There are many common expressions in Spanish that use the verb hacer:

hacer calor/frío = to be hot/cold (talking about the weather, not an object or person)
Hace mucho frío aquí en el invierno.
hacer buen/mal tiempo = for the weather to be good/bad
Esperamos que haga buen tiempo este fin de semana.
hacer falta = to be necessary
Después de tanto trabajar, nos hacían falta unas vacaciones.
hacer las maletas = to pack one's suitcases
Si te vas de viaje, no te olvides de hacer tus maletas la noche anterior.
hacer una pregunta = to ask a question
Perdóneme señora, ¿le puedo hacer una pregunta?
hacer un viaje = to take a trip
Este verano mis primos piensan hacer un viaje a Perú.
hacer daño = to harm
Mi amigo siempre dice que soñar no hace daño

Remember that to express age in Spanish, you use the expression tener ... años (Mi hermana tiene 25 años.) Tener que + infinitive means "to have to..." (Tenemos que estudiar.) There are many other expressions in Spanish that use the verb tener:

tener confianza = to be confident
Tengo confianza en mi habilidad de hablar en público.
tener cuidado = to be careful
Ten cuidado cuando manejes en la nieve.
tener éxito = to be successful
Estamos seguros de que este proyecto tendrá éxito.
tener frío/calor = to be cold/hot (a person)
Si tienes frío, ponte el abrigo.
tener hambre/sed = to be hungry/thirsty
Tengo hambre porque hace varias horas que no como.
tener lugar = to happen, take place
El campeonato nacional tiene lugar en Chattanooga.
tener miedo = to be scared (can be used with the prepositions a or de)
Yo no le tengo miedo a la muerte.
tener paciencia = to be patient
Ten paciencia, que el médico nos va a atender pronto.
tener prisa = to be in a hurry
Siempre andas corriendo. ¿Por qué tienes tanta prisa?
tener razón = to be right
Ahora me doy cuenta de que tenías razón.
tener sueño = to be sleepy
No dormí muy bien anoche, y por eso tengo sueño.
tener suerte = to be lucky
¿Tania se ganó la lotería? ¡Qué suerte tiene!
tener vergüenza = to be ashamed/embarrassed
No debes tener vergüenza de decir lo que piensas.
tener en cuenta = to take into account
Hay que tener en cuenta que no todos los estudiantes aprenden de la misma manera.
tener ganas de (+ infinitive) = to feel like
Tenemos ganas de ir a esquiar.
tener que ver (con) = to have to do with
Lo que Ronaldo dijo no tiene nada que ver con nuestra discusión.

These forms of haber express a state of existence, and are most commonly translated in English by "there is" or "there are" - in the past, "there was/were", in the future "there will be", etc.

Examples:
Había más de 100 personas en la fiesta. = There were more than 100 people at the party.
Hay muchos parques cerca de Boone. = There are a lot of parks near Boone.
No habrá tiempo para hacerlo todo = There will not be time to do it all.
Ayer hubo un terrible accidente = There was a terrible accident yesterday.

Note: Although plural forms of haber, such as habían, are sometimes heard in casual speech, they are not considered correct in written language or formal speech and should be avoided.

The verb estar is one way to express English "to be" in Spanish. It is sometimes said that estar is used to indicate temporary states or characteristics, but in fact it's usage is more complicated than that general statement would indicate. Below is a list of the most common uses of estar, with examples.

1.To indicate the location of cities, buildings, people, and other objects.
Estaban en Venezuela.

2. With the gerund (-ando/-iendo form) to form the present progressive tense.
Nos estamos preparando para la fiesta.

3. With adjectives to indicate feelings or states that are not basic traits or characteristics. When speaking of a person, for example, using estar with an adjective indicates that the adjective does not describe the basic traits personality of the person, but rather a temporary or changeable state. That is why estar is more common with adjectives such as enfermo, nervioso, and preocupado, which tend to be temporary states. If we say Tomás está enfermo, "Thomas is sick", this implies that he is sick now, but not always. Using ser instead, Tomás es un enfermo, means "Thomas is an invalid" - in other words, it makes it a basic trait. See the list below for other adjectives that change in meaning with use of ser vs. estar.

4. Because using estar with an adjective tends to imply a temporary or non-characteristic state, estar can often be used to express English "to seem", "to taste" or "to look" as in these examples:
Magdalena está muy linda hoy. = Magdalena looks very pretty today.
Esta sopa está salada = This soup tastes salty.

English "to be" can also be expressed using the verb ser. Again, while it is sometimes said that ser expresses permanent characteristics, this is an oversimplification. Ser is used in the following contexts:

1. With professions.
Soy abogada.

2. With characteristics (physical and otherwise) that are seen as a basic part of someone's identity. When talking about objects, it is used to describe basic characteristics such as what something is made of, or its shape.
Ulíses es alto y moreno.
Tú eres muy tranquilo.
Esta silla es de madera, y es muy cómoda

3. Generally, with place of origin and nationality. For example, one says Soy de Carolina del Norte and Somos estadounidenses. If estar is used with an adjective of nationality, it means something like "you look very __ right now" or "you're acting very __"; Estás muy español means "You look very Spanish", and might indicate that the person is wearing some sort of traditional costume.

4. With expressions of time.
¿Qué hora es? Son las once.

5. To describe the location of events (remember, however, that estar is used with people, places, and objects.)
El concierto es en el Teatro Rex.
La fiesta va a ser en mi casa.