Frases básicas sobre vacaciones y el clima en español

What does “estar de vacaciones” mean in Spanish?

Estar de vacaciones means “to be on vacation.” The useful part is the little estar de, which marks a temporary state you are “in” right now. So estoy de vacaciones is “I’m on vacation,” and the same shape gives you estoy de viaje (“I’m on a trip”) and estar de buen humor (“to be in a good mood”). It is estar, not ser, because the state does not last forever.

Watch the small word de: ir de vacaciones means “to go on vacation” (the going), while estar de vacaciones means you are already on it (the being there). The clip pairs it with weather phrases like está lloviendo (“it’s raining”) and hace sol (“it’s sunny”).