estan

Estan is primarily encountered as a diacritic-free spelling of the Spanish verb estar in the present indicative tense. In standard Spanish, the correct form is están, which corresponds to the third person plural (ellos, ellas, ustedes) and means they are or you all are. The non-accented form estan appears in informal writing, in contexts where diacritics are omitted, or in systems that strip accents, but it is considered orthographically incorrect in modern Spanish.

The verb estar derives from Latin stare (to stand) and evolved through Old Spanish into its current imperfect and present forms. Estar is used to indicate location, temporary states, or conditions, as well as to form many idiomatic expressions. The form estan functions solely as a conjugated verb and does not serve as a standalone noun or adjective.

Outside Spanish, the sequence Estan (capitalized or not) may occur as a proper name or transliteration in other languages, but it does not carry a defined meaning in standard reference works beyond its role as a verb form in Spanish.

See also: Spanish verbs, estar, Spanish orthography.