ELONIO
Log inSign up

¿Dónde están las maletas?

¿Dónde están las maletas?
Where are the suitcases?
From Lesson 15:Hay vs. estar·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about ¿Dónde están las maletas?

Why do we use están here to say "are" instead of hay?
We use a form of estar (like están) because we are talking about the location of specific things. We are asking about las maletas (the suitcases). If we wanted to ask if there are any suitcases around (unspecific existence), we would use hay, as in ¿Hay maletas? (Are there suitcases?).
Could I say ¿Dónde hay las maletas?
No, that would sound very unnatural in Spanish. The word hay (there is/there are) can never be used right before a specific word like el, la, los, or las. Because we are looking for the suitcases (las maletas), you must use estar.
Why does están end with an "n"?
Because we are asking about more than one suitcase. Está is the singular form used for one thing ("it is"), while están is the plural form used for multiple things ("they are"). Since maletas is plural, the verb must match it.
Why does Dónde have an accent mark over the "o"?
In Spanish, question words (like dónde, qué, and cómo) always get a written accent mark when they are used to ask a question.

Learn ¿Dónde están las maletas and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →