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estar

/esˈtaɾ/, [esˈt̪aɾ]

be, to be

Verb estar (first-person singular present estoy, first-person singular preterite estuve, past participle estado)

  1. to be (have a (transient) location in space). Compare ser, quedar.
    ¿Dónde estás?
    Where are you?
    Estoy en casa.
    I am at home.
  2. to be (Denotes a copula, in a transient fashion). Compare ser.
    El tiempo estaba frío.
    The weather was cold [back then].
    ¿Estás feliz?
    Are you happy [right now]?
  3. to be (Auxiliary verb for the progressive/continuous aspect) (precedes the gerund of the verb)
    Ella está cantando.
    She is singing.
  4. to be (in the passive voice sense)
    Los vasos están rotos.
    The vases are broken. (In passive voice with estar, unlike haber, its past participle agrees with number and gender of the subject)
  5. (reflexive) to be, feel (Denotes a copula, in a transient fashion)

Source: Wiktionary available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

Examples

  • —¿Qué, —dijo Al-Sayib— ahora crees que por estar en la televisión internacional necesitas ir pavoneándote por ahí con un Armani?

    "What," said Al-Sayib. "You think that being on international TV means that you need to strut around in an Armani now?"

    Source

  • Voy a estar de aprendiz.

    I am going to do an apprenticeship.

    Source

  • Sus vidas podrían estar en peligro.

    Your lives could be in danger.

    Source

  • Voy a estar trabajando.

    I'll be working.

    Source

  • Tom no puede estar lejos aún.

    Tom can't have gone far.

    Source

  • ¡Tienes que estar loco para hacer una cosa así!

    You have to be crazy to do something like that!

    Source

  • Las plantas necesitan estar en un lugar iluminado para realizar la fotosíntesis.

    Plants need to be in a well-lit place to undergo photosynthesis.

    Source

  • Deberías estar alerta cuando haces negocios con desconocidos.

    You should be on your guard when doing business with strangers.

    Source

  • Cuando estaba en la universidad, podía olvidarme de llevar mi reproductor de música o mi cámara, y aun así estar todo bien. ¡Hoy en día, si me olvido de mi cámara estoy jodido!

    When I was in college, I could forget to bring my music player or my camera and still be ok. These days, if I forget my smartphone, I'm screwed!

    Source

  • Tom parece estar buscando problemas.

    Tom seems to be looking for trouble.

    Source

See more examples

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