estar

Used for location, temporary states, ongoing actions (with the gerund), and conditions that can change: estoy cansado, está lloviendo, el café está frío. Where ser answers "what is it," estar answers "how is it right now" or "where is it."

• Estoy muy cansado hoy. — I'm very tired today.
• El restaurante está cerca de aquí. — The restaurant is close to here.
• Estamos estudiando para el examen. — We're studying for the exam.

Location always takes estar, even for things that never move — "the museum is downtown" is el museo está en el centro, not *el museo es en el centro*, which trips up learners since location feels like a permanent fact.

Often confused with ser.

• song Estoy Aquí — Shakira's breakout 1995 single from her album Pies Descalzos — it hit #1 on the US Latin Pop Songs chart and remains one of her best-known early hits.
• expression "Estar en las nubes" — A fixed expression meaning to be distracted or lost in thought — literally "to be in the clouds," the Spanish equivalent of English's "to have your head in the clouds."