El edificio está cerca de la estación.

to be

Breakdown of El edificio está cerca de la estación.

• la estación: the station
• cerca de: near
• el edificio: the building

Questions & Answers about El edificio está cerca de la estación.

Why is it está and not es?

Spanish uses estar for the physical location of people and things. Use ser for the location of events. Compare: El edificio está cerca de la estación (a thing’s location) vs La reunión es en el edificio (an event’s location).

What does the accent in está do?

It marks stress and distinguishes the verb está (he/she/it is) from esta (this, feminine). In modern spelling, esta (this) has no accent; the verb está always does.

Why is de required after cerca?

The fixed pattern is cerca de + thing. Without the noun, you can say está cerca (“it’s nearby”), but when you name what it’s near, you must use de: cerca del parque, cerca de la estación.

Can I say cerca a la estación?

Standard Spanish prefers cerca de. Cerca a is heard regionally (e.g., parts of Colombia and Peru) but is often marked or considered nonstandard. Use de to be safe.

Why for and for ?