LinguaThree things you can now do
You can say where someone is and how they feel with estar, place a thing precisely with the prepositions and the contractions al / del, and ask for and follow directions with hay, está and three street words. Everything below is a reminder, not new material – read it once and go to the exercises.
| Pronoun | Form of estar | Form of ser |
|---|---|---|
| yo | estoy | soy |
| tú | estás | eres |
| él, ella, usted | está | es |
| nosotros, nosotras | estamos | somos |
| vosotros, vosotras | estáis | sois |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | están | son |
| You want to say | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| identity, profession, origin | ser | Es médica y es de Lima. |
| a quality that stays | ser | Es alto y simpático. |
| where someone or something is | estar | Está en la oficina. |
| a state right now | estar | Está cansado y triste. |
| something new exists | hay | Hay una farmacia aquí. |
The prepositions in one glance
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| en | in, on, at | Está en la mesa. |
| al lado de | next to | Está al lado del banco. |
| delante de / detrás de | in front of / behind | Está detrás de la casa. |
| encima de / debajo de | on top of / under | Está debajo de la silla. |
| entre … y … | between … and … | Está entre el café y el banco. |
| cerca de / lejos de | near / far from | Está lejos del centro. |
| a la derecha / a la izquierda | on the right / on the left | Está a la izquierda. |
The two contractions never take a day off: a + el = al, de + el = del. They happen only with el – with la, los and las nothing changes. Al lado del banco, but al lado de la plaza; vamos al cine, but vamos a la playa.
Directions in five phrases
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ¿Hay … por aquí? | is there a … around here? |
| ¿Dónde está …? | where is the …? |
| sigue todo recto | go straight on |
| gira a la derecha / a la izquierda | turn right / left |
| está en la esquina / al final de la calle | it is on the corner / at the end of the street |
Perdón, ¿dónde está el banco? – Está al final de la calle, a la izquierda del supermercado.Excuse me, where is the bank? – It is at the end of the street, to the left of the supermarket.
Hoy estamos cansados pero contentos: la casa nueva está cerca de la playa.Today we are tired but happy: the new house is near the beach.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| estar | to be (somewhere; in a state) | Es bueno estar cerca de la familia. It is good to be near the family. |
| cansado | tired | ¿Estás cansada? – Sí, un poco. Are you tired? – Yes, a little. |
| ocupado | busy | La profesora está ocupada esta tarde. The teacher is busy this afternoon. |
| al lado de | next to | El café está al lado de la estación. The café is next to the station. |
| debajo de | under | El perro duerme debajo de la mesa. The dog sleeps under the table. |
| cerca de | near | Vivimos cerca de la plaza Mayor. We live near the Plaza Mayor. |
| la calle | street | Esta calle es muy tranquila. This street is very quiet. |
| la esquina | corner | Hay una farmacia en la esquina. There is a pharmacy on the corner. |
| todo recto | straight on | La estación está todo recto, a diez minutos. The station is straight on, ten minutes away. |
| por aquí | around here | ¿Hay un buen restaurante por aquí? Is there a good restaurant around here? |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which form of estar goes with vosotros?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.