Year and weekends

Hola Sandy S.

Great questions! Let’s go over each point to clarify how “estar” is used with years, weekends and seasons.

First, regarding the year, yes, we do use the same structure as with months. You can say “¿En qué año estamos?” to ask “What year are we in?” and respond with “Estamos en 1988.”

This usage is perfectly natural in conversational Spanish. It mirrors the structure “¿En qué mes estamos?” which learners often see when talking about months. Using “estar” in this context emphasizes the idea of being within a time period, a typical function of “estar” in casual settings.

As for weekends, the phrase “Estamos a fin de semana” is acceptable in colloquial Spanish, especially in Spain. It means something like “We’re at the weekend” and reflects the common use of “estar a + time expression.” It’s an idiomatic structure that you might hear in speech.

On the other hand, “Estamos al fin de semana” is not correct in this context. “Al” (a + el) would suggest a destination or movement towards something, which doesn’t fit the idea of currently being in the weekend. If you want to sound more neutral or standard, “Estamos en el fin de semana” is also a valid alternative.

For seasons, the correct expression is “estar en + [season]”, such as “Estamos en verano” (We’re in summer) or “Estamos en otoño” (We’re in autumn). You wouldn’t use “estar a” for seasons, it just doesn’t work the same way it does with weekends.

I hope that clears everything up! 

¡Mucho ánimo con tu español!

Silvia