# estar conjugation

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Updated 2026-10-23 · HTML version: https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/estar

> *Estar* is regular in most tenses and completely irregular in one: the present is *estoy, estás, está*, *estamos, estáis, están*. Use *estar* for location, temporary states, mood, and the result of a change — *está en casa*, *está cansado*, *está lloviendo*. Use *ser* for identity and permanent qualities.

**Diagram.** estar has exactly one irregular tense. Learn the present as a set of six and the rest is an ordinary -ar verb.
> A diagram showing that the Spanish verb estar is irregular only in the present tense — estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están — and regular in every other tense.
- Forms to learn on their own: present, estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están.
- Forms that follow a pattern: estar, every other tense, estuve, estaba, estarán · estaría.
- **Red pencil** is the one tense to learn by heart. **Graphite** is everything that follows the *-ar* pattern.

**estar** — to be (state, location). *Estoy*. The other half of Spanish's two verbs for "to be".

## Present indicative


| Pronoun | estar | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | estoy | ehs-TOY |
| tú | estás | ehs-TAHS |
| él / ella / usted | está | ehs-TAH |
| nosotros | estamos | ehs-TAH-mohs |
| vosotros | estáis | ehs-TAH-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | están | ehs-TAHN |

The present is the irregular part. Everywhere else, *estar* conjugates exactly like a regular *-ar* verb.

## Preterite


| Pronoun | estar | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | estuve | ehs-TOO-veh |
| tú | estuviste | ehs-too-VEES-teh |
| él / ella / usted | estuvo | ehs-TOO-voh |
| nosotros | estuvimos | ehs-too-VEE-mohs |
| vosotros | estuvisteis | ehs-too-vees-TAY-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | estuvieron | ehs-too-VEE-ROHN |

## Imperfect


| Pronoun | estar | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | estaba | ehs-TAH-bah |
| tú | estabas | ehs-TAH-bahs |
| él / ella / usted | estaba | ehs-TAH-bah |
| nosotros | estábamos | ehs-TAH-bah-mohs |
| vosotros | estabais | ehs-TAH-bah-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | estaban | ehs-TAH-bahn |

## Future and conditional


| Pronoun | Future | Conditional |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | estaré | estaría |
| tú | estarás | estarías |
| él / ella / usted | estará | estaría |
| nosotros | estaremos | estaríamos |
| vosotros | estaréis | estaríais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | estarán | estarían |

## Subjunctive


| Pronoun | Present subj. | Imperfect subj. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | esté | estuviera |
| tú | estés | estuvieras |
| él / ella / usted | esté | estuviera |
| nosotros | estemos | estuviéramos |
| vosotros | estéis | estuvierais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | estén | estuvieran |

## Imperative


| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative |
| --- | --- | --- |
| tú | está | no estés |
| usted | esté | no esté |
| nosotros | estémos | no estemos |
| vosotros | estén | no estéis |
| ustedes | estén | no estén |

## ser or estar?

The short version: *ser* is for what something *is*, *estar* is for what something *is like right now* and where it *is*. *Soy profesor* (I am a teacher) but *estoy cansado* (I am tired). *El hotel está cerca* (the hotel is nearby) but *el hotel es barato* (the hotel is cheap).

Two cases where *estar* means the opposite of what you'd guess. **Location** always takes *estar*: *Mi casa está en Boston* — never *es en Boston*. And **the result of a change** takes *estar*: *La puerta está abierta* (the door is open — someone opened it) versus *La puerta es abierta* (the door is an open door, by design).

**This** is also how *estar* forms the progressive tense: *estoy hablando* (I'm speaking), *estoy comiendo* (I'm eating), *estoy leyendo* (I'm reading). The gerund never stands alone in Spanish.

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## Questions

### When do I use estar instead of ser?

For location, for temporary states and moods, for the result of a change, and for weather. If the thing could be different tomorrow, it's probably *estar*. *Está en casa* (at home now), *está cansado* (tired right now), *está lloviendo* (it's raining).

### What is estar gerund?

It doesn't exist. Spanish has no separate gerund form — the gerund endings are used for the progressive tenses (*estoy leyendo*) and for the *estar* + gerund construction, but you never say *estoy leyendo* without the *estar* in front. What English does with "to be" + "-ing", Spanish does with *estar* + gerund, always.

### Is estar ever irregular beyond the present?

Only the present is irregular: *estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están*. The preterite (*estuve, estuviste, estuvo*) and imperfect (*estaba*) have their own irregular stems, which is normal for the very common verbs, but the endings follow the regular *-ar* pattern from then on.

## Related

- [ser conjugation](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/ser.md)
- [Spanish verb conjugations](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations.md)
- [How long does it really take to learn Spanish?](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/how-long-to-learn.md)

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