In a Latin-based language like Spanish, you’ll be learning a lot of verbs. Most verbs follow a regular pattern depending on their endings (i.e. -ar, -er, and -ir verbs).

However, there are also some irregular verbs that don’t follow a set conjugation pattern. These can be stem-changing (changes depending on how it is used in a sentence) and spelling-changing (certain consonants change to help with pronunciation). Some verbs are also reflexive, which means they “reflect” the action back on the subject of the sentence.

The verb “estar”, which means “to be”, is an irregular verb, and one of the most important verbs you’ll learn in Spanish. It can be confusing to tell the difference between when to use “estar” or “ser”, which have the same meaning, but in general, “estar” is used for impermanent states of being.

In the present tense, “estar” isn’t conjugated according to set -ar verb patterns, so you’ll just need to memorize it, along with which accent marks to use:

The Present Tense of Estar

ConjugationTranslationyo estoyI amtú estásYou (informal) areél/ella/ello/uno estáHe/she/one isusted estáYou (formal) arenosotros estamosWe arevosotros estáisYou all (informal) areellos/ellas estánThey areustedes estánYou all (formal) are

Here are some sentences that illustrate how “estar” is used in the present tense:

• (Yo) estoy triste hoy (I am sad today)
• Ella está parada afuera de la puerta (She is standing outside the gate)

Now that we’ve covered the present tense, we’ll swiftly move on to the preterit (past) tense. Note the irregular route i.e. estuv- (and the lack of accent marks).

The Preterit Tense of Estar

ConjugationTranslationyo estuveI wastú estuvisteYou (informal) wereél/ella/ello/uno estuvoHe/she/one wasusted estuvoYou (formal) werenosotros estuvimosWe werevosotros estuvisteisYou all (informal) wereellos/ellas estuvieronThey wereustedes estuvieronYou all (formal) were

Here are some examples of how “estar” is used to demonstrate a completed action in the past:

• ¿Estuviste en clase la semana pasada? (Were you in class last week?)
• Estaban muy felices de verlo (They were very happy to see him)

In the imperfect tense, “estar” is conjugated according to the regular -ar verb conjugation pattern, and refers to uncompleted or “imperfect” actions in the past.

This tense can sometimes be a bit tricky to get your head around, but as you practice speaking and reading you’ll start to get a feel for when to use it.

The Imperfect Tense of Estar

ConjugationTranslationyo estabaI used to betú estabasYou (informal) used to beél/ella/ello/uno estabaHe/she/one used to beusted estabaYou (formal) used to benosotros estábamosWe used to bevosotros estabaisYou all (informal) used to beellos/ellas estabanThey used to beustedes estabanYou all (formal) used to be

Here are some examples of how “estar” is used in the imperfect tense to show an uncompleted action in the past:

• Cuando éramos niños éramos muy buenos amigos (When we were children we were really good friends)
• ¿Estabas acostumbrado a hacer eso? (Were you used to doing that?)

In the future tense, estar is also conjugated according to regular -ar verb patterns. In this tense, it refers to less permanent actions that will take place in the future (e.g. location).

The Future Tense of Estar

ConjugationTranslationyo estaréI will betú estarásYou (informal) will beél/ella/ello/uno estaráHe/she/one will beusted estaráYou (formal) will benosotros estaremosWe will bevosotros estaréisYou all (informal) will beellos/ellas estaránThey will beustedes estaránYou all (formal) will be

To show you how here are some ways to conjugate “estar” in the future tense:

• ¿Estarás listo para el examen la próxima semana? (Will you be ready for the exam next week?)
• Ella te estará esperando en la parada del autobús (She will be waiting for you at the bus stop)

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