WHEN "SER" IS OBLIGATORY

Below are the instances when we have to use "ser"

with an adjective to express a permanent or inherent

quality
El azúcar es dulce sugar is sweet
mi padre es calvo my father is bald
mis hermanas son altas my sisters are tall

for occupations and nationality

Son italianos they are Italian
Pablo es español Pablo is Spanish
Es profesor She is a teacher

with nouns or pronouns

es un coche it is a car
son niñas they are girls
somos nosotros it's us
¿Eres John? Are you John?

with possessions
es mio it is mine
son de Pedro they are Pedro's
este es mi libro this is my book

with time, dates and numbers

son las seis it is 6 o'clock
dos y tres son cinco two and three are five
Es el 21 de diciembre it is 21st December
la temperatura es de 20 grados it is 20 degrees

with events
when there is an event or an occasion such as a party we use "ser" even though
we may seem to be indicating position which is usually with "estar"
La fiesta es en casa de Susana The party is in Susana's house
with passive constructions
Although it is not as common as in English there is a Spanish equivalent of the
English passive.
fue construido en 1800 it was built in 1800
el cuadro es robado The picture is stolen

when speaking about what something is made of

esos zapatos son de plástico those shoes are (made of) plastic
es de oro it's made of gold

with "how much / many?"

¿cuánto es? How much is it? (asking about the price)
¿cuántos son? How many are there?
 WHEN "ESTAR" IS OBLIGATORY
Below are the instances when we have to use "estar"

with talking about place and location

¿dónde está el cine? where is the cinema?
estuve en la playa ayer I was at the beach yesterday.

with an adjective to express a temporary or unusual quality

Another way of saying this is: To express a quality or state seen by the speaker
as subject to change or different from expected
la sopa está un poco fría the soup is a bit cold
María está muy guapa hoy María is looking very pretty today
Hoy estoy de mal humor I am in a bad mood today

before past participles describing the result of an action

el restaurante está abierto The restaurant is open

la ventana está cerrada the window is closed

when asking someone how they are

¿cómo estás? How are you?
estoy muy bien I am very well

with the present continuous

Carmen está bailando Carmen is dancing
estábamos escuchando la radio we were listening to the radio
 COMPARING "SER" AND "ESTAR"

We use "ser" with an adjective to express a permanent or

inherent quality
El azúcar es dulce sugar is sweet
mi padre es calvo my father is bald
mis hermanas son altas my sisters are tall

We us "estar" with an adjective to express a temporary or

unusual quality
Another way of saying this is: To express a quality or state seen by the speaker
as subject to change or different from expected
la sopa está un poco fría the soup is a bit cold
María está muy guapa hoy María is looking very pretty today
Hoy estoy de mal humor I am in a bad mood today

For many people these types of explanations may be correct but they may not
be very helpful.

The concepts maybe more easy to understand by comparing the different

meanings below.

Es un borracho He is a drunkard
Está borracho He is drunk (at the moment)

El chico es pálido The boy is pale (he has a naturally pale

complexion)
El chico está pálido The boy is pale (he is pale at the moment
because he is ill)

El hielo es frio The ice is cold (ice is inherently cold)

Este café está frio This coffee is cold (it has gone cold)