"El comandante no está aquí."

Translation: The commander is not here.

[GeorgesHaj]

I'm confused, when do we use "esta" and when do we use ''es" ?

[itwing]

http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/serest1.htm

[marybuck100]

Extremely helpful! Thank you.

[NaomiJ2000]

Thamk you so much

[berrrr]

Is commandant unacceptable? :(

[crowflys]

It is acceptable. Duolingo needs to correct that.

[SGuthrie0]

Not yet corrected, August 2016

[NaomiJ2000]

I love your pic.

[Serafina89]

I wrote:
El comandante no esta aqui.
In every other sentence i can spare the accents. But here it is wrong!

[tessbee]

Leaving out the accent, when it's required, for the reason that it's too much work is a bad habit that's going to be very hard to break later. I think Duolingo is right not to accept it, and I think it shouldn't let it slide even in the earlier part of the lessons so that students, especially new ones, don't get so used to doing it. After all, "esta" and "está" are two different words; it's as if saying that, in English, using "this to mean "is" should be just fine. Just my opinion.

[VaRee]

At this point they don't look passed it. They seem to think we should b getting those details correctly understood at this point.

[myrrhsee]

I just would like to know why es, is not correct.

[jfGor]

Estar is used for location.

[maddiebean12]

Why the accent on the a in "esta" here?

[Samsta]

Without it, it would be pronounced as ES-ta, which means "this" (feminine). With the accent, it is pronounced es-TÁ, which means "is".

[Fisland]

The commander's not here is also a valid translation

[crowflys]

"The commandant is not here." is a correct translation. Commander and commandant are both translated into Spanish as 'comandante'.

[crowflys]

Commandant and commander are both equally translated as comandante in Spanish. When I use "commandant" as a translation for "commandante" it is correct but it keeps getting marked as wrong.

[David215590]

Commandant and commander are two different positions, at least in the US military.

A commander is a US Navy rank (O-5) or the officer assigned to be in command of a military base.

A commandant, however, is a position that tends to be the head or second-in-command of a military training facility. In the case of West Point, the USAF academy, etc... they are the second-in-command. But for each service's War College, they are in charge.

Is "commandante" a rank in Spanish... or a position?

[Joan223152]

Excuse me, but one can also say 'commandant' in English. Time for the Duolingo staff to review their English --- again! :(

[crowflys]

Commandant is actually more correct than commander. It's more direct of a translation, more accurate.

[ThaMuzakSlayer]

So the fate of the world is up to you now, seargant! Where shall we strike next?

[Cards666]

What's the difference between esta and está?

[aisha578045]

How rude