"Se está"

[FrannyCakes]

What does "se está" mean?
What does "estar" mean when used with "se"?

[chileno]

At first instance it would mean "it's being"

[Tomisimo]

It's a way to express the passive voice without actually using the passive voice.

For example:

Se está preparando para la fiesta.
The party is being prepared for.

[Jubilee]

Spanish speakers may need to correct me on this but se is sometimes an impersonal way of saying something, about no-one in particular:

se conduce rápido en la ciudad

they drive fast in the city - no -one in particular, a general comment... Can that work with estar also?

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Jubilee

Spanish speakers may need to correct me on this but se is sometimes an impersonal way of saying something, about no-one in particular:

se conduce rápido en la ciudad it's driven fast in the city. (would that work better?)

they drive fast in the city - no -one in particular, a general comment... Can that work with estar also?

They drive fast in the city = Ellos conducen rápido en la ciudad.

It being driven fast in the city - Se está conduciendo rápido en la ciudad.

[irmamar]

Well, I think there is a more accurate explanation about "se está":

- Estarse, pronominal, with the meaning of "remain voluntarily":

Este perro se está callado si se lo ordenas.
El niño se está quieto.
Yo me estoy callada.

- Se está as "pasiva refleja impersonal":

Se está muy bien al sol.
En este hotel se está muy bien.
Se está conduciendo rápido en la ciudad.

- "Se está" as "pasiva refleja", concordancia con el sujeto paciente:

Se está preparando una fiesta.
Se están preparando unas fiestas.

"Se está preparando para la fiesta" is an active sentence:

(Ella/él) se está preparando para la fiesta. Yo diría que aquí el "se" tiene valor reflexivo (pronominal reflexivo).

De momento, no se me ocurren más ocasiones en que se use "se está".

I hope it helps