Estar conjugation in Spanish
estar — to be (state / location) · participle estado · gerund estando
Estar is the second Spanish verb for “to be”. It covers temporary states, locations, moods and the progressive tenses (estoy comiendo). The present tense carries written accents on most forms, so check the table carefully.
Tables show Mexican Spanish: ustedes is the plural "you" (same forms as ellos/ellas). In Spain you'll also hear vosotros — see the variants guide for those forms.
estar conjugation tables
Present
| Pronoun | estar |
|---|---|
| yo | estoy |
| tú | estás |
| él/ella/usted | está |
| nosotros | estamos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están |
Preterite
| Pronoun | estar |
|---|---|
| yo | estuve |
| tú | estuviste |
| él/ella/usted | estuvo |
| nosotros | estuvimos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | estuvieron |
Imperfect
| Pronoun | estar |
|---|---|
| yo | estaba |
| tú | estabas |
| él/ella/usted | estaba |
| nosotros | estábamos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | estaban |
Future
| Pronoun | estar |
|---|---|
| yo | estaré |
| tú | estarás |
| él/ella/usted | estará |
| nosotros | estaremos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | estarán |
Conditional
| Pronoun | estar |
|---|---|
| yo | estaría |
| tú | estarías |
| él/ella/usted | estaría |
| nosotros | estaríamos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | estarían |
Present subjunctive
| Pronoun | estar |
|---|---|
| yo | esté |
| tú | estés |
| él/ella/usted | esté |
| nosotros | estemos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | estén |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Pronoun | estar |
|---|---|
| yo | estuviera |
| tú | estuvieras |
| él/ella/usted | estuviera |
| nosotros | estuviéramos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | estuvieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Pronoun | estar |
|---|---|
| yo | — |
| tú | está |
| él/ella/usted | esté |
| nosotros | estemos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | estén |
How to use estar
When to use estar (PLACE)
Position, Location, Action in progress, Condition, Emotion. Estoy en casa, está cansado, estamos estudiando.
Progressive tenses
Estar + gerund describes what is happening now: estoy hablando, estaban comiendo. Ser can never be used this way.
Meaning shifts
Some adjectives change meaning: es aburrido = he is boring; está aburrido = he is bored. Es listo = he is clever; está listo = he is ready.
estar conjugation FAQ
How do you conjugate estar in the present tense?
Estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están.
When do you use estar instead of ser?
Use estar for locations, temporary conditions, emotions and actions in progress; use ser for identity and defining traits.
Is estar irregular?
Yes. It has an irregular yo form (estoy), accented present endings and a -uv- preterite stem (estuve).
Other full verb guides
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