Questions & Answers about El gato está loco.
Why do we use está instead of es in this sentence?
Because estar is used for temporary states or conditions. Using está means the cat is acting crazy right now, like having a sudden burst of energy. If we used es (from the verb ser), saying el gato es loco would mean that being crazy is a permanent, essential part of the cat's personality. How would this change if we were talking about a female cat?
Everything connected to the cat has to match its gender. The feminine word for a female cat is la gata, so the describing word must also become feminine. The sentence would be La gata está loca. Why is there an accent mark on está?
The accent mark tells you to put the speaking stress on the last syllable: es-TA. It also prevents confusion with the word esta (without an accent), which means 'this' (as in esta casa, meaning 'this house') and is pronounced ES-ta. Could we just say Está loco without saying el gato?
Yes! If you and the person you are talking to already know you are discussing the cat, you can drop el gato. The verb está already indicates the subject is a 'he', 'she', or 'it', so just saying Está loco perfectly translates to 'He is crazy' or 'It is crazy'. Learn El gato está loco and more in Spanish
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