you will need to learn all the different conjugations for the verb haber in every tense to use the various perfect tenses.
Formula: haber + estado
Common Perfect Forms with Estar
Present Perfect – Has/have been
- he estado, has estado, ha estado
- Yo he estado | He estado enfermo. – I have been sick.
Past Perfect (Pluperfect) – Had been
- había estado, habías estado
- Ella había estado | Ella había estado en casa todo el día. – She had been home all day.
Future Perfect – Will have been
- habré estado, habrás estado
- Nosotros habremos estado | Habremos estado aquí por horas. – We will have been here for hours.
Conditional Perfect – Would have been
- habría estado, habrías estado...
- Tú habrías estado | Habrías estado orgulloso. – You would have been proud.
When to Use Estado with Perfect Tenses
- To describe a condition that has occurred
- Han estado muy ocupados. – They’ve been very busy.
- To reflect on past situations
- Yo había estado en esa ciudad antes. – I had been in that city before.
- To project what might happen or would have happened
- Ustedes habrían estado felices allí. – You would have been happy there.
Estado is the key past participle of estar. Don’t confuse it with sido, which comes from ser.
Summary Table: All Estar Conjugations at a Glance
We know all these Spanish tenses are a lot to take in, so here's a cheat sheet with everything on it. Feel free to copy it, but we always recommend making your own, especially by hand, as this will help you remember better.
| Tense / Mood | Yo | Tú | Él / Ella / Usted | Nosotros/as | Vosotros/as | Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | estoy | estás | está | estamos | estáis | están |
| Preterite | estuve | estuviste | estuvo | estuvimos | estuvisteis | estuvieron |
| Imperfect | estaba | estabas | estaba | estábamos | estabais | estaban |
| Subjunctive (present) | esté | estés | esté | estemos | estéis | estén |
| Future | estaré | estarás | estará | estaremos | estaréis | estarán |
| Conditional | estaría | estarías | estaría | estaríamos | estaríais | estarían |
| Perfect (haber + estado) | he estado | has estado | ha estado | hemos estado | habéis estado | han estado |
| Past Perfect | había estado | habías estado | había estado | habíamos estado | habíais estado | habían estado |
| Future Perfect | habré estado | habrás estado | habrá estado | habremos estado | habréis estado | habrán estado |
| Conditional Perfect | habría estado | habrías estado | habría estado | habríamos estado | habríais estado | habrían estado |
Estado = past participle
Estando = gerund (used in progressive forms, like estoy estando atento)
Estar is irregular in several forms. Especially in the present and preterite tenses.
Learning to use estar is a major milestone in any student's Spanish journey. It's tricky at first, but it's something that every Spanish student will go through.
From daily conversations to formal writing, learning ser and estar is essential to speaking Spanish well. The nuances between the two make it difficult. Since ser and estar are irregular verbs, you must do even more work wrapping your head around them.
As you continue learning and speaking Spanish, these will become second nature, but until then, you'll just have to study!
If you need more help with Spanish verbs and conjugations, and we wouldn't blame you, why not get help from an experienced and qualified private Spanish tutor? Search for Spanish on the Superprof website, and you can start browsing the tutors' profiles to find the right one for you!
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
