There are two verbs that are used in many idioms and usually cause confusion while learning Spanish. They are the verbs ser and estar. In this article, we are going to see some interesting meanings of the verb estar.

Meanings of the Verb Estar

Estar is irregular in most tenses. One of the most popular meanings of the verb estar is to indicate location.

Creo que la manta está en el sofá.

I think that the blanket is on the couch.

La estudiante está en la biblioteca.

The student is in the library.

Now let’s continue learning other meanings of the verb estar with examples.

Estar can be used on its own to indicate location. It means being somewhere or being located somewhere. You do not have to add the place if it is understood.

Lo siento, no puede hablar con mis padres porque no están.

Sorry, you cannot talk to my parents because they are not here.

¿Está Juan? Me gustaría hablar con él sobre el proyecto.

Is Juan there? I would like to talk to him about the project.

In Spanish, you do not need to add any information about the place if it is already understood. For example, when you say no están, it is understood that wherever they should be, they are not there. You do not need to mention the place.

In English you would need adverbs (here, there) in those situations because the English verb to be cannot be used on its own. 

They are not. 

This English sentence is incomplete. You need to add an adverb or a place and say they are not there or they are not here.

However, in Spanish when you use estar, you can omit the place. Have a look at the following phone conversation:

¿Está el señor González?

Is Mr. González there?

No, no está. Ha ido a una reunión.

No, he is not here. He’s gone to a meeting.

As you can see, you can ask if someone is available on the phone using estar on its own. The logic that goes behind says that if you call a place to ask if someone is available, it is understood you want to know if they are in that place you are calling to, so you do not need to say the place.

Estar with the civil status

Estar can be used to describe the civil status. Vocabulary words like soltero (single), casado (married) or viudo (widower) express your marital status and they are always used with estar.

El hermano de Pablo está casado, ¿no?

Pablo’s brother is married, isn’t he?

¿Sabes si la prima de Raquel está soltera?

Do you know if Raquel’s cousin is single?

Estar with participles

Estar can be used with particles to express a result. It has a passive meaning.

El informe está terminado. ¿Quieres una copia?

The report is finished. Do you want a copy?

La aspiradora está arreglada. Puedes usarla si la necesitas.

The vacuum cleaner is fixed. You can use it if you need it.

As you can see, the participle agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to.

Estar en with months or seasons

Estar en can be used to express which month or season we are in. This meaning is expressed using the form estamos.

Estamos en marzo y la próxima semana es mi cumpleaños.

It is March and next week it is my birthday.

Estamos en primavera. Me encanta esta estación.

It is spring. I love this season.

Estar a indicating the price

Let’s finish reviewing the meanings of the verb estar with the phrase estar a which can be used to express how much something costs.

Las naranjas están a dos euros en el mercado.

The oranges are €2 at the market.

La camisa ahora está a diez dólares.

The shirt is now $10.

Exercises

Let’s practice the meanings of the verb estar with these exercises.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Categorized in:

Verb EstarGrammar