The verb TO BE (ESTAR) in Spanish
- El verbo ESTAR en español
Together with the verb SER, the verb ESTAR is one of the most important in the Spanish language.
In this lesson we will see how to conjugate the verb "ESTAR" in the present tense.
Below we explain the most frequent uses and meanings of the verb ESTAR, with some examples.
Conjugation of the verb "ESTAR" in the present tense
Frequent uses of the verb "ESTAR"
1 - We use the verb "ESTAR" to talk about the circumstances of people and things. We are referring to characteristics that are not part of their identity. The verb "ESTAR" in Spanish is commonly used to talk about emotional states, health or any other temporary state.
ESTAMOS aburridos. -- WE ARE bored.
Pablo y su hermano ESTÁN enfermos. - Pablo and his brother ARE sick.
El auto ESTÁ sucio. -- The car IS dirty.
La tarde ESTÁ soleada. -- The afternoon is sunny
2 - Even the place that things occupy in space is a circumstance, it is not part of their identity, which is why we use the verb "ESTAR". To do this, we will use "ESTAR" along with prepositions of place in Spanish to tell where objects are located. This type of phrases also serves to give directions to places.
El libro ESTÁ sobre la mesa. -- The book is on the table.
Mis amigos y yo ESTAMOS en la biblioteca. -- My friends and I ARE in the library.
El cine ESTÁ frente a la plaza. -- The cinema is in front of the square.
¿Dónde estás? -- Where are you?
3 - When we want to indicate that a certain day of the month occurs or explain where we are on the calendar.
ESTAMOS a tres de enero. -- We are on January 3rd.
En el hemisferio norte ESTÁN en primavera. -- In the Northern Hemisphere it is spring.
ESTAMOS a fin de mes. -- We're at the end of the month.
4 - To refer to the price of a product or service.
Las patatas están a un euro -- Potatoes cost one euro
¿A cuanto está esa chaqueta? -- How much does that jacket cost?
5 - Finally, the verb estar (in all its tenses) joins the gerund to form a periphrasis that refers to duration. It is formed following the structure:
Subject + verb estar (conjugated) + gerund + complement
Los niños están jugando al fútbol. -- The children are playing football.
Estoy leyendo un nuevo libro. -- I'm reading a new book
¡Los estamos esperando! -- We are waiting for you!
How is a gerund formed?
When verbs end in -AR, we must replace the ending -AR with -ANDO. When they end in -ER or -IR, both will change to -IENDO.
- Caminar (to walk) - Caminando
- Perder (to lose) - Perdiendo
- Vivir (to live) - Viviendo
Some verbs form the gerund irregularly
- Servir (to serve) - Sirviendo
- Pedir (to ask for) - Pidiendo
- Decir (to say) - Diciendo
- Morir (to die) - Muriendo
- Dormir (to sleep) - Durmiendo
Exercises
Now is your turn. Conjugate the verb "estar"
Next class