Conjugation of estar in Spanish
estarto be (temporary state, location)irregular
Presente
Actions happening now or habitually.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estoy | |
| tú | estás | |
| él/ella/Ud. | está | |
| nosotros | estamos | |
| vosotros | estáis | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | están |
Common mistakes in the Presente
- yo
soyestoyConfusing ser and estar. Use estar (estoy) for temporary states or location; ser (soy) for inherent characteristics. - tú
estasestásMissing accent. The correct form is estás. - él/ella/Ud.
estaestáMissing accent. The correct form is está. - vosotros
estaisestáisMissing accent. The correct form is estáis.
Pretérito Indefinidosimple past
Completed actions in the past.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estuve | |
| tú | estuviste | |
| él/ella/Ud. | estuvo | |
| nosotros | estuvimos | |
| vosotros | estuvisteis | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estuvieron |
Common mistakes in the Pretérito Indefinido
- yo
estabaestuveUsing the imperfect (estaba) instead of the preterite (estuve) for completed past actions.
Pretérito Imperfecto
Ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estaba | |
| tú | estabas | |
| él/ella/Ud. | estaba | |
| nosotros | estábamos | |
| vosotros | estabais | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estaban |
Futuro Simplefuture
Actions that will happen.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estaré | |
| tú | estarás | |
| él/ella/Ud. | estará | |
| nosotros | estaremos | |
| vosotros | estaréis | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estarán |
Condicional Simpleconditional
Actions that would happen under some condition.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estaría | |
| tú | estarías | |
| él/ella/Ud. | estaría | |
| nosotros | estaríamos | |
| vosotros | estaríais | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estarían |
Subjuntivo Presentepresent subjunctive
Wishes, doubts and possibilities in the present.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | esté | |
| tú | estés | |
| él/ella/Ud. | esté | |
| nosotros | estemos | |
| vosotros | estéis | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estén |
Common mistakes in the Subjuntivo Presente
- él/ella/Ud.
estaestéMissing accent and wrong mood. Use esté for subjunctive contexts (e.g., 'espero que esté').
Subjuntivo Imperfectoimperfect subjunctive
Hypothetical or unreal situations in the past.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estuviera | |
| tú | estuvieras | |
| él/ella/Ud. | estuviera | |
| nosotros | estuviéramos | |
| vosotros | estuvierais | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estuvieran |
Imperativoimperative
Commands and requests.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| tú | está | |
| él/ella/Ud. | esté | |
| nosotros | estemos | |
| vosotros | estad | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estén |
Common mistakes in the Imperativo
- tú
no estásestáUsing the indicative for negative commands. The negative imperative uses the subjunctive: 'no estés'. (Affirmative: 'está')
Gerundio
The -ing form used for ongoing action.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estando | |
| tú | estando | |
| él/ella/Ud. | estando | |
| nosotros | estando | |
| vosotros | estando | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estando |
Participio Pasadopast participle
The form used in compound tenses and the passive.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estado | |
| tú | estado | |
| él/ella/Ud. | estado | |
| nosotros | estado | |
| vosotros | estado | |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estado |
estar — frequently asked questions
Is estar a regular verb?
No — estar is an irregular Spanish verb, so some of its forms do not follow the standard endings.
What does estar mean?
estar is a Spanish verb meaning "to be (temporary state, location)".