estão

Estão is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Portuguese verb estar, meaning "to be." It is used to describe temporary states, locations, and ongoing actions, and it typically corresponds to "they are" or, in Brazilian usage, to "you (plural) are" when the subject is eles/elas or vocês.

Estar comes from Latin stare (to stand) and is conjugated as an irregular verb in modern Portuguese. In the present indicative, the standard forms are: eu estou, tu estás, ele/ela está, nós estamos, vós estais, eles/elas estão. The form estão signals third-person plural agreement with the subject.

Estar is contrasted with ser, which expresses inherent or permanent qualities. A common use is to describe location or temporary conditions: "Eles estão em casa" (they are at home) and "A reunião está marcada" (the meeting is scheduled). It also forms the progressive aspect with a gerund: "Eles estão estudando" (they are studying).

Regional variation affects second-person plural forms: in Brazilian Portuguese, vocês estão is standard; in European Portuguese, vós estais has historical presence but is rarely spoken, with vocês estão widely used for the second person plural. The spelling "estão" carries a nasal tilde, and pronunciation varies by dialect.

See also: estar and ser; progressive aspect in Portuguese; conjugation tables.