Learn Spanish (Spain): ¿Los estudiantes están aquí?

¿Los estudiantes están aquí?

Are the students here?

Breakdown of ¿Los estudiantes están aquí?

el estudiante

the student

estar

to be (location/state)

aquí

here

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Questions & Answers about ¿Los estudiantes están aquí?

What is the exact meaning of aquí, and how does it compare to allí?

Aquí is a locative adverb that means "here" (right where the speaker is). If the students were located further away from the speaker, meaning "there", you would use allí instead, as in ¿Los estudiantes están allí?.

Why do we use están and not son?

In Spanish, the verb estar (to be) is always used to talk about the physical location of people, places, or things. Since we are asking about where the students are located, we use están (they are). The other "to be" verb, ser, is used for permanent traits or identity, but never for location.

The word order is exactly the same as the statement "The students are here." Is that allowed in questions?

Yes! In English, we have to change the word order or add words like "Do" to make a question. In Spanish, you can turn any regular statement into a yes/no question simply by adding question marks and raising the pitch of your voice at the end. You could also flip the words and ask ¿Están aquí los estudiantes?, but both ways are perfectly correct and common.

Does the masculine plural los estudiantes mean they are all boys?

Not necessarily. In Spanish, the masculine plural is used as the default for mixed groups. Los estudiantes could mean a group of all boys, or a mixed group of boys and girls. You would only say las estudiantes if the group was 100% female.