Breakdown of La casa está limpia ahora.
la casa
the house / home (also "at home")
estar
to be (location/state)
ahora
now
limpio
clean
Questions & Answers about La casa está limpia ahora.
Why do we use está instead of es for 'is' in this sentence?
Why does the word for clean end in an 'a' (limpia)?
Adjectives in Spanish must match the noun they describe in gender. Since La casa (the house) is a feminine noun, the adjective must also be in its feminine form. That is why the standard form limpio changes to limpia.
Could I put ahora at the beginning of the sentence?
Yes, absolutely! You can say Ahora la casa está limpia. Spanish word order is quite flexible, and time words like ahora (now) can easily go at the start or the end of a sentence.
What happens if I forget the accent mark on está?
It changes the meaning of the word entirely! With the accent mark, está is the verb meaning 'is'. Without the accent mark, esta means 'this' (for example, esta casa means 'this house'). The accent also reminds you to stress the final syllable when speaking.