Predicative adjective

Question

I understand the use of the past participle to form the compound (or perfect) tense - ie the auxillary verb (haber) + the past participle (-ado / - ido), but I am a bit confused with this sentence:

Creo que un hueso estuvo atascado en la garganta de su perro.

"atascado" - doesn't use the auxillary verb haber. Instead it is using estar. Does this mean that atascado is an adjective? I cannot see how it is an adjective. Is it because it is linked with estar? Is it called a "predicative adjective" or is it called something else?

I thought you only used the past participle (-ado / -ido) with an auxillary verb. Can you also use the past participle with estar & ser? Is this when it is used as an adjective?

I am happy to do more research to understand this, but need to be put in the right direction. Is there a term (eg Predicative Adjective) that I need to research or do I just need to know that past participles can be used with haber, ser & estar.

Thanking you.

Answer 1

The principle auxiliary verbs of Spanish are haber, ser and estar.

You seem somewhat familiar with haber so the general formulas for ser is:

Ser + past participle forms the passive voice

Estar can function as the auxiliary in forming the progressive tense, but this requires estar + gerund.

Creo que un hueso estuvo atascando en la garganta de su perro.

I think that a bone was sticking in your dog's throat

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However, as qfreed has so kindly pointed out (see the third link he provided), atascado can indeed act as a predicate adjective to indicate the bones condition (i.e. stuck):

Creo que un hueso estuvo atascado en la garganta de su perro.

I think that a bone was stuck in your dogs throat

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Tener and ir are used occasionally as auxiliaries.

Tener sometimes takes the place of haber as a more emphatic auxiliary

As in:

Tengo dicho

I have said (i.e. authoritatively)

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Ir is sometimes used in place of estar in forming the progressive tense

va creciendo

it is growing (i.e. keeps on growing)

Answer 2

estuvo atascando sounds more like "was sticking" rather than "was stuck". I think that you are reaching.

See section 2: passive voice with ser or estar

estar+past participle

more estar + past participle

yet another on these adjectives

And yes, these look the same to me as a predicate adjective.

Just a thought: if this wasn't a predicate adjective, but some weird verb form like the past progressive construction would the verb not have to be atascarse.

you are correct being that it is the gerund; I'm not sure what you mean by I am reaching though - Izanoni1, AGO 30, 2009

I mean that it is not atascando. You are reaching in the fact that you are trying to explain why it cant be estar+past participle, but would have to be ser+past particiole. - 0074b507, AGO 30, 2009

Thanks for the clarification - Izanoni1, AGO 30, 2009