A1 Spanish grammar

Estar for Location, Feelings, and Temporary States

Use estar for location and for many current feelings or conditions. Its present forms are irregular, so learning estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, and están gives you a practical pattern for saying where someone is and how they feel.

Use estar for location

Use estar to say where a person, place, or object is: Estoy en casa, Madrid está en España, and Las llaves están en la mesa.

Estoy en casa.
I am at home.Estoy is the yo form, and estar expresses the speaker's location.

Quick check

Choose the present form: yo + estar.

Match the present form of estar to the subject

Use estoy with yo, estás with tú, está with él, ella, or usted, estamos with nosotros, estáis with vosotros, and están with ellos, ellas, or ustedes.

Madrid está en España.
Madrid is in Spain.Physical and geographical locations use estar even when they are not temporary.

Describe a current feeling or condition

Estar commonly describes how someone feels or the condition of something now: Estamos cansados and La sopa está fría.

Estamos cansados.
We are tired.Estamos matches nosotros and describes a current condition.

Common mistakes

Soy en casa.

Estoy en casa.

Use estar, not ser, for the location of a person.

Ella es cansada.

Ella está cansada.

Use estar to say that someone currently feels tired.

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Estar for location and state FAQ

When do I use estar for location?

Use estar for the physical or geographical location of people, places, and things.

Do permanent locations use ser?

No. Location generally uses estar even when it is permanent, as in Madrid está en España.

What is the difference between está and están?

Está matches one person or thing. Están matches plural subjects and ustedes.

Why does estar describe feelings?

Estar presents a feeling as someone's current state, such as estoy bien or estamos nerviosos.

Continue learning

Questions and question wordsLearn Spanish question words such as qué, dónde, cuándo, quién, and cómo, plus the punctuation and patterns used for basic questions.Ser vs estarUnderstand ser vs estar through identity, origin, location, feelings, conditions, and descriptions whose meaning changes with the verb.Prepositions of placeLearn Spanish prepositions of place including en, encima de, debajo de, delante de, detrás de, cerca de, and al lado de.Estar conjugationStudy all supported forms of estar in complete conjugation tables.Practise locations and feelingsUse estar in guided Spanish conversation situations.