Breakdown of ¿Dónde está el contenedor azul?
dónde
where
estar
to be (location/state)
azul
blue
el contenedor
the bin
Questions & Answers about ¿Dónde está el contenedor azul?
Why do we use está instead of es if the street bin's location is permanent?
Even though a street bin's location is mostly permanent, Spanish always uses estar for the physical location of objects and people. You only use ser for location when talking about where an event takes place (like a party or a meeting).
What exactly is a contenedor in this context?
While it translates directly to "container", in everyday Spanish in Spain, a contenedor usually refers to the large public recycling and rubbish bins on the street. The contenedor azul is specifically the blue bin dedicated to recycling paper and cardboard.