he estado
/e estado/from spelling rules
In Spanish, 'have been' is expressed as he estado.
The present perfect form of the verb 'to be', used to describe a state or location starting in the past.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, it means 'I have been'.
Which one should you use?
While he estado specifically means 'I have been', other forms are used depending on the subject or level of formality. For example, ha sido is used for the formal third-person singular ('you have been' or 'he/she has been').
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes depending on the subject: use hemos estado for 'we have been' and han estado for 'they/you all have been'.
How do you pronounce it?
/e estado/
Did you know?
- In ancient times, the word estado could be used as a unit of length, referring to a distance roughly equal to the height of an adult man.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the present perfect he estado is used much more frequently in daily conversation than it is in English, even for events that happened very recently.
- While he estado means 'I have been' in a location or state, if you want to say 'I have been' a teacher or a tall person, you must use he sido instead.
Examples in context
- He estado en Roma.I have been to Rome.This sentence shows how to use he estado to describe being in a location.Tatoeba #743087 by Shishir, translation #371414 by saeb
- He estado en Kioto.I have been to Kyoto.Tatoeba #2099809 by marcelostockle, translation #256898 by shekitten
- Hoy he estado ocupado.I have been busy today.This sentence shows how to use he estado to describe a state of being.Tatoeba #800918 by Shishir, translation #63127 by CC
- He sido un estudiante dedicado.I have been a dedicated student.
- Ha sido un honor trabajar con usted.It has been an honor working with you.
- Hemos sido testigos de su éxito.We have been witnesses to your success.
- Han sido muy amables conmigo.They have been very kind to me.
- He sido un gran fan de esa banda.I have been a big fan of that band.
- Ha sido un buen fin de semana.It has been a good weekend.
- Han sido muy generosos con nosotros.They have been very generous with us.
- 56 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are talking at a cafe about their week.
- Elena¿Cómo va todo, Daniel?How is everything going, Daniel?
- DanielBien, pero he estado muy estresado con el trabajo.Fine, but I have been very stressed with work.
- ElenaLo siento, yo también he estado algo ocupada.I'm sorry, I have also been somewhat busy.
- DanielEs verdad, necesitamos un descanso.It's true, we need a break.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries estado, he, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
