estas + Noun or Adjective

Saying What Something Is

Level 1

Estas links two words that name the same thing, so there is no object.

How It Works

After estas you can put a noun or an adjective. Either one says something about the subject.

EsperantoMeaning
Mi estas studento.I am a student.
La kafo estas varma.The coffee is hot.
Ili estas studentoj.They are students.
Ili estas feliĉaj.They are happy.

Compare Mi vidas studenton, where studenton is the object and takes -n, with Mi estas studento, where studento says who I am and takes no -n. A job or role stands with no article.

An adjective after estas also takes -j when the subject is plural, as the earlier entry showed.

Examples (4)

  1. Mi estas studento.

    I am a student.

    Studento says what I am, so it has no -n and no article.

  2. La kafo estas varma.

    The coffee is hot.

    Varma describes the subject and has no -n.

  3. Ewa estas studento.

    Ewa is a student.

    Studento does not say if Ewa is a man or a woman.

  4. Ili estas feliĉaj.

    They are happy.

    Feliĉaj takes -j because ili is plural, and no -n.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding -n after estas.

    Mi estas studenton.
    Mi estas studento.

    Studento says what the subject is. It is not an object, so it takes no -n.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

estas + Noun or AdjectiveLevel 1Saying What Something Is

Learn This First

Saying what something is joins estas with a noun or an adjective.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.