Learn Spanish (Spain): Las sillas están allí.

Las sillas están allí.

The chairs are there.

Breakdown of Las sillas están allí.

estar

to be (location/state)

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Questions & Answers about Las sillas están allí.

What exactly does allí mean, and how is it different from aquí?

allí means "there" (indicating something far from both the speaker and the listener). aquí means "here" (close to the speaker). In this sentence, the chairs are located at a distance from the people talking.

I've also seen ahí. Could I say Las sillas están ahí?

Yes, but it changes the meaning slightly. ahí means "there" but usually refers to a place closer to the person you are talking to, or just a short distance away. allí means "over there", representing a place further away from both of you.

Why do we use están instead of son for "are"?

We use están (from the verb estar) because we are talking about where something is located. In Spanish, you always use estar for physical locations, even if the chairs are kept in that spot permanently!

Why does allí have an accent mark on the "í"?

The accent mark tells you to stress the final syllable when you say it out loud (ah-YEE). Without the accent mark, the natural rules of Spanish pronunciation would make you stress the first syllable.