estou/estás/está/estamos/estão

Estar Present Tense

Foundations

Use 'estar' for 'how' or 'where' something is right now, rather than 'what' it is permanently.

How It Works

Estar is one of the most important verbs in Portuguese. It is an irregular verb used to describe temporary states, physical sensations, or current locations.

Use estar for:

  • Current Location: Where a person or movable object is right now (e.g., 'Eu estou no carro'). Note: For permanent locations like cities, buildings, or landmarks, Portuguese uses the verb ficar (e.g., 'O Rio de Janeiro fica no Brasil').
  • Conditions: Temporary feelings or physical states (e.g., 'Eu estou cansado').
  • Physical Sensations: Using the estar com construction to express hunger, thirst, or cold.
  • Weather: To describe current weather states (e.g., 'Está frio hoje').
  • Ongoing Actions: To say what is happening right now. In Brazil, use estar + gerund; in Portugal, use estar a + infinitive.

Regional Note: The form estás is used with tu in Portugal and parts of Brazil. However, in many Brazilian regions, speakers use tu with the third-person form (tu está) or simply use você está. In casual speech, you will often hear shortened forms like tô, tá, tamo, tão.

Examples (6)

  1. Eu estou em casa.

    I am at home.

    Word by Word: I am in house.

    Uses estou to indicate a person's current physical location.

  2. Tu estás bem?

    Are you okay?

    Word by Word: You are well?

    The form estás is used with tu, common in Portugal and parts of Brazil, though many Brazilians colloquially say 'tu está'.

  3. Onde está o meu livro?

    Where is my book?

    Word by Word: Where is the my book?

    Use está for the location of movable objects.

  4. Nós estamos com fome.

    We are hungry.

    Word by Word: We are with hunger.

    Describes a temporary physical sensation using the estar com construction.

  5. Hoje está muito sol.

    It is very sunny today.

    Word by Word: Today is much sun.

    Use está to describe current weather conditions.

  6. Eles estão trabalhando.

    They are working.

    Word by Word: They are working.

    In Brazil, ongoing actions use estar + gerúndio.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ser' for location.

    Eu sou em Portugal.
    Eu estou em Portugal.

    Even if you live there, your physical presence in a place uses 'estar'.

  • Confusing 'está' (is) with 'esta' (this).

    Esta muito calor.
    Está muito calor.

    The accent on 'está' is mandatory for the verb. Without it, 'esta' means 'this' (feminine).

  • Using 'estar' for age.

    Eu estou 20 anos.
    Eu tenho 20 anos.

    In Portuguese, you 'have' years rather than 'being' years old. Use ter for age.

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estou/estás/está/estamos/estãoFoundationsEstar Present Tense

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