3.3.0: Gramática
Let´s review the different conjugations for the verb Estar.
| Yo estoy | Nosotros estamos |
|---|---|
| Tú estás | Vosotros estáis |
| Él/ella/usted está | Ellos/ellas/ustedes están |
The verb estar is used to refer to different ideas. One of the ways in which you can remember how to use the verb is by remembering the acronym P.L.A.C.E . Let’s review each of the ways in which you already know how to use estar and learn one more new way!
| Position |
Los platos están arriba. Los amigos de Víctor están a la derecha ( right ) de la mesa. |
|---|---|
| Location |
La fruta está en la mesa. Estamos en la clase de español. |
| Actions in progress |
Estamos comiendo en un restaurante nuevo. Ellos están celebrando el cumpleaños de su amigo. |
| Condition |
(Yo) estoy cansada. ¿ Estás enfermo (sick)? |
| Emotion |
¿Vosotros estáis tristes por la derrota ( defeat ) del equipo de fútbol? Los amigos de Víctor están nerviosos. |
Actions in progress : The present progressive
Estar is combined with the present participle of a verb (the stem of a verb plus -ando [for -ar verbs; e.g., camin ando ] or -endo/-iendo [for -er and -ir verbs; e.g., y endo (present participle of ir ), com iendo ; escrib iendo ]) to refer to actions that are in progress at the moment when the person is speaking (e.g., Estamos estudiando los usos del verbo estar.).
-AR Verbs:
When the verb ends in – ar , you drop the ending and add – ando .
estudiar –> estudi ando
- Aimar está estudiando .
-ER and IR Verbs:
When the verb ends in – er or – ir , you drop the ending and add – endo / iendo .
vender –> vend iendo
- Juan y yo estamos vendiendo las frutas.
abrir –> abr iendo
- ¿ Estás abriendo la tienda? ¿Dónde está José? Él debe abrir la tienda hoy.
The verb IR:
IR is irregular and the participle changes to yendo .
ir –> yendo
- Edwin está yendo a clase.
Present Progressive vs. Simple Present
Just like English, Spanish uses the present progressive tense to describe actions that are occurring while one is speaking (e.g., John is writing a letter). Also similar to English, the present tense is used to describe actions that one does repeatedly or habitually (e.g., John writes a letter every morning). One difference between the two languages, however, is that in Spanish the present tense can also be used to describe progressive actions. For example:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué haces? / ¿Qué estás haciendo? | What are you doing? |
| ¿Qué escuchas/ ¿Qué estás escuchando? | What are you listening to? |
Use the following image to review the uses of the present progressive.
Attribution : By ProfeDeELE.es, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ahora mira el siguiente vídeo. It offers a summary of the verb estar and its uses.
Attribution: By FluencyPof