B1 Spanish GrammarParticipial Adjectives
Learn to use past and present participles as adjectives in Spanish. Past participles (-ado/-ido) describe states or results of actions: cansado, abierto, roto. Present participles are rarely used as adjectives; instead, use related adjectives. Master agreement and common participial expressions.
1Past Participles as Adjectives
Past participles (-ado, -ido) commonly function as adjectives, describing a state resulting from an action. They agree in gender and number with the noun: cansado/cansada/cansados/cansadas. The most common irregular participles are: abierto, cerrado, hecho, dicho, escrito, visto, roto, muerto.
Participle Agreement
| Participle | Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| cansado | cansado/cansados | cansada/cansadas | tired |
| abierto | abierto/abiertos | abierta/abiertas | open |
| cerrado | cerrado/cerrados | cerrada/cerradas | closed |
| perdido | perdido/perdidos | perdida/perdidas | lost |
| roto | roto/rotos | rota/rotas | broken |
Examples
Estoy muy cansada hoy.
I am very tired today.
cansada agrees with female speaker
Las puertas están abiertas.
The doors are open.
abiertas agrees with puertas (f.pl.)
Los niños están dormidos.
The children are asleep.
dormidos agrees with niños (m.pl.)
La ventana está rota.
The window is broken.
rota (irregular) agrees with ventana
2Estar + Participle vs Ser + Participle
With estar, the participle describes a resulting state: 'La puerta está cerrada' (The door is closed - someone closed it). With ser, it forms the passive voice: 'La puerta fue cerrada por el guardia' (The door was closed by the guard). Estar is far more common for describing states.
Estar vs Ser with Participles
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| estar + participle | state/result | La tienda está cerrada |
| ser + participle | passive action | La tienda fue cerrada por el dueño |
| estar + participle | emotion/condition | Estoy preocupado |
| ser + participle | characteristic | Es conocido por su trabajo |
Examples
El trabajo está terminado.
The work is finished.
estar = resulting state
El libro fue escrito en 1950.
The book was written in 1950.
ser = passive voice
Estamos muy preocupados.
We are very worried.
emotional state with estar
Es muy conocido en España.
He is well known in Spain.
ser for established characteristic
3Common Participial Adjectives
Many past participles are commonly used as standalone adjectives: aburrido (bored/boring), cansado (tired), enamorado (in love), enfadado (angry), interesado (interested), preocupado (worried), sorprendido (surprised). Some have slightly different meanings as adjectives.
Emotion/State Participles
| Participle | With Estar | English |
|---|---|---|
| aburrido | Estoy aburrido | I am bored |
| enamorado | Está enamorada de él | She is in love with him |
| enfadado | Están enfadados | They are angry |
| sorprendido | Estamos sorprendidos | We are surprised |
| ocupado | Estoy muy ocupado | I am very busy |
| equivocado | Estás equivocado | You are wrong |
Examples
Está muy enamorada de Juan.
She is very much in love with Juan.
enamorada agrees with female subject
Los estudiantes están aburridos.
The students are bored.
aburridos = bored (not boring)
Estoy un poco preocupado por ti.
I'm a little worried about you.
preocupado = worried
Creo que estás equivocada.
I think you are wrong.
equivocada = mistaken/wrong
4Participles vs True Adjectives
Spanish rarely uses present participles (-ando/-iendo) as adjectives. Instead, use derived adjectives: interesante (interesting), not interesando. Some pairs exist: cansar→cansado (tired)/cansante (tiring). The choice of -ado vs related adjective affects meaning.
Participle vs True Adjective
| Verb | Participle (state) | Adjective (quality) |
|---|---|---|
| cansar | cansado (tired) | cansante (tiring) |
| aburrir | aburrido (bored) | aburrido (boring) |
| interesar | interesado (interested) | interesante (interesting) |
| sorprender | sorprendido (surprised) | sorprendente (surprising) |
Examples
La pelÃcula es interesante.
The movie is interesting.
interesante = quality of the film
Estoy interesado en el tema.
I am interested in the topic.
interesado = my state
Fue un viaje muy cansante.
It was a very tiring trip.
cansante = the trip tired us
La noticia fue sorprendente.
The news was surprising.
sorprendente = caused surprise