Spanish Verb Estar Conjugation

Estar is one of the two Spanish verbs that mean "to be" (ser is the second verb). Ser and estar are some of the most commonly used verbs in Spanish. Although they both mean "to be," they are used in different contexts.

The verb estar is irregular, meaning it does not follow a common conjugation pattern. This article includes estar conjugations in the present, past, conditional and future indicative, the present and past subjunctive, the imperative, and other verb forms.

Using the Verb Estar

Estar is often used to talk about temporary states of being. For example, Ella está triste porque recibió malas noticias (She is sad because she received bad news). It is also used to talk about the location of a person or thing. For example, El doctor no está en su oficina porque hoy está en su casa (The doctor is not in his office because today he is at his home). Another use of the verb estar is as an auxiliary verb followed by the gerund in the present progressive construction. For example, El niño está jugando con sus juguetes (The boy is playing with his toys).

Estar Present Indicative

The present form of the verb estar means that the verb is expressing an action that is happening now or is current. Indicative means the verb is a statement of fact. In Spanish, this is called the presente del indicativo; for example, "How can I tell if I am speaking with a bot?" or ¿Cómo puedo saber si estoy hablando con un bot? In English, the present indicative form of estar is "am/is/are."

Estar Preterite Indicative

The preterite indicative form is used for past actions that are completed. In Spanish, this is called the pretérito. For example, "They were also in the family photo," is translated to Ellos también estuvieron en la foto familiar. In English, the preterite indicative form of estar is "were."

Estar Imperfect Indicative 

The imperfect indicative form, or imperfecto del indicativo in Spanish, is used to talk about a past action or state of being without specifying when it began or ended. It is often equivalent to "were" in English. For example, "He proposed marriage to her while they were on a roller coaster," is translated to Él le propuso matrimonio mientras estaban en una montaña rusa. In English, the imperfect indicative form of estar is "used to be."

Estar Future Indicative 

The future indicative form, or futuro del indicativo in Spanish, is used to tell what will or shall happen. It means "will be" in English. For example, Creed lo que os digo, y estaráis seguros, means "Believe what I tell you, and you will be safe."

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Estar Periphrastic Future Indicative 

The periphrastic future is formed with the present tense conjugation of the verb ir (to go), followed by the preposition a and the infinitive of the verb. For example, Mañana a esta hora voy a estar en Madrid, means "Tomorrow at this time I am going to be in Madrid."

Estar Present Progressive/Gerund Form

The gerund, or gerundio in Spanish, refers to the "-ing" form of the verb. In Spanish the gerund can function as an adverb. To form the gerund, like in English, all words take on the same ending, in this case, the "ing" becomes -ando. Estar becomes estando. For example, "This is what you should do while being pregnant," translates to, Esto es lo que debes hacer estando embarazada. Estando is also called the present participle, which is used for progressive forms such as the present progressive. However, the auxiliary verb for the present progressive is also the verb estar, and therefore the progressive form is never used with estando, since it would yield a redundant expression like está estando. 

Present Progressive of Estar: está estando

She is being -> Ella está estando muy triste por la noticia.

Estar Past Participle

The past participle corresponds to the English -en or -ed form of the verb. It is created by dropping the -ar and adding -ado. The verb, estar, becomes estado. The past participle is used in compound tenses such as the present perfect. For example, "We have been in your situation," translates to Nosotros hemos estado en tu situación.

Present Perfect of Estar: ha estado 

Has been -> Ella ha estado triste por la noticia.

Estar Conditional Indicative 

The conditional indicative form, or el condicional, is used to express probability, possibility, wonder or conjecture, and is usually translated into English as would, could, must have or probably. For example, "Some of them would be happy if the murderer were to die," would translate to Algunos de ellos estarían felices si muriera el asesino.

Estar Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive, or presente de subjuntivo, functions much like the present indicative time-wise, except it deals with mood and is used in situations of doubt, desire, or emotion, and is generally subjective. Use the present subjunctive when you want a subject to do something. For example, "I hope you are prepared," would be Espero que tú estés preparada.

Estar Imperfect Subjunctive 

The imperfect subjunctive, or imperfecto del subjuntivo, is used as a clause describing something in the past and in situations of doubt, desire, or emotion, and is generally subjective. For example, "If I were in your place, I'd do the same thing," which translates to, Si yo estuviera en tu lugar, haría lo mismo. 

There are two different ways of conjugating the imperfect subjunctive, shown in the tables below.

Option 1

Option 2

Estar Imperative 

The imperative, or imperativo in Spanish, is used to give commands or orders. Since a person orders others, the first person is not used. In the tables below you can find both the positive and negative commands. However, it is not very common to use commands with the verb estar, so some of the examples below may sound awkward.

Positive Commands

Negative Commands