Estar is the verb for states, conditions, and location. Where ser captures what something is, estar captures how or where something is right now. The central idea is that estar describes something transient, observable, or the result of some process.
For the paradigm, see Estar: Full Conjugation. For the head-to-head comparison with ser, see Ser vs Estar: Overview.
Physical location
Use estar for the location of people, animals, and things. The one big exception is the location of events, which uses ser instead—see Ser vs Estar: Tricky Cases for that wrinkle.
El banco está en la esquina, al lado de la farmacia.
The bank is on the corner, next to the pharmacy.
¿Dónde están las llaves? Estaban en la mesa hace un momento.
Where are the keys? They were on the table a moment ago.
Even geographical locations use estar, despite the fact that cities and countries do not move.
Monterrey está en el norte de México.
Monterrey is in the north of Mexico.
Physical and emotional states
Moods, feelings, health, and other conditions that come and go all take estar.
Mi hermano está enfermo desde el lunes.
My brother has been sick since Monday.
This includes temporary appearances: if someone looks different than usual, estar is the verb you want.
¡Qué guapa estás hoy!
How pretty you look today!
The implication of estás guapa is "you look pretty right now"—it does not say whether the person is generally considered attractive. Eres guapa, by contrast, states it as a permanent quality.
Progressive tenses
All progressive tenses in Spanish are built with estar + gerund. The gerund (ending in -ando or -iendo) does not change for gender or number—only the auxiliary is conjugated.
Estoy estudiando para el examen.
I am studying for the exam.
Los niños estaban jugando en el jardín.
The children were playing in the garden.
The progressive is used less often in Spanish than in English. Spanish speakers frequently use the simple present to describe ongoing action, reserving the progressive for moments when they want to emphasize that something is in progress at this very instant.
Result of an action: estar + past participle
When you combine estar with a past participle, you describe the result of an action rather than the action itself. The participle agrees in gender and number with the subject, just like an adjective.
La puerta está abierta.
The door is open.
Los platos ya están lavados.
The dishes are already washed.
Compare this with the true passive, which uses ser:
- La puerta fue abierta por Juan. = The door was opened (by Juan). (focuses on the action)
- La puerta está abierta. = The door is (in a state of being) open. (focuses on the current state)
Idiomatic expressions with estar
Many common expressions use estar to indicate a situation or availability.
¿Está Marta? No, no está en este momento.
Is Marta there? No, she is not here right now.
Ya estoy listo, podemos salir.
I am ready now, we can leave.
Estar de + role
Estar followed by de can indicate someone is temporarily acting as something. This is different from the more permanent ser + profession.
Mi hermana está de mesera este verano.
My sister is working as a waitress this summer.
The implication is that the person is not a career waitress—it is a temporary job. You could say es mesera for a person whose profession is serving tables, or está de mesera for someone filling in or trying it out.
Related Topics
- Estar: Full ConjugationA1 — Complete conjugation of estar, with attention to the accented present and the irregular preterite.
- Ser: UsesA1 — When to use ser: identity, origin, time, possession, and inherent characteristics.
- Ser vs Estar: OverviewA2 — A decision framework for choosing between ser and estar, with mnemonics and a decision tree.