Estar looks almost regular at first glance, but it has two complications. In the present, every form except estamos carries a written accent on the final syllable. In the preterite, it shares a special "u-stem" pattern with verbs like tener and andar.
For when to use estar, see Estar: Uses.
Present indicative
Notice the accents: estoy has none, but estás, está, and están all require one. The nosotros form estamos is unaccented because the stress naturally falls on the second-to-last syllable.
| Tense | yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | ellos/ellas/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | estoy | estás | está | estamos | están |
¿Cómo estás hoy?
How are you today?
Los niños están en el parque con su mamá.
The children are in the park with their mom.
Preterite
Estar follows the "u-stem" irregular preterite pattern. The endings themselves are unaccented, and the stem estuv- is shared across all persons.
| Tense | yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | ellos/ellas/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preterite | estuve | estuviste | estuvo | estuvimos | estuvieron |
Estuvimos en la playa durante dos semanas.
We were at the beach for two weeks.
Ayer estuve muy cansada después del trabajo.
Yesterday I was very tired after work.
Imperfect
The imperfect is completely regular. Only estábamos carries a written accent, following the normal pattern for -ar imperfect verbs.
| Tense | yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | ellos/ellas/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperfect | estaba | estabas | estaba | estábamos | estaban |
Cuando llegué, ellos ya estaban dormidos.
When I arrived, they were already asleep.
Future and conditional
Both tenses are built on the regular infinitive stem estar-, so there is nothing irregular to memorize here.
| Tense | yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | ellos/ellas/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future | estaré | estarás | estará | estaremos | estarán |
| Conditional | estaría | estarías | estaría | estaríamos | estarían |
Mañana estaré en Buenos Aires.
Tomorrow I will be in Buenos Aires.
Dijo que estaría en casa a las seis.
He said he would be home at six.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is unusual because it keeps the accent marks from the indicative: esté, estés, esté, estén. Only estemos is unaccented.
| Tense | yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | ellos/ellas/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present subjunctive | esté | estés | esté | estemos | estén |
Espero que estés mejor pronto.
I hope you feel better soon.
Imperfect subjunctive
Like all imperfect subjunctives, these forms are derived from the third-person plural preterite (estuvieron) minus the -on ending. Both -ra and -se variants are valid; the -ra set is much more common in Latin America.
| Tense | yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | ellos/ellas/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperfect subj. (-ra) | estuviera | estuvieras | estuviera | estuviéramos | estuvieran |
| Imperfect subj. (-se) | estuviese | estuvieses | estuviese | estuviésemos | estuviesen |
Si estuviera allí, te ayudaría.
If I were there, I would help you.
Imperative
The imperatives use accented subjunctive forms. The reflexive form estate / estese is common in set phrases like estate quieto ("stay still").
| Tense | tú | usted | nosotros | ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | está | esté | estemos | estén |
| Negative | no estés | no esté | no estemos | no estén |
¡Estén atentos, por favor!
Pay attention, please!
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