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El gato está arriba, en la cama.

El gato está arriba, en la cama.
The cat is upstairs, on the bed.
From Lesson 90:Complex prepositions of place (encima de, debajo de...)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about El gato está arriba, en la cama.

Why is arriba used for "upstairs" instead of a preposition like encima de?
Encima de needs an object—it means "on top of [something]." Arriba is a direction or place word meaning "up" or "upstairs" all by itself. You use arriba for the general area (upstairs) and prepositions like encima de for position relative to something else.
Could I say encima de la cama instead of en la cama?
Yes, you could! En is a flexible word that can mean "in," "on," or "at." Context tells us it means "on the bed" here. If you want to be extra clear that the cat is right on top of the blankets, encima de la cama is a great choice from this lesson.
Does arriba always mean "upstairs"?
Not always. It generally means "up" or "above." In a house, it naturally means "upstairs," but outside it could just mean "up high." Its opposite, meaning "down" or "downstairs," is abajo.
Why do we use está instead of es?
We use está (from the verb estar) because we are talking about location. In Spanish, physical locations always use estar, even if the person or object never moves.

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