¿estás en casa?
In Spanish, "are you home?" is translated as ¿estás en casa?
This phrase is used to ask if someone is currently at their place of residence. Note that while this asks about a specific location, it is not used to ask if someone is a "homebody" or someone who generally prefers staying at home. To express that quality, you would use ser casero.
Which one should you use?
While ¿estás en casa? asks about a person's current location, ¿estás en tu casa? is an informal option specifically meaning "Are you at your place?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase ¿estás por casa? is commonly used in Spain and many Latin American countries.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form you choose depends on who you are addressing. Use the third-person singular form ¿está en casa? to ask "Is he/she/you (formal) home?" To ask if a group of people is home, use the plural form ¿están en casa?
When do people say it?
A standard way to respond to this question is Sí, estoy en casa (Yes, I am home).
Did you know?
- Depending on the country, if you ask ¿estás en casa? to a person who is actually in a public park, they might answer No, estoy en la calle to indicate they are 'out'.
- In highly formal settings, the phrase ¿se encuentra en casa? is often used instead of ¿está en casa? to be more elegant.
- The word casa originally referred to a small 'cottage' or 'hut' in Latin, rather than the large permanent structures we associate with the word 'house' today.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, señor. ¿Está en casa?Excuse me, sir. Are you home?
- Oye, María. ¿Estás en casa?Hey María, are you home?
- Hola David, ¿estás en casa?Hi David, are you home?
- Ricardo, ¿estás en tu casa?Ricardo, are you at your place?
- Disculpe, señora. ¿Está en casa?Excuse me, ma'am. Are you home?
- Hola Sofía, ¿estás en casa? Quería preguntar si estás libre para salir.Hi Sofia, are you home? I wanted to ask if you're free to hang out.
- Hola, ¿estás en casa?Hello, are you home?
Example conversation
Sofía calls Mateo to see if she can visit him.
- SofíaHola Mateo, ¿estás en casa?Hello Mateo, are you home?
- MateoSí, acabo de llegar.Yes, I just arrived.
- Sofía¿Puedo pasar a verte?Can I stop by to see you?
- MateoClaro, ven cuando quieras.Sure, come whenever you want.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries casa, en, CC BY-SA 4.0.
