Breakdown of La farola está encendida por la noche.
la noche
the night
estar
to be
la farola
the streetlight
encendida
on (turned on)
Questions & Answers about La farola está encendida por la noche.
Why is it está and not es?
Because we’re describing a temporary/state condition. Estar + adjective/participle expresses a state or result (the lamppost is in the “on” state). Ser + participle would form a passive about an action: La farola es encendida por la noche = “it is turned on at night” (event), which is grammatical but formal and uncommon in everyday speech. For the action/routine, Spanish prefers Se enciende por la noche.
What is encendida here, and how is it different from encendiendo?
Encendida is the past participle of encender, used adjectivally to mean “on/lit.” It describes the resulting state. Encendiendo is the gerund (“turning on”), used for an action in progress: La farola se está encendiendo (“the lamppost is turning on right now”). To express “is on,” you need the participle-as-adjective: está encendida.
Why does encendida end in -a?
Agreement. Farola is feminine singular, so the adjective/participle agrees: encendida. Plural would be Las farolas están encendidas. With a masculine noun: El farol está encendido.
Can I use de noche, por las noches, en la noche, or a la noche instead of por la noche?