Almost everyone who starts learning Spanish trips over ser and estar. English has a single “to be”, and suddenly there are two. The good news: the logic behind them is very human.
Ser is about essence
Ser describes what defines a person or thing: name, origin, profession, personality, material. Soy Olena. Soy de Kyiv. Mi hermano es médico. These answer “who?” and “what is it?”.
Estar is about state and place
Estar talks about how something is right now and where it is: mood, wellbeing, temporary circumstances. Estoy cansada. El café está frío. Madrid está en el centro de España.
A one-question test
Ask yourself: is this “what it is” or “how it is right now”? Es aburrido — he is a boring person. Está aburrido — he is bored at the moment. One letter changes the whole meaning, which is why at MaxiTalk we practise such pairs in live dialogues rather than tables.