Ser is used for: -descriptions: Yo soy Maria, I am Maria -occupations: Mi padre es abogado, My dad is a lawyer -characteristics: El es inteligente, He is intelligent -time: Hoy es martes, Today is Tuesday -origin: Soy española, I am Spanish -relationships: Ella es mi madre, She is my mum Estar is used for: -position: Tu estás sentado, You are sitting down. -location: El baño está a la derecha, The toilet is to the right -actions: Estoy leyendo un libro, I am reading a book. -conditions: Hoy estoy cansada, I am tired today -emotions: Estoy triste, I am sad
For emotions for example, you could use both ser and estar and it would be gramatically correct but the meaning would change, for example: estar aburrido: to be bored, ser aburrido: to be boring