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Questions & Answers about Tu estás pronto?
Why do we use estás (from estar) instead of és (from ser) here?
We use estar because being ready is a temporary state or condition. You are ready for something right now, which is a situation that changes. We save ser for permanent characteristics or identities.
Would this sentence change if I am asking a woman if she is ready?
Yes. Adjectives in Portuguese must match the gender of the person they describe. Pronto is the masculine form. If you are speaking to a woman, you must change it to the feminine form: Tu estás pronta?
Why isn't the word order switched for a question, like in English ("Are you...")?
In Portuguese, you don't need to flip the verb and the subject to ask a question. You just keep the exact same word order as a normal statement (Tu estás pronto) and turn it into a question by raising your voice at the end, or by adding a question mark in writing.
Can I leave out the word tu and just say Estás pronto?
Absolutely! It is extremely common to drop the subject pronoun in Portuguese. Because the verb form estás is only ever used with tu (informal you), the listener instantly knows who you are talking to even without the pronoun.