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La biblioteca está arriba, y la cafetería abajo.

La biblioteca está arriba, y la cafetería abajo.
The library is upstairs, and the café is downstairs.
FromLesson 16inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of La biblioteca está arriba, y la cafetería abajo.

estar
to be
y
and
la biblioteca
the library
la cafetería
the café
arriba
upstairs
abajo
downstairs

Questions & Answers about La biblioteca está arriba, y la cafetería abajo.

Why is estar used instead of ser?
Spanish uses estar to talk about the location of people and things. So La biblioteca está arriba is correct. Use ser for where events take place: La reunión es en la planta de arriba.
Do I have to repeat está before abajo?
No. Omitting the second está is a common ellipsis: La biblioteca está arriba y la cafetería, abajo. If you want the fully explicit version, say … y la cafetería está abajo.
Is the comma before y correct here?
Normally Spanish does not use a comma before y. A more standard punctuation is: La biblioteca está arriba y la cafetería, abajo. The comma after cafetería marks the omitted está. Writing it without any comma is also acceptable if you repeat the verb.
Should I say en arriba or just arriba?
Just arriba. It’s an adverb, so no preposition: está arriba / está abajo. Use encima de or debajo de when you specify what something is above or below: encima de la cafetería, debajo de la biblioteca.
What’s the difference between arriba/abajo and encima de/debajo de?
  • arriba/abajo: general vertical position (upstairs/up; downstairs/down).
  • encima de/debajo de: relative to another thing (above/on top of; under/beneath). Encima de often implies very close or on top; sobre can also mean above/on.
Does arriba mean “upstairs” and abajo “downstairs” in Spain?
Yes, in a building context. Alternatives: en la planta de arriba / en la planta baja. In Spain, floor numbering is: planta baja (ground floor), then primera planta, segunda planta, etc.
Can I use queda instead of está?
Yes. Queda is common when giving directions or describing where something is located: La biblioteca queda arriba y la cafetería, abajo.
Why do we need la before biblioteca and cafetería?
Spanish normally uses the definite article with common nouns as subjects: La biblioteca… la cafetería… You might drop articles on signs or labels (Biblioteca arriba), but in a sentence they’re expected.
Can I invert the order: Arriba está la biblioteca y abajo la cafetería?
Yes. Inversion is fine for emphasis or style: Arriba está la biblioteca y abajo, la cafetería. Meaning is unchanged.
Why does está have an accent? How is it different from esta?
Está (with accent) is the verb form of estar (he/she/it is). Esta (no accent) is the feminine demonstrative adjective/pronoun meaning this: esta cafetería.
Any quick pronunciation tips?
  • b/v sound the same in Spanish; in biblioteca both letters are pronounced like a soft b.
  • rr in arriba is a trilled sound.
  • Stress: biblioTEca, cafetE but the written accent makes it cafeterÍa (stress on -rí-).
  • y is pronounced like English “ee.”
Could I say el café instead of la cafetería?
Sometimes. El café can mean the drink or a café/coffee shop. La cafetería is a canteen-style place (common on campuses). In Spain, el bar can also refer to a casual café.
Are arriba and abajo adjectives? Can I say la planta arriba?
They’re adverbs, not adjectives, so they don’t modify nouns directly. Say la planta de arriba and la planta de abajo.
How would the sentence change in the plural?
The verb agrees in number: Las bibliotecas están arriba y las cafeterías, abajo.
Should y ever change to e here?
No. Y only changes to e before words starting with an i or hi sound: padres e hijos, historia e inglés. Since the next word is la, it stays y.
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