Estar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

estar — to be — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Estar is the verb for states, locations and temporary conditions: how you feel, where something is, and how things are right now. It pairs with the gerund to form the progressive (estoy hablando) and with adjectives to describe moods and health. The ser vs estar contrast is the single most important choice in Spanish. On this page you will find estar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with estar

In the present tense

  • “Yo estoy en casa ahora.” — “I am at home now.”
  • “Ella está muy cansada hoy.” — “She is very tired today.”
  • “Nosotros estamos listos para salir.” — “We are ready to leave.”
  • “Las llaves están sobre la mesa.” — “The keys are on the table.”
  • “¿Tú estás enfermo?” — “Are you ill?”
  • “Vosotros estáis en la cocina.” — “You are in the kitchen.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo estuve en Madrid.” — “Yesterday I was in Madrid.”
  • “Ella estuvo enferma la semana pasada.” — “She was ill last week.”
  • “Nosotros estuvimos en la playa todo el día.” — “We were at the beach all day.”
  • “Ellos estuvieron contentos con la noticia.” — “They were happy with the news.”
  • “¿Tú estuviste en la fiesta anoche?” — “Were you at the party last night?”
  • “El libro estuvo en la mochila.” — “The book was in the backpack.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo estaba en casa en Madrid.” — “As a child, I used to be at home in Madrid.”
  • “Mañana, yo estaré en casa en Madrid.” — “Tomorrow, I will be at home in Madrid.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo estaría en casa en Madrid.” — “If I could, I would be at home in Madrid.”
  • “Yo he estado en casa en Madrid.” — “I have been at home in Madrid.”

Estar in context

Cada día, yo estoy en casa en Madrid. Mi amigo también está en casa en Madrid cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo estoy en casa de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de estar es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo estuve en casa en Madrid. Mi amigo estuvo en casa en Madrid también, y por la noche yo estuve en casa otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de estar aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with estar

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo soy cansado.

Right: Yo estoy cansado.

Being tired is a temporary state, so it takes estar, not ser.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Madrid es en España — wrong for location.

Right: Madrid está en España.

Cities and places take estar for location; ser is for identity, not for where something is.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Treating estar as a regular verb.

Right: Learn the irregular forms: present estoy, preterite estuve.

estar is irregular — its present and preterite do not follow the regular endings, so they have to be memorised as a set.

Quiz: estar in everyday use

Ten questions on estar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of estar in the present tense?

  • A) estoy
  • B) estás
  • C) está
  • D) estamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is estoy.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of estar in the present tense?

  • A) estoy
  • B) estás
  • C) estamos
  • D) está

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is está.

3. What is the yo form of estar in the preterite?

  • A) estuvo
  • B) estuvimos
  • C) estuve
  • D) estuviste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is estuve.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of estar in the preterite?

  • A) estuvo
  • B) estuvieron
  • C) estuve
  • D) estuviste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is estuvieron.

5. What is the yo form of estar in the imperfect?

  • A) estaba
  • B) estabas
  • C) estaba
  • D) estábamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is estaba.

6. What is the tú form of estar in the future?

  • A) estaré
  • B) estará
  • C) estaremos
  • D) estarás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is estarás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of estar in the conditional?

  • A) estarías
  • B) estaríamos
  • C) estaría
  • D) estaría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is estaría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of estar in the present perfect?

  • A) ha estado
  • B) hemos estado
  • C) he estado
  • D) has estado

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos estado.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ en casa ahora.” (I am at home now.)

  • A) estoy
  • B) estás
  • C) está
  • D) estamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs estoy.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo estoy cansado.
  • B) Yo soy cansado.

Answer: A — Being tired is a temporary state, so it takes estar, not ser.

Frequently asked questions

What does estar mean?

estar means “to be” in English. Estar is the verb for states, locations and temporary conditions: how you feel, where something is, and how things are right now. It pairs with the gerund to form the progressive (estoy hablando) and with adjectives to describe moods and health. The ser vs estar contrast is the single most important choice in Spanish.

Is estar regular?

No. estar is an irregular -ar verb (irregular in present, preterite, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative). It is irregular in present, preterite, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, and those forms have to be learnt as a set rather than built by rule. The full conjugation page shows every tense.

When do I use estar in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — estuve, estuviste, estuvo — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — estaba, estabas, estaba — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to estar as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise estar?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Estar Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for estar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo estoy…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo estuve…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo estaré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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