CAS: Lesson - El verbo estar
El verbo estar
Even though estar translates as to be, it’s helpful to think of this verb as an action that expresses a status or condition. It usually refers to temporary states that will probably change in the near future such as to express how you are feeling in this moment or where you are located.
Image note: one of the common uses of the verb estar is when discussing emotion. Can you provide an emotion for each mask in the image? You would express it as: Yo estoy...
Exploring estar
One of the peculiarities of the verb estar is that it’s an irregular verb. This means that it doesn’t follow the same pattern as most verbs in Spanish. It has its own set of conjugations and that’s why it’s so important to study them.
Estar is an irregular yo verb, which means that the first-person singular is the one that suffers the big change in conjugation compared to regular verbs.
Conjugating estar
Now that we have the basic rules understood, let's see how estar is conjugated.
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | Yo estoy | Nosotros/Nosotras estamos |
| 2nd Person (informal) | Tú estás | Vosotros/Vosotras estáis |
| 3rd Person / 2nd Person (formal) | Él/Ella/Usted está | Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes están |
Note in particular the irregular yo form: estoy and the use of an accent mark in the tú (ás), él/ella/usted (á) and ellos/ellas/ustedes (án) forms.
When to use estar
In all, there are five specific areas in which estar is used instead of ser. To remember these five areas we use the acronym PLACE:
- Position: Estoy sentado. - I am sitting down.
- Location: Mi papa está en la sala. - My dad is in the living room.
- Actions: Tú estás caminando. - You are walking.
- Conditions: Está lloviendo hoy. - It is raining today.
- Emotions: Estoy feliz. - I am happy.
Video Lesson
This video lesson will help you understand how and when to use the verb ESTAR. This is a muy importante lección (very important lesson) You may want to watch it twice! You will need tu cuaderno (your notebook), tu lápiz or bolígrafo (your pencil or your pen) and maybe tu botella de agua (your water bottle) Necesitas tomar apuntes (take notes) and complete practice activities. Remember, email your teacher if you have any questions after you complete a lesson. Your instructor is always available to help you and clarify any additional questions you may have before you move forward with your studies.
Video credit: CyberProfe
Practice Activity
Was this video lesson helpful? Can you conjugate the verb estar and use this verb in a few sentences? Do you understand when to use the verb ESTAR? Can you write in Spanish I am in the kitchen?
Take time to practice. All practice activities have unlimited attempts. Practice as many times as you need. When you complete practice activities, you are reviewing the lessons and preparing yourself to move forward in the course!
Complete the following practice activity. Be sure you do not forget to use correct end punctuation, capitalization, accents and all diacritical marks in your response or points will be deducted.
NOTE: You are required to use information from this course to complete all practice activities. Additionally, fill-in-the-blank activities can be very particular: if an item is marked incorrect, double check that it wasn't something as minor as an extra space or a capital letter in the wrong place!
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