Estar in Spanish

Estar means to be. At A1, use it mainly to talk about location and temporary states or feelings.

Present tense

Subject	Form
yo	estoy
tú	estás
él / ella / usted	está
nosotros/as	estamos
vosotros/as	estáis
ellos / ellas / ustedes	están

Use estar for location

Use estar to say where a specific person or thing is.

• La farmacia está al lado del banco. — The pharmacy is next to the bank.
• Mis libros están en la mesa. — My books are on the table.
• Estamos en casa. — We are at home.

See prepositions of place for useful location expressions.

Use estar for states and feelings

Use estar for how someone or something is at the moment.

• Estoy cansada. — I am tired.
• Hoy estamos contentos. — Today we are happy.
• ¿Estás bien? — Are you okay?
• La tienda está cerrada. — The shop is closed.

Hay vs estar

Use hay to say that something exists:

• Hay un café en mi calle. — There is a café on my street.

Use estar to say where a specific thing is:

• El café está al lado del banco. — The café is next to the bank.

A useful rule:

hay = something exists
estar = where something is

Ser vs estar

At A1, a useful beginner rule is:

• ser → identity, origin, profession, basic characteristics
• estar → location and current states

Compare:

• Soy estudiante. — I am a student.
• Estoy en la universidad. — I am at the university.
• Ana es española. — Ana is Spanish.
• Ana está cansada. — Ana is tired.

Quick rule

Use estar mainly for where someone or something is and how they are right now.