It Is On In Spanish | Phrases Native Speakers Use

The most common way to say that something is on in Spanish for devices or lights is está encendido, while for TV or events you can say está puesto.

English speakers say that something is on for many different things: a lamp, a show, a call, a match, a sale. Spanish spreads those meanings across several clear patterns. If you match each situation to the right structure, you sound natural instead of translating word for word.

This article walks through the main ways to express that something is on in Spanish, from basic household situations to live events and online features. You will see how verbs such as estar, ser, and poner combine with adjectives and participles, where regional options appear, and how to avoid the mistakes that learners repeat most often.

It Is On In Spanish In Different Contexts

The phrase it is on in Spanish does not have a single default version. Speakers choose a form that matches the type of thing that is on. Devices behave like physical objects that can be on or off, events behave like happenings in time and space, and abstract things such as offers or settings behave like states that can be active or inactive.

Devices And Lights: Está Encendido

For anything that you switch on and off with a button, the standard option is estar encendido. The RAE definition of encender includes the meaning “to make a device work”, which fits this idea well.

Common sentences include:

• La luz está encendida. – The light is on.
• El ordenador ya está encendido. – The computer is on now.
• El aire acondicionado sigue encendido. – The air conditioning is still on.

To say that something is not on, swap encendido for apagado:

• La cafetera está apagada. – The coffee maker is off.
• Deja el móvil apagado. – Leave your phone off.

In many Latin American countries, people also say estar prendido for devices and lights. The verb prender appears in the RAE entry for prender, and local usage extends it to the idea of something being lit or switched on. It is useful to recognise even if you do not use it yourself.

Shows And Channels: Está Puesto And Lo Ponen

When a show, channel, or song is on, Spanish often uses estar puesto or forms with poner. The verb poner covers ideas such as “to put on” or “to play” a programme, as seen in the RAE entry for poner, which lists uses linked to cinema and television.

You will hear phrases like these:

• La tele está puesta. – The TV is on.
• La radio está puesta muy alta. – The radio is on too loud.
• En este bar siempre está puesta la liga. – In this bar the football league is always on.

When the focus is the content and not the device, speakers use poner in active forms:

• Están poniendo mi serie favorita. – My favorite series is on.
• Ahora ponen las noticias. – The news is on now.
• Hoy ponen la final en abierto. – Today the final is on free-to-air TV.

Events, Meetings And Matches

For live events, it is on can mean that something is happening right now or that it is still scheduled. Spanish uses both ser and estar here. Resources from the Instituto Cervantes explain that ser often links events to time and place, while estar describes temporary situations.

Some useful patterns:

• El partido sigue en marcha. – The game is still on.
• La reunión está en curso. – The meeting is on right now.
• El concierto es esta noche. – The concert is on tonight.
• La conferencia es mañana por la tarde. – The talk is on tomorrow afternoon.

Expressions such as en marcha, en curso, or en pie help you say that something has not been cancelled and continues as planned.

Table Of Core Meanings For It Is On

The table below groups the most common uses of it is on in Spanish so you can match your situation to a clear phrase.

Situation	Core Spanish Phrase	Example Sentence
Light or lamp	estar encendido	La luz del pasillo está encendida.
Appliance or device	estar encendido / estar prendido	El televisor está encendido.
TV or radio in general	estar puesto	La radio está puesta todo el día.
Specific show on TV	están poniendo + programa	Están poniendo el partido.
Live game in progress	seguir en marcha	El partido sigue en marcha.
Event scheduled	ser + fecha / lugar	La feria es el sábado.
Promotion or sale	estar vigente	La oferta todavía está vigente.
Online meeting	estar en curso	La videollamada ya está en curso.

Grammar Behind These Spanish Phrases

Behind each phrase for it is on in Spanish sits a small grammar story. Once you see how the pieces fit, you can plug almost any noun into the right slot without translating from English in your head each time.

Estar Plus Participles For Physical States

The pair estar encendido follows a common pattern: estar plus a past participle that describes state. The RAE entry for encendido treats it as an adjective meaning “lit” or “turned on”, which matches the way people talk about lights, screens, and engines.

You can extend this pattern to other situations:

• La calefacción está encendida en invierno. – The heating is on in winter.
• Las luces están apagadas durante el día. – The lights are off during the day.
• El sistema de riego está programado y encendido. – The watering system is on and programmed.

Once that structure feels familiar, phrases such as está activado, está desactivado, or está bloqueado fall into place as variations of the same idea.

Ser For Events That Are On

Events look different because English uses be both for state and for the idea of taking place. Guidance from RAE grammar notes describes ser as a verb that links a subject to a description. When the subject is an event, that description usually gives the time or place.

In practice, if you can answer when or where, ser often fits best:

• La reunión es a las tres. – The meeting is on at three.
• La boda es en la catedral. – The wedding is on at the cathedral.
• El taller es el viernes por la tarde. – The workshop is on Friday afternoon.

To stress that an event is not cancelled, speakers add small phrases:

• El concierto sigue en pie. – The concert is still on.
• La reunión está confirmada. – The meeting is on and confirmed.

Abstract Things That Are On: Rules, Offers And Modes

English uses on for promotions, projects, and even phone settings. Spanish tends to reach for adjectives like vigente, activo, or habilitado. In technical writing, style guides and the RAE entry for activar often pair activar and desactivar with software options.

Some handy examples:

• El descuento está vigente hasta fin de mes. – The discount is on until the end of the month.
• La promoción sigue activa. – The promotion is still on.
• El modo silencioso está activado. – Silent mode is on.
• El modo avión está desactivado. – Airplane mode is off.

Quick Reference Phrases For It Is On In Spanish

Once you know the main patterns, you can mix them with your own vocabulary. Use the table below as a fast reminder while you practise.

English Meaning	Neutral Spanish Phrase	Informal Or Extra Option
The light is on	La luz está encendida.	La luz está prendida.
The TV is on	La tele está puesta.	Están poniendo la tele.
The game is on	El partido sigue en marcha.	El partido está en juego.
The meeting is on	La reunión está en curso.	La reunión sigue en pie.
The sale is on	La oferta está vigente.	La promoción sigue activa.
The plan is on	El plan sigue en marcha.	El proyecto está en marcha.
The feature is on	La función está activada.	La opción está encendida.

Common Mistakes And Simple Practice

English speakers often try to use one fixed phrase for it is on in Spanish. That shortcut leads to small errors that sound strange to native ears. Avoiding a few traps and practising short patterns makes a big difference. Regular contact with these patterns gives you faster reactions in conversation and lets your Spanish follow the same rhythm that native speakers use every day in practice.

Using Ser Encendido Or Es Encendido

A frequent slip is to say es encendido for the light is on. Spanish treats encendido as a state reached after an action, so it combines with estar instead of ser. You can think of it as the result of switching something on.

• Wrong:La luz es encendida.
• Right:La luz está encendida.

Forgetting About Context

Another common problem appears when learners pick one favourite phrase and use it everywhere. Saying La reunión está encendida sounds odd because meetings are not like lamps. For a meeting that is confirmed or happening, one of these versions fits better:

• La reunión está en curso. – The meeting is on right now.
• La reunión sigue en pie. – The meeting is still on.
• La reunión es a las tres. – The meeting is on at three.

The English phrase it is on covers several clearer ideas in Spanish. If you link each type of thing to one of the patterns above, your sentences sound natural and easy to follow.