Use the present for current states, habits and actions. The subject can be omitted when the verb makes it clear.
Vosotros is informal plural you in Spain. Ustedes uses the ellos/ellas form and is the usual plural you in Latin America.
Estar is for how and where: estoy cansado, I am tired; está en casa, she is at home.
estoyI am (present)
estásyou are (present)
estáhe/she is (present)
estamoswe are (present)
estáisyou all (vosotros) are (present)
estánthey are (present)
Estar in the preterite tense
Use the preterite for a completed event in the past, viewed as a whole.
estuveI was (preterite)
estuvisteyou were (preterite)
estuvohe/she was (preterite)
estuvimoswe were (preterite)
estuvisteisyou all (vosotros) were (preterite)
estuvieronthey were (preterite)
Estar in the imperfect tense
Use the imperfect for past habits, ongoing situations and background descriptions, without marking their endpoint.
estabaI used to be (imperfect)
estabasyou used to be (imperfect)
estabahe/she used to be (imperfect)
estábamoswe used to be (imperfect)
estabaisyou all (vosotros) used to be (imperfect)
estabanthey used to be (imperfect)
Estar in the future tense
Use the simple future for what will happen. Spanish also uses this tense for a guess about the present.
estaréI will be (future)
estarásyou will be (future)
estaráhe/she will be (future)
estaremoswe will be (future)
estaréisyou all (vosotros) will be (future)
estaránthey will be (future)
Estar in the conditional tense
Use the conditional for what would happen, a polite request or a hypothetical situation.
estaríaI would be (conditional)
estaríasyou would be (conditional)
estaríahe/she would be (conditional)
estaríamoswe would be (conditional)
estaríaisyou all (vosotros) would be (conditional)
estaríanthey would be (conditional)
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Estar conjugation chart
All six persons. Blue, bold forms differ from regular endings, including spelling changes that preserve pronunciation.
Person
Present
Preterite
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
yo
estoy
estuve
estaba
estaré
estaría
tú
estás
estuviste
estabas
estarás
estarías
él / ella / usted
está
estuvo
estaba
estará
estaría
nosotros / nosotras
estamos
estuvimos
estábamos
estaremos
estaríamos
vosotros / vosotras
estáis
estuvisteis
estabais
estaréis
estaríais
ellos / ellas / ustedes
están
estuvieron
estaban
estarán
estarían
Estar in the present tense
Person
Spanish
English
yo
estoy
I am
tú
estás
you are
él / ella / usted
está
he/she is
nosotros / nosotras
estamos
we are
vosotros / vosotras
estáis
you all (vosotros) are
ellos / ellas / ustedes
están
they are
Estar in the preterite tense
Person
Spanish
English
yo
estuve
I was
tú
estuviste
you were
él / ella / usted
estuvo
he/she was
nosotros / nosotras
estuvimos
we were
vosotros / vosotras
estuvisteis
you all (vosotros) were
ellos / ellas / ustedes
estuvieron
they were
Estar in the imperfect tense
Person
Spanish
English
yo
estaba
I used to be
tú
estabas
you used to be
él / ella / usted
estaba
he/she used to be
nosotros / nosotras
estábamos
we used to be
vosotros / vosotras
estabais
you all (vosotros) used to be
ellos / ellas / ustedes
estaban
they used to be
Estar in the future tense
Person
Spanish
English
yo
estaré
I will be
tú
estarás
you will be
él / ella / usted
estará
he/she will be
nosotros / nosotras
estaremos
we will be
vosotros / vosotras
estaréis
you all (vosotros) will be
ellos / ellas / ustedes
estarán
they will be
Estar in the conditional tense
Person
Spanish
English
yo
estaría
I would be
tú
estarías
you would be
él / ella / usted
estaría
he/she would be
nosotros / nosotras
estaríamos
we would be
vosotros / vosotras
estaríais
you all (vosotros) would be
ellos / ellas / ustedes
estarían
they would be
Is estar irregular?
Estar differs from the regular endings in the present, preterite. Changed forms include present: estoy, estás, está; preterite: estuve, estuviste, estuvo. Highlighted forms include spelling changes that preserve pronunciation as well as irregular stems and endings.
Questions about estar
How do you conjugate estar in the present?
The present forms are estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están, in the order yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros and ellos/ellas/ustedes.
What is the preterite of estar?
estuve, estuviste, estuvo, estuvimos, estuvisteis, estuvieron. For example, estuve means “I was”.
Is estar irregular?
Estar differs from the regular endings in the present, preterite. Changed forms include present: estoy, estás, está; preterite: estuve, estuviste, estuvo. Highlighted forms include spelling changes that preserve pronunciation as well as irregular stems and endings.
What is the difference between the preterite and imperfect of estar?
The preterite (estuve) presents a completed event; the imperfect (estaba) gives a past habit or background situation. The English glosses are “I was” and “I used to be”, but context determines the best translation.
What are the future and conditional of estar?
The yo forms are estaré (“I will be”) and estaría (“I would be”). The full charts above include every person.
What does estar mean?
Estar means to be (how or where something is). Estar is for how and where: estoy cansado, I am tired; está en casa, she is at home.