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La mantequilla está en la mesa.

La mantequilla está en la mesa.
The butter is on the table.
From Lesson 78:Breakfast and snacks (la tostada, el cortado)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about La mantequilla está en la mesa.

Why does this sentence use está instead of es?
In Spanish, you always use the verb estar to talk about the physical location of something. Because we are describing where the butter is currently located, we must use está rather than a form of ser.
Doesn't the word en usually mean "in"?
The preposition en is very flexible and can mean "in", "on", or "at" depending on the situation. Spanish relies on context here. Since you generally don't put butter inside a table, en la mesa naturally translates to "on the table".
Could I say sobre la mesa to be perfectly clear that it's on top of the table?
Yes, you absolutely can! The word sobre specifically means "on" or "on top of". However, native speakers use en la mesa all the time for everyday objects resting on a table, so both are correct and perfectly clear.
Why is there an accent mark on está?
That accent mark is very important for telling two words apart. It shows that the emphasis goes on the last syllable, making it the verb that means "is". Without the accent, esta is a completely different word meaning "this", as in esta mesa (this table).

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