To Be: The Verbiage on 'Ser' & 'Estar'

All verbs (words that express action or state of being) in the Spanish language end in either AR, ER or IR.  There are, however, two famous & very popular verbs that have the same meaning, 'to be.'  They are SER & ESTAR, never to be forgotten.

Use SER with:

The inherent identity of someone/thing (gender, profession, role(s), event(s), telling time (the hour), family position, nationality & characteristics).

• Yo soy Steph, una mujer americana y una maestra.  También soy una hija y hermana  buena.  (I'm Steph, an American woman & a teacher.  I'm also a good daughter & sister.)
• ¿Cuando es la clase de español y qué hora son ahora? (When is Spanish class & what time is it now?)

Use ESTAR with:

The state of someone/thing (emotions, situations, activities (use the gerund form of ando OR iendo), location/place & a temporary condition).

• Estamos en Baltimore y estoy triste porque la cerveza está cara y mala.  ¡Pero, estamos tomándola!  (We're in Baltimore & I'm sad because the beer is expensive & bad.  But, we're drinking it anyway!)