estar al tanto
verbCEFR B2
What does “estar al tanto” mean in English?
to be aware, to stay informed
to be aware, to stay informed (ongoing awareness state; estar al tanto de algo)
Example sentences
Es fundamental estar al tanto de las novedades legislativas para evitar incumplimientos.
It is essential to stay on top of legislative changes to avoid non-compliance.
El gerente nos mantuvo al tanto de todas las negociaciones en curso.
The manager kept us up to date on all the ongoing negotiations.
¿Estás al tanto de lo que pasó en la reunión de ayer?
Are you up to speed with what happened at yesterday's meeting?
How to use it
Estar al tanto means 'to be aware', 'to be up to date', 'to be informed'. It is a neutral to slightly formal idiom used in professional and journalistic contexts. Construction: estar al tanto (de algo): 'estar al tanto de los cambios', 'estar al tanto de la situación'. It describes an ongoing state of awareness, not a single discovery. Contrast with enterarse de (to find out about, a punctual event) and estar al loro (informal synonym).
Common mistake
Estar al tanto ≠ estar enterado (to be informed, once). Estar al tanto implies ongoing awareness; estar enterado implies having been informed at a point. Confusingly, enterarse de is the punctual verb (I found out) while al tanto describes the resulting state. Don't confuse with estar al loro (informal colloquial synonym).