Estamos en la línea de salida.

Because Spanish uses estar for location and many temporary states, while ser is used for identity, origin, permanent characteristics, and similar ideas.

Here, Estamos en la línea de salida is talking about where we are, so estar is the correct verb.

• estamos = we are from estar
• somos = we are from ser

So:

• Estamos en Madrid. = We are in Madrid.
• Somos españoles. = We are Spanish.

Estamos is the 1st person plural (we) of the present indicative of estar.

The present tense of estar is:

• estoy = I am
• estás = you are
• está = he/she/it is
• estamos = we are
• estáis = you all are (Spain)
• están = they/you all are

So estamos means we are.

En is the normal preposition for being in, on, or at a place in Spanish.

So Estamos en la línea de salida literally means something like We are in/on/at the starting line. English chooses different prepositions depending on context, but Spanish often just uses en.

A few examples:

• Estamos en casa. = We are at home.
• Está en la mesa. = It is on the table.
• Estoy en Madrid. = I am in Madrid.

So even if English says at the starting line, Spanish naturally says en la línea de salida.

Yes. Línea is a feminine noun, so it takes la:

• la línea
• una línea

That is why the sentence says la línea de salida, not el línea.

Even though some words ending in -a are masculine, línea is feminine.

Not always. Línea can mean several things, such as:

• a line drawn on paper
• a railway/metro line
• a telephone line
• a line in a race

But when English line means a queue, Spanish in Spain more often uses cola.

So:

• la línea de salida = the starting line
• hacer cola = to queue / stand in line

A learner might expect línea to work for every kind of line, but it does not always match English exactly.

Salida is a noun related to the verb salir (to leave / to go out). It often means:

• exit
• way out
• departure
• start

In this sentence, salida means start in the sense of a race or event.

So la línea de salida is literally the line of start/departure, which is how Spanish says the starting line.

You may also see salida in other contexts:

• salida de emergencia = emergency exit
• hora de salida = departure time

Because de + noun is very common in Spanish to show the type or function of something.

So línea de salida means starting line or line for starting.

This is similar to other combinations such as:

• sala de espera = waiting room
• gafas de sol = sunglasses
• mesa de comedor = dining table

If you said de la salida, it would usually sound like you mean of the exit or of the departure, referring to a specific one, not the general concept.

Yes, that is grammatically correct, but Spanish usually drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

So the normal sentence is simply:

• Estamos en la línea de salida.

You add nosotros only if you want emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Nosotros estamos en la línea de salida, pero ellos todavía no.

That gives extra stress to we.

No. It can be literal or figurative.

Literal

It can describe actually being at the starting line of a race, competition, or event.

Figurative

It can also mean we are at the beginning, we are just about to start, or we are ready to begin.

For example, in a business or project context, someone might use it metaphorically to say that everything is prepared and the real work is about to begin.

Línea is pronounced roughly LEE-neh-ah, with the stress on the first syllable.

The written accent on í shows that the stress falls there and helps signal that the vowels are pronounced separately:

• lí-ne-a

So it has three syllables, not two.

This is useful because learners may be tempted to compress it too much, but in careful Spanish it is clearly lí-ne-a.

Línea de salida is standard and widely understood.

But in some specific contexts, especially motor racing, you may also hear more specialized expressions such as parrilla de salida, which refers to the starting grid rather than just the line.

So:

• línea de salida = starting line
• parrilla de salida = starting grid

For a general learner, línea de salida is the safest and most useful phrase to know.