Spanish A1: Estar + Emotions and Locations — Feelings and Where You Are

Ever want to say “I’m happy” or “I’m at home” in Spanish? Great news: you only need one verb to do both — estar. In this beginner-friendly guide, you’ll learn how to use estar to talk about emotions and locations. We’ll cover essential vocabulary, simple rules, and lots of practice so you can use these phrases today.

Meet estar: your go-to for feelings and places

In Spanish, we use the verb estar to say how we feel (temporary states) and where we are (locations). Think of estar as “to be” for right now: how you’re doing at this moment and where you are.

Spanish
Estoy aquí.
I am here.
estar present Irregular
Pronoun Conjugation
yo est-oy
tú est-ás
él/ella/usted est-á
nosotros/nosotras est-amos
vosotros/vosotras est-áis
ellos/ellas/ustedes est-án

Yo en casa.

Emotions with estar

We use estar + an adjective to describe how we feel right now. These adjectives often change form for gender (masculine/feminine) and sometimes number (singular/plural).

feliz
happy (masc/fem)
adjective
Estoy feliz hoy.
I am happy today.
triste
sad (masc/fem)
adjective
Ella está triste.
She is sad.
cansado/cansada
tired (masc/fem)
adjective
Estoy cansado.
I am tired. (masculine speaker)
enfermo/enferma
sick (masc/fem)
adjective
Mi hermano está enfermo.
My brother is sick.
nervioso/nerviosa
nervous (masc/fem)
adjective
Ella está nerviosa.
She is nervous.
ocupado/ocupada
busy (masc/fem)
adjective
Estamos ocupados.
We are busy.
aburrido/aburrida
bored (masc/fem)
adjective
Los niños están aburridos.
The children are bored.
contento/contenta
glad, pleased (masc/fem)
adjective
Estoy contenta.
I am glad. (feminine speaker)
Spanish
¿Cómo estás? Estoy feliz.
How are you? I am happy.
🧠 Estar + emotions basics

Locations with estar + en

To say where someone is, use estar + en + place. You will often include the article (el/la) before the place noun.

Spanish
Estoy en la biblioteca.
I am in the library.

Ellos en la oficina.

🔠 Put the words in order

Build a natural Spanish sentence that says “Now I am in the park.”

💬 Mini-dialog: feelings and location

Quick cultural note: greetings and formality

Spanish speakers commonly ask “¿Cómo estás?” or “¿Qué tal?” to check in on feelings. For formal situations (a stranger, someone older, or in professional contexts), use:

  • ¿Cómo está usted? = How are you? (formal)
  • ¿Dónde está? = Where are you? (formal to “you”, singular) In casual chats, friends often combine location and feeling:
  • ¿Dónde estás? = Where are you?
  • Estoy en casa. = I’m at home.
  • ¿Cómo estás? = How are you?
  • Estoy ocupado. = I’m busy.
Estoy a la escuela. → Estoy en la escuela. Use en (in/at) with locations, not a. Soy en casa. → Estoy en casa. Use estar for locations. Ser is not used to say where someone or something is.

More example sentences you can use today

Here are simple, high-frequency patterns you can reuse:

Spanish
¿Dónde estás? Estoy en casa.
Where are you? I am at home.
Spanish
¿Cómo estás? Estoy ocupado/ocupada.
How are you? I am busy.
Spanish
Ella está enferma hoy.
She is sick today.
Spanish
Estamos en el trabajo.
We are at work.

Wrap-up and practice

You now have a powerful combo: estar for emotions (temporary feelings) and locations (where you are). Keep these essentials in mind:

  • Conjugate estar correctly: estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están.
  • Use en for location: en casa, en el parque, en la oficina.
  • Match adjective gender/number: cansado/cansada; nervioso/nerviosa; ocupados/ocupadas. Practice ideas:
  • Say where you are three times a day: “Estoy en casa / Estoy en el trabajo / Estoy en el parque.”
  • Check in with a friend: “¿Cómo estás?” and answer with an emotion.
  • Make a mini diary: “Hoy estoy feliz. Ahora estoy en la biblioteca.” You’ve got this — a few minutes of daily practice will make “estar + emotions + locations” feel natural in no time!