La mesa está contra la pared.

to be

Breakdown of La mesa está contra la pared.

• la mesa: the table
• la pared: the wall
• contra: against

Questions & Answers about La mesa está contra la pared.

Why is it está and not es in La mesa está contra la pared?

In Spanish, location almost always uses estar, not ser.

• Use estar for:

  • physical location: La mesa está contra la pared. (The table is located against the wall.)
  • temporary states: Estoy cansado. (I’m tired.)

• Use ser for:

  • permanent or defining characteristics: La mesa es grande. (The table is big.)
  • identity, time, origin, profession, etc.

So, because we’re talking about where the table is, Spanish requires está, not es.
Saying La mesa es contra la pared is incorrect.

What exactly does contra mean here? Is it like against, versus, or near?

In this sentence, contra means physically against / up against / touching.

• La mesa está contra la pared.
  → The table is right up against the wall, likely touching it.

Other uses of contra:

• España contra Francia – Spain versus France (in sports, etc.)
• vacuna contra la gripe – vaccine against the flu.

So in position descriptions like this, contra ≈ up against, not just "near."

What’s the difference between contra la pared, junto a la pared, al lado de la pared, and cerca de la pared?